Honkai Star Rail vs Genshin Impact: All Differences Explained

HoYoverse is a dominant force within the world of anime gaming, able to take their hand at seemingly any genre and produce a quality product that millions will enjoy. Whether it be real-time action, open-world exploration, or turn-based strategy, HoYoverse can do it all! Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, despite sharing a very similar visual style, are very different games. A lot of changes were made when creating this new spinoff title to ensure it felt different from any of HoYoverse's previous projects. 

So, if you are a die-hard Genshin Impact fan wanting to check out what lies in store on the Honkai Star Rail express, or just a curious RPG enthusiast interested in learning what the differences are between these two titles, we've got you covered! This article will cover all the differences between Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact, including combat, progression, exploration, and more!

Honkai Star Rail vs. Genshin Impact Differences

As mentioned, these are two vastly different games, and it is entirely possible to enjoy the gameplay of one while vehemently disliking the other. We'll break down several key aspects present in both these games and take a look at how they each do things differently. 

Honkai Star Rail vs. Genshin Impact Combat

The biggest and most obvious difference when it comes to Honkai Star Rail vs. Genshin Impact is the combat. Genshin Impact opts for real-time action, while Honkai Star Rail is turn-based. Naturally, this makes Honkai Star Rail a considerably slower game. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it means players will need to rely more on strategy in Honkai Star Rail as opposed to reaction time in Genshin Impact. 

Honkai Star Rail vs. Genshin Impact Progression

Aside from the graphics, this is arguably where the two games are the most similar. A lot of the same mechanics found in Genshin Impact are also present in Honkai Star Rail but are renamed to avoid confusion. Here are some of the changes made:

• Genshin: Weapons / Star Rail: Light Cones
• Genshin: Artifacts / Star Rail: Relics
• Genshin: Talents / Star Rail: Traces

Honkai Star Rail vs. Genshin Impact Exploration

Both Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail feature a freely explorable world. Genshin Impact is a lot freer, however, in terms of navigating areas without the use of portals (which feature quite heavily in Honkai Star Rail). Additionally, combat can be completed in real-time while exploring in Genshin Impact. However, in Honkai Star Rail, enemies must be struck to initiate combat before transitioning to the combat screen. This, plus the lack of a jump button, makes exploration in Honkai Star Rail a little restrictive when compared to Genshin Impact.

Both Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact have been given the seal of approval from HoYoverse, and they are both amazing games in their own right. With great graphics, an enticing story, and solid gameplay to back it all up, whichever game you choose to play is purely down to personal preference. Or you could just play both!