HoYoverse has today delivered full details on the next major update for Honkai: Star Rail. Version 4.3, dubbed The Lethe Below the Living, will be available for all players on June 1. The upcoming update adds a new chapter to the Planarcadia arc, and introduce a new playable character.
HoYoverse just wrapped up a new Genshin Impact Special Program, where the developer revealed everything there is to know about the game’s next major update. Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana, or as its friends call it, Luna 7, was unveiled as part of the showcase.
This isn't a complaint, but I can't help but feel like every new game I pick up at the moment is Animal Crossing. Heartopia? Animal Crossing. Pokopia? Animal Crossing. Tomodachi Life? You guessed it, Animal Crossing! I am unashamedly one of those people who thinks the gaming landscape of the 2020s peaked early when New Horizons gently shepherded us all through lockdown, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that – now that we're well past the midpoint of the decade, I hate to remind you – a bunch of studios have come to the same conclusion, and either spun up their own take on the idea, or repurposed an existing IP to include more Animal Crossing-like elements.
HoYoverse just wrapped up a pretty exciting Zenless Zone Zero Special Program that not only delivered all the details on the next big update, it also came with the unexpected announcement that the action RPG is on its way to Steam.
HoYoverse just wrapped up a stacked Honkai: Star Rail Special Program, delivering the one-two punch of revealing the game’s next major update, and detailing what you can expect from its third anniversary celebrations.
Today’s Genshin Impact Special Program has wrapped up, and it’s brought us some big news about the next major update. Luna 6 is the next phase in the action RPG’s story, titled Song of the Welkin Moon: Rondo - Augured Homecoming.
HoYoverse has delivered another Special Program for the second day running, this time for Zenless Zone Zero. The developer revealed the full details of Version 2.7, subtitled Champions Never Fall to the Past.
A new Honkai: Star Rail Special Program has concluded, which means some fresh news about the game’s upcoming major update. Version 4.1, unveiled today as Unraveled for Daybreak, is the action RPG’s next moment, kicking off on March 25.
Version Luna 5 of Genshin Impact is now live, but it's a bittersweet occasion for fans of HoYoverse's breakout gacha RPG – at the very least, those who are still playing the game on PlayStation 4, which is presumably true of somebody out there.
Need new Genshin Impact codes? Gathering Primogems and Mora in Genshin Impact can be quite the grind. Fortunately, developer Hoyoverse occasionally sends out gifts in the form of redeem codes. Most codes only work for a limited time, so it's best to redeem them as soon as possible to avoid missing out. Codes are released periodically, frequently appearing in Hoyoverse special programs: regular video updates detailing future updates. Redeem codes can also drop to celebrate milestones or to coincide with new Genshin Impact events. You can find all the active Genshin codes below, including what they have to offer, how to redeem them, and where you can look for more.
It would appear that the multiplayer gacha RPG world has elected to unload all of the updates and headlines on us at once. So that means it’s time to cry! Wait, no, that’s not what that means; it’s time for another edition of the Gacha Banner news digest! Yippee and boohoo! First off is Neverness to […]
Whenever a major update arrives in Honkai: Star Rail, it always brings with it tons of new additions and gameplay features, and 4.0 is no exception. However, it seems like this version is building up with its first patch, and that we might see the real major benefits and changes once 4.1 and 4.2 arrive. Keep in mind, 4.0 is still a big deal! Especially when it comes to Sparxie and Cosmicon Collective. But I get the impression we’ll see the full weight of Planarcadia’s Trailblaze Missions and Elation’s power once we get more into it.
