Genshin Impact (pronounced GHEN-shin, Chinese: 原神; pinyin: Yuánshén; meaning "Primordial God") is a 2020 action role-playing video game created and published by miHoYo. Outside of China, the game is distributed by miHoYo's international company, Cognosphere, also called HoYoverse. The game has an anime-style open-world environment and a battle system that uses elemental magic and allows players to switch between characters. It is free to play, with players spending money through a system called gacha, where new characters are earned randomly. The game is updated regularly using the "games as a service" model. It was first released for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows, later added to PlayStation 5 in 2021, and released for Xbox Series X/S in November 2024. In China, a version for HarmonyOS NEXT was released in September 2025. Support for PlayStation 4 ended on April 8, 2026.
The game draws inspiration from many sources, including the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, anime, religious ideas called Gnosticism, and real-world cultures and myths. It takes place in a fantasy world called Teyvat, which has seven nations. Each nation is connected to a different element and ruled by a god called an "Archon." The story follows a character named the Traveler, an interstellar adventurer who becomes separated from their twin sibling after arriving in Teyvat. With the help of their guide, Paimon, the Traveler travels across Teyvat to find their lost sibling. Along the journey, they meet people, help with problems in the nations, and learn about the world's secrets.
Genshin Impact has mostly received positive reviews from critics, who praised its combat and open-world features. However, some critics have pointed out issues with the game's end content and its money-making system. The game has also faced controversy over censorship of political topics and concerns about privacy and security.
The game has been very successful financially. By its fourth anniversary in 2024, it had earned $6.3 billion in total revenue. It has won several awards, including Best Mobile Game at the 2021 Game Awards and the Still Playing Award at the 2023 Golden Joystick Awards.
Gameplay
Genshin Impact is an open-world video game where players can control one of four characters in a party. During battles, players can quickly switch between the four characters. Characters can improve their abilities through earning experience points and upgrading their artifacts and weapons.
In Genshin Impact, players can freely explore the open-world map. They can also complete challenges for rewards. High-value resources are found throughout Teyvat, but claiming them uses a currency called Original Resin, which regenerates slowly over time up to a limit. Completing these challenges helps players increase their Adventure Rank, which unlocks new quests, challenges, and raises the World Level. The World Level measures the strength of enemies and the rarity of rewards from defeating them.
Players can run, climb, swim, and glide. Some characters can change the environment, such as freezing water to create ice paths for movement. Fast travel is possible through teleportation points, including landmarks called Statues of The Seven, which can heal characters, revive them, and increase stamina. Players can collect items like food and materials from the open world. Special battles called "Domains" provide materials to strengthen characters and weapons. Meals made from gathered ingredients can restore health or boost stats. Players can also collect ore, refine it, and use it to create or improve weapons.
A multiplayer mode called co-op allows up to four players to play together. Players can join others manually or through automatic matching. The game supports cross-platform play, letting players on different devices play together. This mode becomes available when players reach Adventure Rank 16.
Additional characters can be unlocked by completing quests or participating in limited-time events. Most characters and weapons are obtained through the game's gacha system, called "Wishes." Players use an in-game currency called "Primogems," earned through purchases or gameplay, to participate in "Wishes." A pity system ensures players receive rare items after a set number of attempts.
Playable characters control one of seven elements: Anemo (air), Geo (earth), Pyro (fire), Hydro (water), Cryo (ice), Electro (electricity), and Dendro (plants). When these elements interact, they create effects. For example, a Hydro attack can make an enemy "Wet," and a subsequent Cryo attack can freeze the enemy, stopping their actions.
Each character has two combat abilities: an "Elemental Skill" and an "Elemental Burst." Elemental Skills have a cooldown period, while Elemental Bursts require energy to use. Players must collect enough elemental energy to use these abilities. By using skills, bursts, and targeting enemy weaknesses, players can improve their party's combat effectiveness. Some elemental abilities are needed to solve puzzles in the world.
