Zenless Zone Zero

The player may select between two main characters, Wise and Belle, at the start of the game. They assume the role of a Proxy, a guide for hire who provides mapping and direction within supernatural disaster zones known as Hollows. The selected Proxy will interact with and hire Agents for protection in Hollows, who serve as the primary playable characters in place of the protagonist. Through gacha mechanics, the player may summon Agents for use in combat.

In addition to Agents, players can summon rabbit-like robots called Bangboo to perform assistance actions. Parties are built from three Agents and one Bangboo, with emphasis on specific combinations to create synergistic teams. The created party is then used to fight enemies, which are represented by distorted entities known as Ethereals, as well as human opponents. Only one Agent may be actively controlled at any time, while other Agents may perform attacks or enhancements autonomously.

Zenless Zone Zero follows the live service game model, with new updates (titled Versions) released approximately once every six weeks that add to the plot. Each Version contains quests known as Commissions, which follow the player's selected protagonist as they interact with Agents and non-playable characters, explore the Hollows and the city of New Eridu, and reveal more of the mysteries surrounding events prior to the start of the game. The game organizes major narrative arcs into Seasons, with each Season corresponding to a major Version update that increments the X value in an X.Y versioning scheme.

Zenless Zone Zero takes place in the post-apocalyptic city-state of New Eridu. Large supernatural disaster zones, known as Hollows, have enveloped a majority of the planet and created alternate dimensions within the consumed space. Matter is distorted and corrupted within a Hollow due to a substance known as Ether, leading to sufficiently sentient life becoming twisted Ethereals if they remain within a Hollow for too long. Outside the Hollows, Ether is harvested as an energy source to allow for modern society to continue within New Eridu.

Zenless Zone Zero was produced by Zhenyu Li. The development team cited Persona 5, Digimon World, and Street Fighter as influences for Zenless Zone Zero, influences from Street Fighter can be seen within the animation of characters during combat while the influences of Digimon World can be seen in the implementation of the in-game clock system. The development team stressed that Zenless Zone Zero has a unique style.

Characters in Zenless Zone Zero have different designs based on their faction; For instance, the design for Victoria Housekeeping characters is based on Victorian-era butlers and maids with tropes from horror movies. There is an emphasis on quality over quantity regarding the development of characters.

Prior to the game's release, the Chinese video game news website 17173 noted that HoYoverse had significant experience with action games, considering Zenless Zone Zero as both a return to the genre and a potential breakthrough for the company. They believed that HoYoverse had yet to encounter significant rivals in the action game category and that Zenless Zone Zero could "stabilize and expand the user market." 17173 also emphasized the game's strong stylized design and trendy visual elements, noting that it inherited HoYoverse's expertise in the action category while presenting a distinct and unique work.

Eurogamer said that the combat and day-to-day exploration exciting, and the world setting unique and immersive. Kotaku said its combat system is similar to miHoYo's previous game, Honkai Impact 3rd.