Honkai: Star Rail - Gameplay, characters & everything we know

April 30, 2023

Honkai: Star Rail is an upcoming free-to-play turn-based RPG that aims to wow fans with its flashy combat and beautiful anime-inspired world. Here’s everything we know so far about HoYoverse’s upcoming intergalactic adventure, from gameplay, to characters, and platforms.

While both Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact continue to prove incredibly popular amongst anime and action game fans, many players are looking forward to Honkai: Star Rail. Unlike HoYoverse’s other popular titles, Star Rail focuses on strategic turn-based combat.

With plenty of flashy abilities, familiar characters, and beautiful environments – Honkai: Star Rail aims to deliver plenty of action and memorable moments. However, news surrounding the eagerly anticipated game has been scarce.

Whether you wish to find out more about Honkai: Star Rail’s closed beta, release date, characters, or what it’s all about, then we have you covered.

Is there a Honkai: Star Rail release date?

Honkai Star Rail’s release date is highly anticipated.

There currently is no confirmed release date for Honkai: Star Rail. With that in mind, it’s likely we’ll receive an official announcement from HoYoverse later this year. This would outline whether Honkai: Star Rail will be released in 2022 or in 2023.

We’ll be updating this section as soon as we hear more information, so make sure you bookmark this page for all the latest information on the Honkai: Star Rail release date.

Honkai: Star Rail platforms

Honkai: Star Rail is the latest title to be released by HoYoverse.

Honkai: Star Rail will release on PC, Android, and iOS devices. There is currently no news on whether the game will launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.

It’s important to note that Genshin Impact is currently available on mobile, PC, and console, so there is certainly hope that Honkai: Star Rail could follow a similar pattern.

While more devices could be added in the future, HoYoverse will likely reveal further news as we get nearer to the game’s release.

What is Honkai: Star Rail?

Honkai: Star Rail takes a different approach to combat.

Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-play turn-based RPG that uses characters from HoYoverse’s other beloved title – Honkai Impact. However, unlike Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact, Star Rail purely focuses on turn-based action.

While the player can freely control their character when trekking through the game’s overworld, combat takes on a more strategic role. Up to four characters are utilized in battle, with each unit specializing in unique abilities and attacks.

Honkai: Star Rail gameplay

HoYoverse released official gameplay during the “Next Stop, the Stars!” reveal trailer. The footage gives players a sneak peek into the game’s turn-based combat system, showcasing a number of flashy ultimate abilities and attacks.

The gameplay trailer also revealed a key location from the game, giving us a glimpse of a sprawling metropolis. This place appears to be filled with narrow streets, towering buildings, and gigantic cogs that provide power to the buildings around them.

While the anime aesthetic will be familiar to fans of Honkai Impact and Genshin Impact, the turn-based combat will provide a twist to enemy encounters.

Honkai: Star Rail Summer Game Fest trailer

During the Summer Game Fest online event, viewers were treated to a fresh Honkai: Star Rail cinematic. The new trailer featured numerous companions with unique battle styles and explosive combo skills that players will be utilizing during their journey through the stars.

HoYoverse also provided a glimpse of the location –Xianzhou Luofu, an exotic realm that will be explorable in the near future.

Honkai: Star Rail characters

Honkai: Star Rail currently features a total of eight characters. HoYoverse will likely reveal more units upon the game’s official release date. Every Honkai: Star Rail character and their official descriptions can be found below:

Character Name	Description
Himeko	An adventurous scientist who encountered the Astral Express as a child when it got stranded in her home world. At that time, some existence in the Express revealed to this young girl a whole world outside of her own — the universe. Years later, Himeko finally repaired the train and began her journey to the stars, but she realized that this was only the beginning. On the Trailblaze path, she would need many more companions… Even though such companions may have different destinations in mind, they all gaze at the same starry sky.
Welt	The wise and sophisticated former Anti-Entropy Sovereign who inherits the name of the world — Welt. He has saved Earth from annihilation time and time again. After the calamity ended, the heavy burden ordained by fate to Welt had been removed for a time, and he became an animation storyboard artist. However, after the conspiracy with St. Fountain came to a close, Welt had no choice but to venture with the initiator of the incident to the other side of the space portal. Perhaps even he didn’t expect the new journey and companions that awaited him.
Danheng	A cold and reserved young man who wields a spear known as Cloud-Piercer. He acts as the train’s guard on its long Trailblaze journey. He carefully observes the changes in everything around him, albeit with a calm demeanor that may appear to be indifference. He faithfully records everything they encounter on the Trailblaze path in the Express’s archives. Danheng never talks much about his past. In fact, he joined the crew of the Express to escape from it. But will the Express really be able to take him far away from his past?
March 7th	A clever, quirky girl who is enthusiastic about all things girls her age are enthusiastic about. She travels with the Express, always bringing along her camera with the belief that one day she will be able to take a photo of something related to her past. She was found in a piece of drifting eternal ice and freed by the Astral Express Crew. When she awoke, she couldn’t remember anything about herself or her past. Though initially feeling dejected about this lack of identity, she decided to name herself after the date of salvation. And thus, on that day March 7th was born.
Gepard	An upright and noble captain of the Silvermane Guards who bears the name of the age-old Gepard family. In the blizzard-battered city of Belobog, defense is much more challenging than attack. Gepard and the Silvermane Guards he leads serve as the unbreakable iron defense of the Union in this hostile world. Sometimes he is ridiculed by his sister and aide for his ever-scrupulous manner, but no one can deny that the people of Belobog have been able to maintain peace and comfort even with eternal winter on its doorstep… With Gepard’s protection, the city can carry on with its ordinary daily routine.
Seele	A spirited and valiant member of Wildfire who grew up in the perilous Underworld of Belobog. She is accustomed to being on her own. As someone who once relied on others for protection, she now pursues strength. For the truth of the underground and her family’s name, Seele can endure any kind of adversity. The protectors and the protected, the oppressors and the oppressed… The world Seele grew up knowing was just a simple dichotomy… That is, until that young girl appeared.
Clara	A shy young girl with no home, Clara had no choice but to join the prospectors to survive. She inadvertently reactivated a dormant relic from a past civilization — the robot Svarog. “To have a family.” This is Clara’s response when asked what she wishes for most. Before long, the usually self-servicing prospectors were united as one under the leadership of Svarog. Around the same time, a mysterious prospector was spotted in the Fragmentum, a red-hooded specter adept at retrieving rare relics from the most dangerous places. Terrified prospectors call this ghostly figure… the Bloody Rabbit.
Asta	The Lead Researcher of the Space Station brims with enthusiastic curiosity and boasts unimaginable achievement in the field of astronomy. She is capable of taking on workloads meant for dozens of people with ease, including commanding and maintaining the Space Station. Despite her outstanding work capabilities, she is completely incapable of looking after herself. This doesn’t bother her one bit, though; in fact, she even uses it as a point of pride and proof that she has distributed the workload to the Space Station’s staff reasonably. “I manage the Space Station, and Arlan manages me. What’s wrong with that?” It is then that people are reminded that Asta is a young lady of a distinguished family.
Hook	Hook is the boss of The Moles adventure squad.

As we stated earlier, Honkai: Star Rail includes returning characters from Honkai Impact, as well as some new, yet familiar ones. As a result, those familiar with the action anime game will notice a lot of crossovers.

While the characters may be familiar, it is important to note that Star Rail is set in a separate universe. This ultimately enables the developers to create new stories without having to tie them into the events of Honkai Impact.

Honkai: Star Rail beta sign-up

Honkai: Star Rail’s closed beta sign-up went live on May 25th, 2022. HoYoverse has yet to announce the kick-off date and schedule of the closed beta, but it will likely be revealed in the days to come.

The first Honkai: Star Rail closed beta began on 27th October 2021 and ended on 1st November 2021. For more information and updates, make sure to visit the official site or follow @HonkaiStarRail on Twitter.

So, there you have it, everything we know about Honkai: Star Rail. Make sure you check back here for all the latest updates.

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