A tabletop-based collectible card game called Genius Invokation TCG was added in Version 3.3 in December 2022. Players use decks with three characters and thirty supporting cards to defeat opponents by knocking down all their character cards. Each round requires a dice roll that limits card usage. Elemental reactions are also part of the game's mechanics. Players can challenge NPCs, other characters, or real players in co-op mode.
A sandbox and user-generated game creation system called Miliastra Wonderland was added in the "Luna II" update in October 2025. This system lets players create and share content using existing assets, terrain, and enemies from Genshin Impact. Players control a new customizable character called the Wonderland Manekin, which is unlocked by completing Miliastra Wonderland.
Story
Genshin Impact takes place in the world of Teyvat, which has seven main countries. Each country is ruled by a god called an "Archon," and each Archon is connected to a different element and ideal. Above Teyvat is the floating island of Celestia, where gods and mortals who have become gods live. Below Teyvat is the ruined land of Khaenri'ah, a mysterious country destroyed by Celestia 500 years ago.
People from any country who have big dreams may be given a Vision, a magical gem that lets them control an element and gives them the chance to become a god and live in Celestia. Archons, however, have a Gnosis, a device similar to a Vision that shows their power as an Archon and lets them connect with Celestia.
The main characters are the Traveler and Paimon, who guides and travels with the Traveler. The Traveler and their twin sibling came from other worlds but were separated in Teyvat. The Traveler now searches for their sibling. Players can choose to play as Aether (the brother) or Lumine (the sister), though the game uses the player's chosen name.
The main enemies are the Abyss Order, a group of monsters made from people from Khaenri'ah who have been turned bad and want to destroy the current world order. The Fatui are a group of diplomats from Snezhnaya who try to take control of other countries in Teyvat. The Traveler's twin leads the Abyss Order, while the Fatui are led by the Eleven Harbingers, powerful helpers of the Cryo Archon, Tsaritsa, who follow her orders.
A pair of twins who can travel between worlds, Aether and Lumine, arrive in Teyvat just as Khaenri'ah falls. A mysterious god named the "Sustainer of Heavenly Principles" attacks, separates the twins, and locks the playable twin away for 500 years. When the Traveler wakes up, they rescue Paimon, who becomes their guide as they search for their lost sibling.
Their journey starts in Mondstadt, where a corrupted dragon named Stormterror threatens the city. With help from the Knights of Favonius (who protect Mondstadt) and Venti (who secretly is the Anemo Archon Barbatos), the Traveler cleanses the dragon. However, La Signora, a Fatui Harbinger, steals Venti's Gnosis. Following Venti's advice, the Traveler goes to Liyue to see the Geo Archon Rex Lapis's annual ceremony, where he gives guidance to the people. Instead, Rex Lapis appears to have been killed. The Traveler works with Zhongli, a local funeral consultant, and Tartaglia, a Fatui Harbinger, to find out why. The Traveler learns that Tartaglia planned events to take the Geo Gnosis, even summoning the ancient god Osial to force Rex Lapis's hand. After the crisis, Zhongli reveals he is Rex Lapis and decides to retire after giving his Gnosis to Tsaritsa.
In Mondstadt, the Traveler meets Dainsleif and learns their twin now leads the Abyss Order. Refusing to reunite, the twin disappears. The Traveler then travels to Inazuma, a country ruled by the Raiden Shogun's Sakoku Decree. The Traveler confronts the Shogun, joins the resistance, and defeats Signora and the Shogun, ending the decree and uncovering the Fatui's deeper plans.
In Sumeru, the Akademiya tries to turn Scaramouche, a puppet made by the Raiden Shogun, into a god with help from Il Dottore, a Fatui Harbinger. With the help of the Dendro Archon Nahida, the Traveler stops this plan, enters the world tree Irminsul, and sees the previous Dendro Archon's existence erased to protect Irminsul from the Abyss. Later, Dottore takes the Dendro and Electro Gnoses from Nahida. The Traveler learns they are one of the Descenders, a group of four outsiders who came to Teyvat, but their sibling is not a Descender and is actually royalty from Khaenri'ah.
