14 Games Like Genshin Impact To Lose Yourself In For 2025

• Developer: Kuro Games
• Release Date: May 22, 2024
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5
• Price: Free

When Wuthering Waves was first released in 2024, it was able to capture a core of Genshin Impact players due to the similar gacha mechanics on show. After four years, Genshin Impact players were simply ready for a change in the formula, which is what makes Wuthering Waves’ approach to combat so enticing. Intro and Outro skills gives it a little extra depth over Genshin’s action, while being able to collect and use Echoes from defeated bosses makes overcoming each challenge feel all the more rewarding. As a result, it feels a lot more challenging to get to grips with early on, but it does make a refreshing change of pace for any players looking for a Genshin Impact alternative.

• Developer: MiHoYo
• Release Date: April 26, 2023
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5
• Price: Free

We’re probably not getting a real Genshin Impact sequel for quite some time, if ever. However, MiHoYo’s Honkai: Star Rail has served as an excellent spiritual successor that does enough things differently to let both games sit cozily alongside one another. The grind feels a lot more forgiving, largely due to the auto-battle system and easier leveling. On the whole, menus feel a lot cleaner to navigate when compared to Genshin Impact, making it feel much more streamlined. Plus, Honkai: Star Rail swaps out real-time combat for turn-based, which makes it an excellent fit for mobile gaming. If your session is ever interrupted, such as losing internet connection or immediately needing to put your phone away, you’ll have an easier time picking up exactly where you left off. We’d recommend Honkai: Star Rail to players who were put off by Genshin Impact’s grind and leveling tedium.

• Developer: Nintendo
• Release Date: March 3, 2017 / May 12, 2023
• Platforms: Wii U, Nintendo Switch
• Price: $69.99

Since not everyone may enjoy gacha systems, but may like other elements of Genshin Impact’s gameplay, we’ll throw in a few non-gacha games onto this list too. And one common comparison you’ll see made to Genshin is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom). These two games are often compared to Genshin due to their similar world designs and emphasis on player freedom. Both also have similar ways of traversal, with running, climbing, gliding, and other mechanics drawing comparisons between both games. Some of the enemies in Genshin Impact even resemble those in Zelda. What sets them apart is how they tell their stories. Genshin is a lot more narrative-heavy, with lots of cutscenes and dialogue, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild prefers to throw you into its world and let you figure things out for yourself. Still, the inspiration here is clear, making Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom must-plays for any Genshin Impact fan.

• Developer: P-Studio
• Release Date: September 15, 2016 / October 31, 2019
• Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
• Price: $19.99 / $59.99

Genshin Impact’s overarching story, multiple character arcs and unravelling mystery is one of its best features, and players wanting more of that kind of stuff should certainly check out the Persona series. More specifically, Persona 5 (or its expanded version Persona 5 Royal) would be the best one to start with. The anime art style combined with the developing relationships of the characters makes Persona 5 a decent Genshin alternative. Since it’s a fully paid title, it also lacks gacha mechanics, which may be a plus to anyone who likes some aspects of Genshin Impact but has been turned off by the monetization model.

• Developer: MiHoYo
• Release Date: July 4, 2024
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5
• Price: Free

MiHoyo’s Zenless Zone Zero is the most recent entry to the HoYoverse games. Like Persona, it’s an urban fantasy with this cool analog retro aesthetic at its core. Compared to Genshin Impact, the story moves a lot faster and the game is far less concerned with having you grind through the same menial tasks over a long period of time. In fact, it’s probably the best of the HoYoverse games to respect your time. While Genshin Impact players may miss the vibrant open world of Teyvat, Zenless Zone Zero’s New Eridu is brimming with details and interesting narrative droplets that uncover as the story progresses. The pacing improvements also carry over into combat, where it’s more about getting into the enemy’s face and stylishly dealing as much damage as possible compared to Genshin Impact’s more methodical open-world RPG approach.

• Developer: MiHoYo
• Release Date: October 14, 2016
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC
• Price: Free

If Honkai Star Rail isn’t to your tastes, we’d also recommend Honkai Impact 3rd as a fun Genshin Impact alternative. It’s a more traditional RPG with gacha mechanics, and feels a lot faster-paced compared to Genshin. For starters, there isn’t an open world for the first part of the game, adopting a more linear mission-based structure. The combat also has a more hack-and-slash style, with battles fought in tight arenas against larger powerful bosses. So there’s less running around and getting sidetracked, and more time focusing on your immediate task using your available skills and team combinations. Thanks to the Part 2 expansion from 2024, the game has also received a more limited open world to explore once you hit the later parts of the story. We’d recommend checking it out if you played Honkai Impact 3rd in its early days or want a fresh break from Genshin Impact.

• Developer: Hotta Studio
• Release Date: 16 December 2021
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS4, PS5
• Price: Free

What immediately sets Tower of Fantasy apart from Genshin Impact is it gives you the ability to create and customize your own character from the beginning, as opposed to giving you a roster of pre-determined characters. You can tweak your face, hair, clothing, and even body shape. This extends to the team building aspect too, where instead of swapping between characters in your squad during combat, you’re actually swapping between their weapons. So the gacha system becomes more about collecting weapons than characters. Besides that, you’ll find the action to be somewhere between Genshin Impact’s open-world RPG combat and Honkai Impact 3rd’s hack-and-slash style. Gacha players will be familiar with Tower of Fantasy’s gameplay loop, but it’s also probably one of the more distinct entries on this list due to how personalized the main playable character feels.

