If you’ve logged hundreds of hours wandering Teyvat and traversing the Honkai Star Rail universe, you’ve almost certainly stumbled across tiny, intentional references that make you stop and wonder are Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail connected. As someone who’s played both games since their launch, and dug through hundreds of Hoyolab lore threads and official developer interviews, I’m breaking down every confirmed link, common fan myth, and fun hidden Easter egg you need to know about. You don’t have to be a deep lore nerd to follow along, either – I’m keeping everything simple, no confusing jargon included.
Confirmed Canon Links That Prove Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail Are Connected
The biggest confirmed link between the two games comes straight from Hoyoverse’s official lore framework: the Imaginary Tree. This core lore concept establishes that every universe in the Hoyoverse catalog exists as a separate “leaf” on a giant cosmic tree, with alternate timelines and worlds connected through shared cosmic rules. That means Genshin’s Teyvat and the many worlds visited by the Astral Express all exist in the same overarching multiverse, even if their stories don’t overlap directly.
One of the most concrete lore links comes from Welt Yang, a playable Honkai Star Rail character who originally appeared in Honkai Impact 3rd. In his official voice lines, Welt explicitly references visiting a world ruled by seven Archons, where people wield seven elemental powers – a description that matches Teyvat perfectly, no room for interpretation. He even mentions that the world is currently cut off from the rest of the multiverse, which lines up with Genshin’s established lore that Teyvat’s skies are “fake” and blocked off from outside interstellar travel.
There’s also a subtle official nod in Genshin’s Sumeru region, during the Aranara quest line. One of the Aranara mentions a group of “trailblazers” who visited Teyvat long ago, travelling across worlds on a giant star-faring train. That’s an unmissable reference to the Astral Express crew, and it’s been confirmed by developers as an intentional cross-lore nod, not a coincidence. The elemental naming conventions for both games are also intentional shared lore, not just a gameplay shortcut – elements like Pyro, Cryo, and Hydro follow the same cosmic classification system across all Hoyoverse worlds.
Common Fan Theories That Are Not Confirmed (Yet)
With so many small references scattered across both games, it’s no surprise that fans have come up with hundreds of theories linking the two stories. Most of these are fun to speculate about, but they have no basis in official canon as of now. I’ve seen way too many people present these unconfirmed ideas as fact on social media, so I’m breaking down the most common ones you shouldn’t take as gospel:
- The theory that Genshin's Travellers are former members of the Astral Express crew: No official lore references back this up, even if their interstellar travel premise sounds similar. The Travellers’ backstory is explicitly tied to their journey across multiple worlds outside the Hoyoverse’s established multiverse rules.
- The claim that Paimon is a dead or missing Aeon related to the Trailblaze: While Paimon has mysterious, unexplained powers that line up with some Aeon traits, there is zero official link between her and HSR's Aeon roster as of now. Developers have also teased that Paimon’s identity is tied exclusively to Genshin’s core story.
- The idea that Teyvat will be a future playable world in Honkai Star Rail: Hoyoverse has not announced any plans to add Teyvat as an explorable HSR location, despite massive fan demand. Developers have stated that both games will keep their core storylines separate to avoid confusing casual players.
That doesn’t mean these theories will never be confirmed, of course. Hoyoverse loves to drop subtle hints years before they pay off in the main story. But for now, you don’t need to stress about remembering these if you’re just trying to follow the official canon of either game. If you want to check if a theory is confirmed, always head to the official Hoyolab lore section first, not random TikTok or Reddit threads.
Fun Cross-Game Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed
Not all connections between the two games are deep lore. Hoyoverse’s dev team loves to throw in tiny, fun Easter eggs for players who enjoy both titles, and most of these are easy to miss if you’re not looking for them. I’ve spotted dozens over the past few years, but these are my personal favorites that most players skip over.
If you have Welt on your Honkai Star Rail account, take a close look at his 5-star light cone "Before Dawn". Zoom in on the background of the card, and you’ll see a tiny sketch of Dragonspine and Mondstadt’s windmills off in the distance. It’s a tiny detail, but it’s a clear nod to Welt’s confirmed visit to Teyvat that most players never notice. You can also find a reference to Genshin’s signature floating companion in HSR’s Jarilo-VI region: a NPC complaining about a “tiny, floating, annoying guide that eats all your food” is a dead ringer for Paimon, and it’s definitely intentional.
Genshin has its fair share of HSR Easter eggs too. In Fontaine’s main steamship terminal, you can find a faded poster advertising a “Star Rail Express” travel service that takes passengers across the stars. You can also find a book in the Sumeru Akademiya library that describes a group of interstellar travellers who carry devices that can seal away cosmic disasters, a clear reference to the Trailblazers’ work sealing Stellarons. Even shared voice actor picks are little nods for fans: Zhongli and Jing Yuan share the same English voice actor, as do Venti and Sampo, and the dev team has confirmed these picks are intentional little references, not random casting choices.
What These Connections Mean For Future Game Updates
Now that we know the two games are connected through the Hoyoverse multiverse, you’re probably wondering what that means for future updates. The good news is that we’re almost certainly going to get more fun Easter eggs and small cross-lore nods as both games expand. The bad news? You shouldn’t expect a full, story-heavy cross-over any time soon.
Hoyoverse has repeatedly stated that both games are designed to be playable entirely independently, so they won’t lock core story content for one game behind playing the other. That means any cross-over events we get will almost certainly be non-canon, just like the 2021 Honkai Impact 3rd x Genshin Impact cross-over that gave players a playable Fischl in HI3 without altering either game’s core story. These events are just for fun, and they won’t have any impact on the main plot of either game.
One thing we can expect is more shared promotional content between the two games, like free Primogem or Stellar Jade rewards for players who have accounts for both titles. We might also get more character references, like future Honkai Star Rail characters mentioning visits to Teyvat, or Genshin NPCs referencing events from HSR’s story. If you’re a lore fan, the best way to keep up with these links is to follow official developer livestreams, where the team often teases small cross-lore details between updates.
At the end of the day, are Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail connected? Yes, through the official Hoyoverse multiverse, with confirmed lore links and tons of fun Easter eggs for dedicated players to find. But you don’t have to play one game to enjoy the other, and all the cross-lore nods are just bonus content for people who love both franchises. It’s always fun to spot a little reference to your other favorite game while you’re playing, and I’m personally excited to see what little nods the dev team hides in future updates for both titles.