In Fontaine, the Traveler and friends uncover a prophecy about the country's destruction by a flood. They discover Furina, who claimed to be the Hydro Archon, is actually a human. After stopping the flood, Neuvillette, Fontaine's chief justice, sends them to Natlan, a country of warriors facing an Abyss threat. The Traveler helps Natlan defeat the Abyss.
In Nod-Krai, the group follows the Moon Marrow, a source of energy from a dead moon goddess, and learns about the Wild Hunt, a group of Abyss monsters controlled by Rerir, a dangerous Sinner from Khaenri'ah. After battles and alliances with Columbina (a moon goddess and former Fatui Harbinger) and Arlecchino (another Fatui Harbinger), they trap Rerir using memory tricks and banish him from Teyvat. Later, Dottore steals two Moon Marrows from Columbina, creates a fake one, and tries to become a god. The Traveler and allies stop Dottore, retrieve the Moon Marrows, and are believed to have killed him.
Development
In January 2017, when Genshin Impact was first being developed, the company miHoYo was working on a game called Honkai Impact 3rd. They planned to release a sequel to this game within a few years. In April 2017, version 1.4 of Honkai Impact 3rd was released. This event had a big influence on the team and inspired them to create an open-world concept for Genshin Impact.
By February 2021, the development team for Genshin Impact had grown to nearly 300 people. One estimate suggested that about 700 people were working on the game that month, which was roughly 29% of miHoYo’s total staff. The developers faced challenges in combining ideas from all contributors and showing each character’s background through their visual design. The team also dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to local restrictions, they had to work remotely, using equipment that some members of miHoYo’s global publishing team said was not enough for their needs.
To build the game’s world and story, the team studied real-world myths and chose Gnosticism as the main inspiration for the game’s setting and narrative. The game’s elemental reaction system was based on real chemical reactions. The game also included elements from real-world cultures. For example, the region of Liyue was inspired by ancient China, and Fontaine was based on Europe during the Industrial Revolution.
miHoYo first shared Genshin Impact with the public in June 2019 at E3 2019. The game had a development and marketing budget of about $100 million. Before its release, closed beta tests were held, allowing invited players to explore the open world.
A music team led by Yu-Peng Chen from HOYO-MiX created the game’s original score. This music was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. HoYoverse said the goal of the soundtrack was to help players feel immersed in the game and provide melodies that are emotional and beautiful. Chen used musical styles from different regions. For example, in Mondstadt, he used woodwind instruments to reflect the area’s connection to wind and freedom. In Liyue, he combined traditional Chinese instruments and a pentatonic scale with Western Romantic harmonies and orchestral arrangements. Battle themes used complex musical styles inspired by composers like Beethoven. On September 12, 2023, Yu-Peng Chen announced on Bilibili that he was leaving miHoYo and the HOYO-MiX team after working on the game’s music and expansions since its release.
Genshin Impact was criticized for not having security features like two-factor authentication at first. On October 19, 2020, a security flaw was found on the miHoYo website, which exposed players’ phone numbers used for password recovery. The problem was not fixed until November 9, 2020, three weeks after it was reported. After these issues, miHoYo warned players to be careful with their account details and to link their accounts to an email address and phone number. In May 2021, two-factor authentication was added for logins from new devices.
Like many online games, Genshin Impact uses an anti-cheat system controlled by a kernel driver to stop cheating methods like code injection and memory inspection. Soon after the game was released, players noticed that the anti-cheat system stayed active even after the game was closed or uninstalled, causing concerns about spyware. Some Japanese players using iOS devices also found that the game accessed their clipboard during startup. miHoYo explained these issues were due to coding errors and fixed them.
Release
Closed beta testing for the game started on June 21, 2019. In August of the same year, miHoYo shared news at ChinaJoy that Genshin Impact would be released on the PlayStation 4. On January 4, 2020, miHoYo officially announced a Nintendo Switch version, but no release date was given. A second closed beta test for iOS, Android, and PC players began on March 19, 2020. In August 2020, it was announced that the game would be released on September 28, 2020, for iOS, Android, and PC.