• Developer: Pocketpair
• Release Date: January 19, 2024
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
• Price: $29.99

Another example of a non-gacha-style game that might appeal to Genshin Impact players, Palworld is an open-world survival game centered around collecting “Pals”–Pokemon-like creatures with their own unique traits and abilities. The visuals feel like something between Pokemon and Genshin Impact, and there are also more comparisons you can make to the HoYoverse. For starters, you can hatch eggs that contain random Pals, and these Pals can have positive or negative traits. The random-pull nature of this gives it a gacha-like quality, adding to the overall randomness of the game. While it’s not completely gacha, since you can’t use real currency to buy them, the similarities are there that we felt it was a necessary addition to this list.

• Developer: Thatgamecompany
• Release Date: July 18, 2019
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch
• Price: Free

Known for its action-free titles that foster emotional responses in players, Thatgamecompany’s Sky: Children of the Light is set in a fallen kingdom where players have to release ancient spirits so they can return home. Like Genshin Impact, there are multiple in-game currencies that make up the gacha elements, with each one corresponding to items, abilities, or gifts. There’s also a huge social component here too, as Sky: Children of the Light lets you befriend other players and interact by sending them gifts. The game’s mystery combined with its beautiful open world makes it a decent sidegrade for any Genshin Impact players who desire a more peaceful experience. While there might not be enough here to keep you playing for days upon days, it’s fun to check in every so often to see the new seasonal content released for it.

• Developer: Bluepoch
• Release Date: May 31, 2023
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC
• Price: Free

Like Genshin Impact, Reverse: 1999 is another free gacha game with an interesting story at the heart of it. With some top-notch writing and voice acting, the game has come through hard times following a rough launch plagued with performance and localization issues. Now, it’s in a much better state. Don’t expect it to be an open world like Genshin Impact, though, as each part of the narrative more or less takes place on these 2D stages which advance the story. However, the card-shuffling mechanics are an interesting addition to the genre, giving it a more relaxed and tactical feel. Just try to unlearn everything Genshin Impact has taught you, because min-maxing is less of a thing here. Instead, it rewards smart play and careful planning.

• Developer: Monolith Soft
• Release Date: 10 June 2010
• Platforms: Nintendo Wii, 3DS, Switch
• Price: $59.99

We’d recommend Xenoblade Chronicles, or any of its sequels for that matter, to Genshin Impact players for the same reason we’ve recommended a few others on this list. Like Genshin, you explore this beautiful open world with some absolutely breathtaking locations, with the amount of freedom you’d come to expect from a modern action-RPG. Completing quests and going out of your way to explore the world feels extremely rewarding, as you’re always encouraged to dig deep through these large environments for any interesting items or collectibles. While the series as a whole isn’t in the gacha genre, it’s worth noting that its sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, has some gacha-like systems, where using Crystals to obtain randomly pulled Blades becomes a core focus of the experience.

• Developer: Osaka Cygames
• Release Date: February 1, 2024
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
• Price: $59.99

Granblue Fantasy: Relink moves away from the gacha systems that made up its earlier games, giving us a premium $60 experience with no characters or abilities locked behind a massive paywall. Unlike Genshin Impact, there are no strings attached here, so you buy once and can play through the full thing from start to finish. It’ll take you about 20-25 hours to complete, so it’s also not a huge timesink compared to other RPGs, and you certainly won’t be sacrificing months of your life to it like you might with Genshin Impact. Considering the series’ heavy gacha origins, Granblue Fantasy: Relink might be a good option for Genshin Impact players to check out. If Relink isn’t your jam, there’s always the original mobile game too.

• Developer: Papergames
• Release Date: 5 December 2024
• Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5
• Price: Free

For the fashion enthusiasts here, Infinity Nikki is all about dressing up and going on adventures. Like Genshin Impact, you’ll be exploring a big open world with plenty of secrets and tasks to complete. Platforming and puzzle-solving is also a huge component, giving the game a lot of freedom in how you choose to play. Unlocking new outfits (either by finding outfits or obtaining them through the gacha system) will give you more abilities and upgrades, and these also come in handy during combat. Sometimes you’ll be fighting actual monsters, or instead choosing the right outfit to take on an opponent in a “Stylist Duel.” Infinity Nikki can certainly feel very grindy at times. You need to gather materials, craft outfits, and upgrade them. But it’s also a great option for Genshin Impact fans who want to play a more fashion-oriented gacha game.

• Developer: Studio Zero
• Release Date: October 11, 2024
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
• Price: $69.99

While Metaphor: ReFantazio is another premium JRPG with no gacha elements, the mystery and politics central to its plot is something Genshin Impact players may find enticing. With there being plenty of hidden secrets to find and dungeons to crawl, players who love exploring Teyvat in Genshin Impact may also find Metaphor’s Euchronia equally interesting. After nearly a decade in the making, Studio Zero’s designers clearly saw the creative art featured in games like Genshin Impact and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and let it inspire them. With its narrative and themes so cleverly interwoven with the rest of the game, it’s one of the best RPGs we can recommend today, having received a rare 10/10 in GameSpot’s review and being named our 2024 Game of the Year.