Zenless Zone Zero vs Wuthering Waves
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
It's close: Zenless Zone Zero edges it 8.1 to 7.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Zenless Zone Zero wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Wuthering Waves on 1, with 1 tied.
Action fans who want stylish, combo-heavy fights in short bursts
Action RPG fans who want harder, skill-based combat in an open world
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Zenless Zone Zero | Wuthering Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Category | RPG & Adventure Games | RPG & Adventure Games |
| Category rank | #6 of 8 | #7 of 8 |
| Developer | HoYoverse | Kuro Games |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | — | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Zenless Zone Zero better than Wuthering Waves?
It's close: Zenless Zone Zero edges it 8.1 to 7.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Zenless Zone Zero wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Wuthering Waves on 1, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, Zenless Zone Zero or Wuthering Waves?
Zenless Zone Zero: Free to play; Monochrome from $0.99 and a $4.99 Inter-Knot Membership. Wuthering Waves: Free to play; Lunites from $0.99 and a $4.99 Lunite Subscription. On value for money, Zenless Zone Zero scores higher.
Do Zenless Zone Zero and Wuthering Waves work on the same devices?
Only Wuthering Waves runs on Mac.
Which is more private, Zenless Zone Zero or Wuthering Waves?
Zenless Zone Zero scores higher on privacy (6.4/10). App Store label: identifiers may be used to track you. Purchases, contact info, user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics may be linked to you.
Strengths and weaknesses
Zenless Zone Zero
- Fast, flashy combat that suits short sessions
- Outstanding animation and soundtrack
- Fun city life between missions
- Less open exploration than rivals
- New agents locked behind gacha
- Daily energy caps progress
Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse's most stylish game: a near-future city, a three-agent squad and combat built on dodges, parries and flashy chain attacks. Fights are short and punchy, which suits a phone, and the animation and music are top tier. Between missions you run a video store and wander the streets of New Eridu. Exploration is limited next to Genshin, and new agents come from gacha.
Full Zenless Zone Zero review
Wuthering Waves
- The most demanding combat of the big gacha RPGs
- Smooth traversal with parkour and flight
- Runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC
- Recent iOS updates needed several crash fixes
- Gacha for top characters and weapons
- Privacy label links financial info and location
Wuthering Waves is the open-world RPG for people who find Genshin's combat too gentle. Dodges, counters and Echo skills taken from defeated monsters make fights fast and demanding, while wall-running, flight and a motorbike make getting around fun. It won Players' Voice at The Game Awards 2025. The iOS version has needed a string of crash fixes lately, and the best characters still come from gacha.
Full Wuthering Waves review