On November 11, 2020, the game became available on PlayStation 5 through backwards compatibility, which allowed it to run on PlayStation 5 hardware using code from the PlayStation 4 version. A version specifically designed for PlayStation 5 was released on April 28, 2021. miHoYo announced that the game would be released on Xbox Series X and Series S consoles on November 20, 2024, on August 20, 2024.
After the game’s release, miHoYo shared a plan for future content updates, including new events and areas to explore. At the time of release, only two of the game’s seven main areas were available, and miHoYo expected the game’s story to take several years to complete.
In August 2025, HoYoverse announced that support for PlayStation 4 would end on April 8, 2026, due to hardware performance limits and application size. The ability to download the game was removed on September 10, 2025, and in-game purchases were stopped on February 25, 2026.
Reception
In 2019, when the game was first shown at the ChinaJoy convention, some people criticized it for looking similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that the development team greatly admired and used as inspiration. Zelda fans at the event gave the Sony booth the middle finger, and one player broke his PlayStation 4 console in protest. Kamui Ye of IGN China pointed out that both games share similar features, such as their open world, art style, and gameplay mechanics, but also noted that Genshin Impact has its own unique elements.
Genshin Impact received "generally favorable reviews" from Metacritic, which gave it an 87% rating on OpenCritic. Critics praised the game's world-building and design. IGN's Travis Northup described the world of Teyvat as "a world that is absolutely bursting at the seams with possibilities," while Hardcore Gamer's Jordan Helm called it "one big environmental puzzle." The game's success is partly due to its visual design and use of Chinese cultural references. For example, Kotaku's Sisi Jiang praised the region of Liyue as "one of the most exciting regions that I've visited in a video game in years," noting how it shows an idealized version of Chinese social relations. However, some fans raised concerns about the use of cultural elements in the character designs for Sumeru and Natlan.
The gameplay was generally well-received. Game Informer's Daniel Tack said the game offers an "incredible experience" with its loop of collecting, upgrading, and customizing items. Pocket Gamer's Dave Aubrey praised how well the gameplay was executed, and Destructoid's Chris Carter called the combat system "one of the most interesting things" about the game. NPR's Kaity Kline noted that the game has a lot of content even though it is free to play. The Washington Post's Gene Park called the game "revolutionary" for its genre, saying it allows players to imagine a mobile gaming world with quality that matches top-tier experiences. Polygon's Khee Hoon Chan also praised the game for standing out from other games and attracting players who cannot play resource-heavy RPGs.
The English voice acting received mixed reactions. Kotaku's Sisi Jiang said the English voices did not match the original Chinese voices, comparing the Chinese voices to "real friends" and the English ones to "anime tropes." Some fans disliked the voice acting for characters like Barbara, leading to criticism directed at the actors. Nathan Grayson of Kotaku wrote that Barbara's voice actress, Laura Stahl, was harassed "for being good at taking notes from a director." During the 2024–2025 SAG-AFTRA video game strike, several English voice actors refused to record lines, leading to role changes. For example, Paimon's voice actress was changed from Corinna Boettger to Penelope Rawlins, a change that GamesRadar+'s Austin Wood welcomed. The game also includes Japanese and Korean voice lines. The Japanese cast is often described as "star-studded," and Korean reviewers like Park Gwang-seok of Inven called the Korean dub "impeccable" and "of a high level of completion."
The game has faced criticism for its endgame content, gacha monetization system, and restrictions on players who avoid microtransactions. Kotaku's Ari Notis said the game has "some of the typical issues that come with a free-to-play model," and the gacha system can create a cycle that feels out of place in a fantasy world. GameSpot's Heidi Kemps noted that the game's free-to-play model limits its experience, and PC Gamer's Steven Messner said the endgame becomes "a slog" due to the resin system. The Washington Post's Gene Park warned that the gacha system could encourage players to gamble because it is well-designed. Siliconera's Stephanie Liu expressed disappointment in the lack of alternative outfits compared to similar games. The British Journal of Chinese Studies' Matthew Adams said the gacha system affects how people interact in digital communities.