With the new Planarcadia Trailblaze Missions in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, it reminds me more of the early Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony storylines than something like Jarilo-VI and Amphoreus. We’re welcome guests to the planet, with Sparkle acting as a host. It’s a very bright space that feels modern, with lots of games and activities. Now, there is the setting for something more and growing stakes, since there is the Phantasmoon Games competition. The winner gets to meet Aha and wield the power of an Aeon for a minute. Given Trailblazer, Sunday, Sparxie, and Silver Wolf are all competing, there’s a lot of potential for how this all could go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hH0hILcWPs&t=1s
However, I’m more excited about 4.0 for another reason. That’s because Himiko is tied to Planarcadia. We’ve seen recent versions with members of the Astral Express tied to areas including eventual revelations about the characters. Dan Heng came up during the 1.0 Xianzhou Luofu storyline. March 7th ended up featured in 3.0 at Amphoreus. This feels like Himiko’s turn, and I’m excited by the initial teasers and hints we get so far.
One of the best parts of Honkai: Star Rail 4.0 is the new Elation path, though I think most people won’t get to really appreciate it until Sparxie’s banner arrives on March 3, 2026. The new path might feel a bit like the DOTs in Nihility characters or Remembrance Memosprites since Aha could chime in for additional effects and you want to set things up for Punchlines and Elation DMG. It’s most evident with Sparxie, who I got to test out, since her Boom! Sparxicle's Poppin Skill enhances her Basic into Bloom! Winner Takes All for an attack with splash AOE damage and makes her Skill briefly Engagement Farming for a DMG multiplayer and more Punchline points. She can do big numbers even without Yao Guang, especially if Sparkle is on the same time, though she is best when paired with her fellow Elation character.
The thing is, Yao Guang herself isn’t as exciting or useful without Sparxie. Her Decalight Unveils All Skill’s zone is best for Elation stat boosting, which only applies to Sparxie at the moment. While her Hexagram of Feathered Fortune is a more generic one that helps get Aha acting again and boosting Punchline, due to it helping all-type Res Pen for the party, she’s ideally a buffer for a type of team that probably won’t be possible until 4.2 or 4.3. I’m a bit surprised she’s the first banner for Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, in fact, given the focus Sparxie/Sparkle has in the story and the general usefulness of the other character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JekiKSvtSCw
What I especially liked about the 4.0 update for Honkai: Star Rail is the Cosmicon Collective card game, which feels like the equivalent of Genius Invokation in Genshin Impact. It’s of course its own beast, with elements like weather influencing matches to offer boosts, and us using Prismatic Dice and collected character cards to fight matches. It’s standard TCG fare in many ways, with attack level determining dice selected and used, defense level determining your defense based on rolls, and us knowing how many D6s and D4s would be used and if a Prismatic Die could be used. We roll dice, select which ones to use to determine damage dealt and defenses set. It goes really quickly, and there being the “Cosmicon, Roll On” event around at launch helps make it more inviting.
The fact that Yao Guang won’t probably be all that exciting until her rerun aside, it feels like HoYoVerse is building something with Honkai: Star Rail 4.0. Planarcadia’s plot is leaving all sorts of threads to follow and hints of things to come, even though the initial quests are more about getting acquainted with the premise. Sparxie feels like a great example of what Elation could be capable of with the right supports. Cosmicon Collective is a lot of fun. It’s like we’re at the foundation now, and I’m excited for what’s next.
Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 4.0 update is live now.
The latest big content update has been revealed for HoYoverse's breakout game, Genshin Impact. Version Luna 5, which has the unusually long and needlessly layered title — Song of the Welkin Moon: Variation - Homeward, He Who Caught the Wind — is set to arrive February 25.
HoYoverse just wrapped up a big Honkai: Star Rail Special Program. We’ve been waiting for this one for a couple of weeks now thanks to a delay, but the developer has finally delivered all the news on Version 4.0, which will arrive February 13.
Zenless Zone Zero’s latest Special Program has delivered a tonne of information about the game’s big upcoming update, Version 2.6. This latest addition kicks off celebrations in New Eridu, and it’s dubbed Encore for an Old Dream.
Genshin Impact’s latest Special Program has spilled all the beans on the game’s next major update, Luna 4. The update, which arrives on January 14, kicks off 2026 with several bits of new content, including some previously-teased characters.
Zenless Zone Zero’s latest Special Program has delivered the good news on Version 2.5, To Be Fuel for the Night. This chapter is a big deal for a few reasons, not least of which because it brings an end to Season 2.