Is Honkai Star Rail related to Genshin Impact?

HoYoverse’s new game, Honkai: Star Rail, has caused a sensation among gacha enthusiasts. Genshin Impact players are also taking part in the journey, with many gamers noting the similarities between the two games, including the art style, progression, and a similar gameplay loop. This has led many to wonder if the Honkai Star Rail is related to Genshin Impact.

Is there a HoYo-multi-verse?

One of the biggest ways Honkai Star Rail is related to Genshin Impact is its publisher, Chinese game development and publishing company miHoYo, which has relaunched under the HoYoverse brand. Let’s see how to answer the question: Is Honkai Star Rail related to Genshin Impact?

HoYoverse has confirmed that these games are not sequels or prequels to each other. However, the worlds within Honkai, Genshin, and Honkai Impact 3rd are all part of a shared multiverse called the Imaginary Tree. All three games exist parallel to each other. At the beginning of Genshin Impact, we see the Traveler landing on Teyvat after a battle with the Unknown God in another world. Fans have long speculated that this also means that they fell from the world of Honkai: Star Rail due to the Traveler’s powers eerily resembling the roads in Honkai: Star Rail instead of the Archons. Such revelations have led many fans to speculate about mega crossover events, such as a possible Honkai Star Rail x Genshin Impact collaboration.

Similarities Between Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact

Players of both games quickly realized that both games have similar anime-inspired character designs, large settings, and beautiful sequences and animation with particle effects. Fans have also seen similarities in characters like Kafka and Rosaria, Dan Heng and Zhongli, and Bailu and Qiqi.

Both games also share a number of gameplay similarities, including progression, gear system, and the basic gameplay loop. Honkai has counterparts for many of the systems featured in Genshin. For example, artifacts in Genshin are relics in Honkai, which work on the same principles. Similarly, both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail are story-based single-player games with daily quests to complete and EXP to work up.

Like most gacha games, both games have a stamina gauge that can be recharged using different in-game items. The only major difference is Genshin’s real-time gameplay versus Honkai’s turn-based combat. Both games are ultimately gacha games, where players have to cast/throw summons with a chance of getting common items or drawing a rarity.

One last point of difference is the availability of the games. While Honkai: Star Rail is currently available on Android, iOS, and PC, it is not yet available on consoles. However, HoYoverse will be releasing a PlayStation version of the game soon.