Honkai: Star Rail Vs Genshin Impact: Which Game Is Better?

There’s a lot of excitement around Honkai: Star Rail, especially because of its great graphics and funny conversations. If you’re a fan of Genshin Impact, you might have heard that Honkai: Star Rail has all the improvements players have wanted in Genshin Impact.

But can Honkai: Star Rail really outdo Genshin Impact, which has been a top game for over three years? In this article, we’ll compare the two games to see which one is better. Let’s dive into the details and find out.

#11: Combat Mechanics – Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact’s combat system stands out due to its innovative use of elemental reactions, a feature that’s central to the game’s strategy and excitement. While other games have explored elemental dynamics, Genshin Impact integrates these reactions deeply into its combat framework. Relying solely on physical damage is rarely effective; even the game’s top physical attackers benefit significantly from triggering elemental interactions.

These elemental reactions allow players to strategically combine different character abilities to produce effects like explosions, freezes, or burns, which can turn the tide of battle. This dynamic adds a layer of depth and complexity to the combat, encouraging experimentation and skill development. In contrast, Honkai: Star Rail employs a turn-based combat system which, while appealing to some for its strategic pacing, can lead to lengthier engagements, even on a faster setting. This stark difference in combat mechanics highlights the unique appeal of Genshin Impact’s more interactive and fast-paced battles.

#10: Exploration – Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is perfect for fans of open-world games. Its huge world is filled with unique areas like the lush rainforests of Sumeru and the towering mountains of Liyue, each offering hours of exploration. With every new update, the game becomes more interesting and a bit more challenging, giving you new reasons to explore.

In Genshin Impact, you can swim, jump, and interact with different objects. The regions are large and varied, often featuring hidden underground places and forgotten ancient sites. Whether you’re climbing up high peaks or uncovering secrets in deep caves, there’s always something new to find in Genshin Impact’s dynamic world.

#9: Farming Mechanics – Honkai: Star Rail

When it comes to farming mechanics, Honkai: Star Rail clearly outshines its predecessor, Genshin Impact. In Genshin Impact, players often find the farming process tedious due to the availability of ascension materials being restricted to specific days, combined with a restrictive cap of 160 resin. This setup makes character and weapon upgrades particularly challenging in the endgame, where obtaining the right resources can become a bottleneck.

Honkai: Star Rail addresses these issues effectively by allowing daily farming of the necessary calyxes, giving players the flexibility to level up characters and light cones on their own schedule. Additionally, the cap in Honkai: Star Rail is increased to 180 trailblaze power, offering more freedom and less frustration. This enhanced accessibility and player-friendly resource management significantly improve the overall gaming experience, making it easier and more enjoyable to progress and strengthen characters at any time.

#8: Lore Expansion – Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact does a great job of weaving its story into the game world, encouraging players to explore every corner of Teyvat. Unlike Honkai: Star Rail, which uses interactions to tell its stories, Genshin Impact hides bits of lore everywhere. You might be hunting for treasure, but you’ll also uncover stories about the land and its gods.

Each item, from powerful artifacts to simple plants, contains a piece of Teyvat’s history, making exploration rewarding beyond just finding items. While the game could improve how it introduces new stories—relying less on events that come and go—discovering the world’s secrets through regular gameplay remains a compelling part of the experience.

#7: Game Dialogue – Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail really stands out with its game dialogue. It mixes humor, quick wit, and deep character development better than Genshin Impact. In Honkai: Star Rail, characters don’t just automatically like you because you’re the main character. This is clear from the start, like when you first meet Seele and later when Yukong politely turns down your help.

Genshin Impact has good dialogue, but it doesn’t quite match Honkai: Star Rail’s fun interactions with quirky characters and even objects like trashcans and streetlamps. Also, every NPC in Honkai: Star Rail has a unique personality, making them more memorable than many in Genshin Impact.

#6: Character Design – Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail elevates character design to a level that makes its characters appear as if they could be special edition skins in Genshin Impact. The detail and creativity in the outfits of Honkai: Star Rail not only surpass the standard attire seen in Genshin Impact but also manage to make standout outfits like Diluc’s Red Dead of Night look merely average by comparison.

