Genshin Impact
Officially Genshin Impact (原神)
FREE-TO-PLAY ACTION-RPG (2020) by CHINESE STUDIO HOYOVERSE (formerly miHoYo). Open-world fantasy adventure on the continent of TEYVAT with elemental combat + gacha character collection. Cross-platform (PC, iOS/Android, PlayStation) with cross-progression. Generated $6B+ REVENUE in first 2 years — highest-earning launch of any mobile game ever. 70+ characters, 7 elemental regions, deep lore. Not strictly an esport but has massive competitive lore + speedrun + Spiral Abyss endgame + 100M+ MAU. Featured DLC-scale updates every 6 weeks (Version 5.7 in 2026).
Quick facts
Category
Esports
Type
Individual
Players
1–4
Duration
~3600 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇨🇳 China
Estimated origin
2020 launch (Sep 2020 global iOS/Android/PC/PS4); Switch version cancelled
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
Explore Teyvat, collect + build characters, complete quests, master elemental combat.
Rules
Basic rules
Open-world action combat with 7 ELEMENTS (Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Pyro, Cryo)
Signature 7-element system.
ELEMENTAL REACTIONS chain elements for damage multipliers (Vaporize, Melt, Freeze, Superconduct, Overload, etc.)
Combat depth.
GACHA character system: paid 'Wishes' pull for 5-star characters + weapons (0.6% base rate)
Signature monetization
Party of 4 characters — switch mid-combat
Team composition.
Spiral Abyss: 12-floor endgame challenge refreshes bi-monthly
Endgame content.
Genshin has 70+ characters; 15+ new added per year via updates + banners
Continuous roster expansion.
Scoring
Not competitive; measured by Adventure Rank + character/weapon rolls + Spiral Abyss clears.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Adventure Rank (world progression) | AR1-60 max |
| Spiral Abyss floor + star count (36 stars total) | Endgame achievement |
| 5-star character collection | Long-term goal (gacha) |
Win condition · No formal endpoint; ongoing content updates.
Equipment
PC (Windows), PS4/5, iOS, Android, cloud
Multi-platform (no Xbox or Switch as of 2026)
Controller or M/KB (both fully supported)
Universal
Free-to-play with gacha character pulls
Signature gacha monetization
Terminology
- Vision
- Elemental gemstone granting a character their element.
- Constellations
- 6 permanent upgrades unlocked via duplicate character pulls.
- Wishes / Primogems
- Gacha currency for pulling characters + weapons.
- 50/50
- Coin-flip chance of getting featured 5-star vs standard 5-star on limited banners.
- Spiral Abyss
- 12-floor endgame — 36 stars possible; refreshes bi-monthly.
- Fontaine, Sumeru, Inazuma, Liyue, Mondstadt, Natlan, Snezhnaya
- 7 elemental nations of Teyvat.
Where it is played
Governing bodies
HoYoverse (developer + publisher)
Founded 2011 · Shanghai, China
COGNOSPHERE (international operations)
Founded 2022 · Singapore
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- HoYoverse content team (voice actors + writers)
- Zajef77, Zy0x (major theorycraft streamers)
- TenTen (top Chinese Spiral Abyss player)
- Genshin Impact Team USA (community tournaments)
Frequently asked
Is Genshin Impact really an esport?+
NOT FORMALLY — it has no ranked PvP mode, no professional competitive circuit. However, it has MASSIVE COMPETITIVE LORE + speedrun communities (Spiral Abyss clear speedruns), THEORYCRAFT communities (build optimization, damage calculation), + fanbase larger than most esports. It's classified here as an esport-adjacent game due to its scale + community depth even without formal competition. HoYoverse's HONKAI: STAR RAIL + ZENLESS ZONE ZERO are companion games.
Is Genshin Impact really $6B+ revenue?+
YES — Genshin Impact GENERATED $2B in year 1 (fastest game to reach that milestone) + $6B+ by end of year 3. Cumulative revenue estimated $10B+ by 2026. Widely regarded as one of the most commercially successful games ever launched. Gacha monetization drives massive whale spending — some players spend $1000-10000+ pulling for characters.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Genshin Impact— Wikipedia