Honkai: Star Rail is the latest title developed and published by HoYoverse, the creator of Genshin Impact. It was released on Tuesday, April 25, and is the fourth installment in the long-running Honkai series, which in many ways was an original predecessor to Genshin that went a long way to popularizing the style.
Like other titles from the $7 billion company, Honkai: Star Rail revolves around players controlling a team of four characters as they explore an open world and fight their way through countless enemies to complete missions and dungeons.
As the name suggests, it is a part of the Honkai series. It even features characters from Honkai Impact 3rd. For that reason, some may assume it’s a direct sequel to the 2016 title. But is that true, or is it simply related to them?
Is Honkai: Star Rail a sequel to Honkai Impact?
Despite its namesake, Honkai: Star Rail is not a direct sequel to Honkai Impact 3rd or any of the already existing Honkai releases. The events in this new 2023 game take place eight years after the main quest in Honkai Impact 3rd. Welt Yang travels to a parallel universe and stumbles into a new adventure.
Related: How to download Honkai: Star Rail
The story takes place within the existing Honkai universe and it even has alternate versions of existing characters, but it’s a separate game rather than a sequel.
That being said, those who love the other titles in the series and are looking for a similar experience won’t be disappointed; Honkai: Star Rail has all the features and qualities that made the original titles great games.
It already had 10 million registered users two weeks before its release, and now that it’s out, that number has skyrocketed. Long-term Honkai fans can pick up where they left off, while newcomers can see what all the fuss is about without playing the older titles.