Beyond just the playable characters, Honkai: Star Rail also excels in the design of its NPCs, offering a much wider variety of appearances. This diversity ensures that interactions feel more unique, as it’s rare to encounter two NPCs that look alike. Contrast this with Genshin Impact, where you might notice repeated character models, such as multiple NPCs sharing the same appearance as Madame Ping or Timmie. This attention to individuality in both main and side characters in Honkai: Star Rail contributes to a richer, more immersive world.

#5: Storytelling – Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail manages to deliver story quests that are not only succinct but also impactful, creating memorable experiences that resonate with players. In contrast, Genshin Impact offers character hangouts that provide deep dives into characters’ backstories and lore. However, the treatment across different characters can be inconsistent, with some narratives feeling more developed and engaging than others.

While Genshin Impact’s Archon quests undeniably weave a compelling world story that has captivated players for years, there are critiques regarding the resolution of some story arcs. Some chapters might feel rushed or less satisfying in their conclusions, detracting from the overall narrative achievement. Honkai: Star Rail, by maintaining a consistent quality in storytelling, ensures that each plot development and character expansion is thoughtfully executed, avoiding the unevenness sometimes seen in Genshin Impact.

#4: Gacha System – Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail features a notably generous gacha system, especially appealing to newcomers. The game welcomes new players with a chance to secure a free five-star character within just 50 warps on its beginner banner, and it offers a unique guarantee where players can choose their desired five-star character after 300 warps on the standard banner.

In contrast, Genshin Impact’s gacha system can feel less forgiving, particularly for new players. While Genshin does offer Noelle as a guaranteed character for beginners, it lacks any guarantee for five-star characters, leaving much up to chance. This stark difference makes Honkai: Star Rail’s system appear more rewarding, as it allows players to more reliably obtain high-tier characters early on, enhancing the overall gaming experience and reducing potential frustration associated with less merciful gacha mechanics.

#3: Character Presence In The Open World – Honkai: Star Rail

Genshin Impact’s expansive world is set to grow with the addition of more regions, yet the presence of playable characters in the open world remains limited. While players might encounter characters like Jean, Lisa, or Kaeya near the Knights of Favonius headquarters during specific events, these interactions are not a regular feature. The absence of characters like Diluc at the Dawn Winery or Beidou on her ship, The Crux, during normal gameplay leaves Teyvat feeling somewhat static and underutilized outside of event-specific contexts.

In contrast, Honkai: Star Rail integrates its characters into the game world more dynamically. Playable characters can often be found in their respective environments, interacting with the setting in ways that enrich the game’s realism and depth. This approach makes the world of Honkai: Star Rail feel more alive and engaging, enhancing the immersion and connection players feel with the story and its characters. The consistent presence of characters in the world helps to weave a more cohesive and believable narrative landscape.

#2: Animation – Honkai: Star Rail

While Genshin Impact is renowned for its eye-catching burst animations and memorable catchphrases from characters like “I will have order,” Honkai: Star Rail takes animation to another level. In Honkai: Star Rail, every character, including four-star ones, boasts distinct and visually stunning ultimate animations paired with unique lines, making each character’s special moves feel significant and exciting.

Players often recall moments of awe such as the first time experiencing Dan Heng’s serene sanctuary ultimate, the electrifying attack of Jing Yuan’s Lightning Lord, or being engulfed in a mesmerizing swarm of butterflies during Seele’s ultimate. Beyond these powerful abilities, even the basic animations of walking and running in Honkai: Star Rail showcase a more natural and fluid movement compared to those in Genshin Impact, adding an extra layer of realism to the game. This attention to detail in character animations throughout Honkai: Star Rail not only enhances the visual experience but also deepens the immersion into its beautifully crafted world.

#1: The Verdict – Honkai: Star Rail

Genshin Impact has established itself as an exceptional open-world gacha game, captivating players worldwide. However, when directly compared, Honkai: Star Rail has shown distinct strengths that might give it an edge for some players, despite both games offering uniquely different experiences. If you’re drawn to sprawling adventures and enjoy real-time combat, Genshin Impact will likely continue to be your game of choice, offering endless exploration and dynamic battles.

On the other hand, if you prefer the strategic depth and more measured pace of turn-based combat, Honkai: Star Rail will be more appealing. While it excels in several areas, including animation and character integration into the world, it’s important to experience both games to truly understand which aligns better with your personal gaming preferences. By exploring both Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, you can make a more informed decision on where to invest your time based on which game’s narrative and gameplay style resonates more with you.