The Genius Invokation TCG minigame was well-received when it launched. USA Today's Marco Wutz compared it to Gwent from The Witcher 3, saying it could expand the game's audience. Siliconera's Stephanie Liu said the minigame rekindled her excitement from the game's early days. Youxiputao editors Guopu and Grey Pigeon said the minigame could improve the game's long-term experience and strengthen player relationships. Liu praised the minigame's balanced design and fairness, noting that all players receive the same cards. Kotaku's Sisi Jiang said she became addicted to the minigame and looked forward to more cards in the future.
When Miliastra Wonderland launched in 2025, it received mostly positive reviews. Inverse's Robin Bea called it "one of the biggest features" of the game, and she and Wood compared it to Roblox and The Sims. Wood praised the free battle pass for Miliastra Wonderland if players bought the regular battle pass, and noted the large number of avatar customization options compared to the limited skins for the main characters.
On mobile platforms, Genshin Impact had 23 million downloads and earned about $60 million in its first week. Within two weeks, its revenue surpassed $100 million, covering its development and marketing costs. It remained the highest-grossing mobile game worldwide through October 2020. The largest revenue sources were China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, with 69.5% of mobile revenue coming from outside China. In the United States, its release marked the largest mobile RPG launch ever.
From its release through March 2021, Genshin Impact earned over $1 billion on mobile platforms, ranking third in mobile game revenue that year after Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile. This made it one of the highest-grossing mobile games of all time and the fastest to reach that milestone on Google Play and the App Store. By its first anniversary, the mobile version had earned $2 billion, a feat the BBC called "unheard of." It ranked as the world's third-highest-grossing mobile game of the year, according to Sensor Tower. The mobile version earned an additional $567 million between January and March 2022. By January 2026, the game ranked fourth in Sensor Tower's mobile revenue growth rankings and did not appear in its top ten highest-grossing games for that month.
Pocket Gamer estimated that the game earned about $3.6 billion in total revenue by the end of 2022. By its fourth anniversary in 2024, the game had reached $6.3 billion in total revenue.
Collaborations
According to reports from Beijing Business Today, Genshin Impact has worked with several companies, including Heytea, Pizza Hut, Mengniu Suibian, Amap, Redmi, Nippon Paint, KFC, and OnePlus. According to some reports from Xinmin Evening News, Genshin Impact partnered with at least fourteen brands, such as Lawson, Alipay, and Amap, during the second half of 2022.
On September 20, 2023, to celebrate the third anniversary of Genshin Impact, QQ Music and WeSing held a special event for players. On November 3, 2023, the game announced a partnership with Juneyao Airlines. The airline introduced the world’s first Genshin Impact-themed airplane design on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, named "Genshin" (registration number B-209R). The plane began flying on domestic and international routes on November 8, 2023.
Genshin Impact’s collaborations were not limited to mainland China. On July 29, 2021, Japan’s Sweets Paradise announced that all twelve of its locations in Japan would operate as Genshin Impact-themed cafés for one month, starting September 1. These cafés offered food items inspired by the game’s Mondstadt region and sold special items that could be bought before others. miHoYo hosts the HoYo FEST event in Southeast Asian countries every year, during which local partner restaurants provide themed meals and items. The game also has official booths at international conventions. In December 2025, the language learning app Duolingo announced a partnership where learners in certain areas who completed three days of learning would get a code to use in the game.
Other media
Before the game was released, miHoYo posted a comic online that explained the characters' stories and the world of Teyvat. Also, short animated videos showing previews of the game's story, characters, and fighting were often shared on Genshin Impact's YouTube channels.
In September 2022, miHoYo announced a partnership with the Japanese animation studio Ufotable to create a planned anime based on the game. They also released a concept trailer. By January 2026, the anime was still being made. Some players guessed that Ufotable was focusing on another project called Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.