Genshin Impact
Released 28 September 2020 Developer miHoYo (HoYoverse) Publisher HoYoverse
An open-world action RPG set in the fantasy land of Teyvat. You explore, solve puzzles and fight with a party of characters who each use a different element, and you can team up with friends in co-op. New regions, story chapters and characters arrive in regular updates.
Money health
HarmfulChance, compulsion or exploitation
Addictive design
Very high5 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
Freefree to download
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
Mild violence, online interactivity, sexualised imagery
How it makes money
Harmful: chance, compulsion or exploitation
The game is free, and almost all of the money comes from 'Wishes': random draws for new characters and weapons that cost 160 Primogems each. Primogems can be earned slowly by playing or bought as Genesis Crystals, from A$1.49 for 60 up to A$159.99 for 6,480 on the App Store. The top-rarity pulls have a published base rate of 0.6% and are guaranteed by pull 90, but a limited character can be lost to a standard one on a 50/50, so a guaranteed featured character can take up to 180 pulls, or 28,800 crystals (roughly A$700 at app-store prices by our arithmetic). There is also an optional monthly pass (Blessing of the Welkin Moon, about US$5) and a paid battle pass (A$14.99 or A$30.99). In 2025 the developer agreed to pay US$20 million to settle US Federal Trade Commission claims about loot boxes and children.
How you pay
- Gacha
Characters and weapons come from 'Wishes' on rotating banners, 160 Primogems per pull, with a published base rate of 0.6% for the top rarity.
- Free-to-play
The game is free on every platform. Genesis Crystal packs on the Australian App Store run from A$1.49 (60 crystals) to A$159.99 (6,480 crystals).
- Battle pass
The paid 'Gnostic Hymn' battle pass is A$14.99 on the App Store (the 'Gnostic Chorus' version is A$30.99), with free rewards alongside the paid ones each season.
minor part of the game
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Wait or pay
Original Resin is a refilling energy bar spent on boss and domain rewards, which caps how much you can farm per day.
- FOMO timers
Featured characters and weapons sit on limited-time banners that rotate on a schedule, and the FTC complaint cited limited-time 'Event Banners' as part of how the game was marketed.
- Pity timer
Odds climb from around pull 74 and a top-rarity item is guaranteed by pull 90, but the limited banner has a 50/50 that can send you to a standard character first (up to 180 pulls for the featured one).
- Game currency
Real money buys Genesis Crystals, which convert one-for-one into Primogems, which are then spent on pulls. Prices are never shown as dollars per character.
- Daily pressure
The Blessing of the Welkin Moon pays out a daily allowance of Primogems that you have to log in to claim, and daily commissions give Primogems for turning up.
minor part of the game - Collect all
New characters are added every update and each is a separate pull, so a complete roster is never finished.
minor part of the game - Starter pack
Crystal packs carry a one-off bonus the first time each size is bought, according to community guides; we have not confirmed the exact rule from the publisher.
minor part of the game
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$1.49–A$159.99 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Genesis Crystals Smallest crystal pack |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS | A$1.49 | Oct 2026 |
| 6,480 Genesis Crystals Largest crystal pack. One Wish costs 160 Primogems. |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS | A$159.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Gnostic Hymn Paid battle pass tier |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS | A$14.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Gnostic Chorus Higher battle pass tier |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS | A$30.99 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
-
9/ 10
IGN
Praised the large, rewarding open world and the pleasure of exploring it.
-
9.3/ 10
Game Informer
Called it a very strong action RPG with a great wide-open world to explore.
-
84/ 100
PC Gamer
Enjoyed the exploration and combat but was critical of how the free-to-play monetisation shapes the later game.
-
7/ 10
GameSpot
A good game held back by the restrictions that come with its free-to-play design.
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings & content
What's in it
Content labels
- Violencemoderate
Fighting, weapons, injury and death, from cartoon bonks to realistic killing.
From ACB, ESRB and PEGI descriptors - Sex & nuditymild
Sexual references, innuendo, sexualised imagery, nudity and sex scenes.
From ACB and ESRB descriptors - Drugs & alcoholmild
References to, or use of, illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
From ESRB descriptors - Languagemild
Swearing and crude language, from the odd 'damn' to frequent strong profanity.
From ESRB descriptors
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes), summed up in the content labels above. They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the money badges are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- Text chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
- Needs an online account
Co-op worlds of up to four players unlock part-way through the game, and players can message each other and send friend requests using a player ID. Miliastra Wonderland lets players build and share their own levels, which the developer does not pre-check (Apple lists 'user-generated content' and 'messaging and chat'). As part of a 2025 US settlement, HoYoverse blocks US players under 16 from buying loot boxes without a parent's consent and checks ages in the US; we found no sign that this applies in Australia, so set spending limits in the App Store, Google Play or console family settings.
Who makes it
The company behind it, and its track record
- Child safety
Child-safety enforcement
US FTC and Justice Department, January 2025: HoYoverse agreed to a $20 million civil penalty to settle allegations that Genshin Impact collected under-13s' data without parental consent (COPPA); proposed order filed for court approval. HoYoverse said many of the allegations were inaccurate. - Loot-box action
Loot-box enforcement
US FTC, January 2025: the proposed settlement order bars selling Genshin Impact loot boxes to under-16s without parental consent and requires odds and exchange-rate disclosure; the FTC alleged the multi-tier virtual currency obscured real costs. - Misleading ads
Misleading-marketing action
US FTC, January 2025: alleged that Genshin Impact's event banners and influencer campaigns misled players about loot-box odds and costs; settled as part of the same proposed order, with HoYoverse disputing many of the allegations.
Latest on the record
- Regulator action
Agreed $20 million FTC settlement over Genshin Impact loot boxes and children's data
US Federal Trade Commission
A company's history doesn't change this game's money verdict, which rates only how the game itself makes money. About company track records
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | April 2021 | Store page |
| PlayStation 4 Wikipedia reports PS4 downloads were removed in September 2025 and in-game purchases ended in February 2026. |
28 September 2020 | — |
| Xbox Series X|S | 20 November 2024 | — |
| Windows PC | 28 September 2020 | Store page |
| iPhone and iPad | 28 September 2020 | Store page |
| Android phones and tablets | 28 September 2020 | Store page |
Further reading
- Official website
- FTC: Genshin Impact developer to pay US$20 million and stop selling loot boxes to under-16s without parental consent (January 2025)
- Genshin Impact on Wikipedia
- Genshin Impact official site
- Wikipedia
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, apps.apple.com, store.playstation.com, www.classification.gov.au, www.esrb.org, pegi.info, www.ftc.gov, www.metacritic.com, opencritic.com, opencritic.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.