Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Which Gacha game is best in 2026?

MiHoYo company, under the global publishing company Cognosphere (or HoYoverse), is the creator of both Genshin Impact and the Honkai series. This includes the most recent addition to the series, Honkai: Star Rail. Both of these games share many systems as well as a similar art style. In combination with sharing a developer, many outsiders to the series may mischaracterise these two as “just the same game with a different coat of paint”.

But what separates these two entries into their own respective experiences, and how much did MiHoYo draw from Genshin Impact in the creation of Honkai: Star Rail? As these games have been released for some time now, with both Genshin Impact and Hokai: Star Rail updates still releasing often, we thought it only fair to compare the two and see which is better today. 

Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Release dates

Of the two games, Genshin had an earlier release. Genshin Impact’s release date was September 28, 2020, and it has received frequent updates since its release. Many found the game as a nice way to kill time while locked at home due to a global pandemic. This was only further magnified by the alluring price of the game, with it being free, only paying optionally for in-game items and characters. 

Honkai: Star Rail’s release date was April 28, 2023, three years after the release of Genshin Impact. It was MiHoYo’s immediate next game after Genshin Impact and struggled with many of the same development hiccups as Genshin. These included having to work around new COVID-19 pandemic safety precautions, with Honkai: Star Rail requiring a “special fund for cultural development” before it was able to be fully realised.

Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Characters & banners

Both games have a large number of characters available, and (with a few exceptions), you’ll obtain most of these from banners in both games. The differences in both games are what you actually obtain within these banners. The Genshin Impact banners contain characters who have special abilities as well as weapons to boost your attacks and other stats. 

Similarly, the Honkai: Star Rail banners can give you characters, but as opposed to different weapons, due to the more rigid nature of the game, you are granted “light cones”, which grant stat boosts. These banners offer a nice amount of customisation in both games, allowing you to (mostly) build characters hope you want in both games.

Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Gameplay loop

The gameplay loop is truly where the differences in these two games begin to show. Honkai: Star Rail’s gameplay is turn-based combat with a focus on constructing a strong and synergistic team. 

Both games utilize a large open world; however, more of your time will be spent exploring Genshin Impact’s map. Unlike Honkai: Star Rail, Genshin Impact is an open 3D fighter. This difference in gameplay denotes a different playstyle for both games, with Honkai: Star Rail focusing on combination and tactics to clear difficult encounters, as these are the most rewarding portions of the game. 

Meanwhile, Genshin Impact is more about exploration and puzzle-solving, with combat serving as an obstacle to these things or being the final test in a long dungeon or quest, as exploration is better rewarded in this game.

Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Monetization

Both games utilize Gacha mechanics alongside a few other methods of monetization. A system both games employ is the popular “battle pass” made ubiquitous by Fortnite. Both games’ battle pass grants a few rewards that players must spend time in-game to achieve, a worthy purchase in both games if you plan to sink a considerable amount of hours into them. 

Both games also use their own form of in-game currency, which can be purchased with real money. In Honkai: Star Rail, they are called Oneiric shards, which can be converted into other currencies to either directly purchase items or summon on banners. Similarly, in Genshin Impact, the premium currency (this time called Genesis Crystals) can be exchanged for other currencies in the shop and spent on banners.

Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Popularity

These two Gacha games are surprisingly close in active player count, with both boasting around 20 million active players monthly. Something worth noting is that despite the fact that Honkai: Star Rail has slightly fewer active players, it is available on fewer consoles. Genshin Impact’s platforms encompass every kind of player, being available on most consoles with the sole exception of Nintendo Switch. 

While a Switch version was announced, there have been no updates on that since 2022 (so maybe a Switch 2 port is more likely). However, Honkai: Star Rail is only available on PS5, Windows, and mobile devices, making its similar concurrent player count quite impressive. Genshin Impact does have a much higher peak player count, arguably due to its release during the pandemic.

Honkai Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: Update schedule

Both games share a very similar update schedule, both being updated frequently. Genshin Impact has been updated monthly or once every two months, with the “Luna II” update being the most recent being released on October 22, 2025. Meanwhile, Honkai: Star Rail updates have also been frequent, similarly to Genshin Impact, either monthly or once every two months since release. 

Both games add new banners, characters, items, or story expansions with every update, always giving players something to do. As for when the next update for either game is coming out, by their track record, players will not have to wait long, as although both were updated recently, new content will inevitably drop for both these games imminently.  

Should you play Honkai: Star Rail or Genshin Impact?

To conclude this comparison, it’s fair to say that the comparison of Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact really comes down to which game you personally like more. Whether or not you prefer the more explorative and reactive combat of Genshin Impact or the more thoughtful turn-based combat available in Honkai: Star Rail is the main deciding factor in which game you should explore. 

As both have very similar presentation, in-game purchases, and get updated as frequently as each other, if you’re interested in trying or continuing either of MiHoYo’s biggest titles, try them both and see which one appeals to you more.

References

1. Genshin Impact – Nintendo Switch (Official Japanese Trailer) (YouTube)