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Is Honkai Star Rail free?

Updated: May 2, 2023 4:39 pm
Is Honkai Star Rail free?

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With Honkai: Star Rail just being released, people have a lot of questions on their minds, one of them being if the game is free or not. HoYoverse is known to make games that can be played without having to spend money, a practice that is pretty uncommon with today’s titles.

Well, if you’re also not keen on spending cash for the new Honkai Star Rail, read on as we discuss whether the title is free to play or not.

Is Honkai Star Rail free to play?

Honkai: Star Rail is free to play and can be downloaded from Epic Games without having to pay even a dime. While there are microtransactions in the game, the base game is free of cost.

Genshin Impact is also free, so it’s no surprise that Honkai: Star Rail is free as well. As far as microtransactions are concerned in Honkai: Star Rail, there are a number of characters in the game. While those characters can be unlocked by simply playing the game, you can unlock their banners by paying real money, which gives you a random chance to acquire high-level characters. 

Is Honkai Star Rail a gacha game?

Yes, Honkai: Star Rail is a gacha game and its gacha system is one of its most talked-about aspects which, like Genshin Impact, is an optional element of the game. However, unlike most gacha games, Honkai Star Rail’s system allows players to save up free currency to spend on pulls.

But how does Star Rail’s gacha system compare to Genshin Impact’s? Well, as of the final closed beta, the two systems are almost identical in terms of pull rates for 4-Star and 5-Star characters and weapons.

Additionally, Honkai Star Rail offers both event Banners and a set standard Banner that doesn’t change what you can get from it, just like Genshin Impact.

However, there are a few key differences between the two systems. For one, Star Rail allows players to save up for 5-Star weapons by participating in optional activities like the Simulated Universe, a rogue-like gameplay mode that adds even more depth to the game.

Unlike Genshin Impact, Star Rail uses a different currency, Stellar Jade, to access the gacha system, a process known as ‘Warping’ that reflects the game’s sci-fi setting.


Si Yan was a content editor on WePC and supported with content edits on WePC Gaming pages. She ensured the content was accurate, engaging and met SEO requirements.

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