If you’ve scrolled TikTok and seen clips of new character builds, or heard old friends reference recent story twists, you’ve probably wondered are people still playing Genshin Impact. The game launched back in 2020, when it felt like everyone you knew was exploring Mondstadt and arguing about which 5-star character was worth pulling for. Most gacha games fade from public consciousness after a year or two, as players move on to the next new release, but Genshin has stuck around in a way few live service games ever do. I picked it up on launch day, took a 7-month break in 2023 when I got burned out on artifact grinding, and was shocked to log back in and see 12 of my 15 original in-game friends still active daily.
Are People Still Playing Genshin Impact? Let’s Look at the Numbers
It’s easy to assume a game that’s been out for four years has a shrinking player base, but the data tells a very different story. As of the latest public metrics, Genshin boasts more than 62 million average monthly active players across all platforms, with roughly 14 million daily active users. Those numbers have stayed remarkably consistent since 2022, even with the release of HoYoverse’s other popular titles like Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero.
Genshin Impact consistently ranks in the top 3 most streamed games on Twitch for the RPG category every month, even during lulls between big patch drops. It also remains in the top 10 highest grossing mobile games globally, bringing in over $100 million in revenue every month from in-game purchases. Those numbers don’t lie: millions of people are still playing Genshin Impact regularly, and the community shows no signs of shrinking any time soon.
You don’t even have to look at hard stats to see the activity. Fan art tags for Genshin characters get millions of new posts every month on X and Instagram, and official fan events sell out in minutes in cities across the world. Spiral abyss clear share posts are still one of the most common types of Genshin content on Reddit, with thousands of players showing off their new team comps every two weeks when the abyss resets.
Core Updates That Keep Longtime Players Coming Back
The biggest reason Genshin has kept its player base loyal is its consistent, high-quality update schedule. HoYoverse drops a new major patch every six weeks, and almost every patch brings substantial new content that doesn’t feel like lazy filler. Unlike many live service games that lock most new content behind a paywall, all Genshin story, exploration, and event content is available for free to every player, no purchase required.
HoYoverse regularly adds permanent quality of life features based directly on player feedback, which makes the game feel better to play every year. Recent additions like the ability to skip repetitive quest dialogue, the resource collecting gadget that eliminates the need to click every individual flower or ore, and the artifact strongbox system that lets you turn useless drops into sets for characters you actually use, have all cut down on frustrating grind and made the game more accessible for casual players.
Some of the most popular recent updates that have brought thousands of lapsed players back to the game include:
- The Natlan region launch, which introduced 10 new playable characters, a dynamic heat-based combat mechanic, and over 30 hours of main story and side quest content that explores the region’s history of colonialism and resistance
- The annual Lantern Rite event, which gives all players a free 4-star Liyue character of their choice, plus limited-time mini games, exclusive story quests centered on fan favorite characters, and thousands of free primogems
- The Spiral Abyss reset cycle that adds new challenge modifiers every two weeks, giving competitive players a reason to test new team comps and earn premium rewards that let them pull for new characters
Why New Players Are Still Joining the Game Every Day
It’s not just long-term players keeping the community active. Thousands of brand new players make their first Genshin account every single day, even four years after launch. A big part of that is the game’s accessibility: it’s completely free to download and play, available on mobile, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, with full cross-save support across all platforms. You can start playing on your phone during your commute, then pick up right where you left off on your PS5 when you get home, no extra work required.
You can complete 100% of the game’s main story and 90% of limited-time events without spending a single penny, which is a huge draw for players who don’t want to deal with pay-to-win mechanics. The gacha system only affects which characters you have access to, and even with the free characters the game gives you early on, you can clear every piece of non-competitive content with no issues.
New players also don’t have to worry about being lost when they start. The community has created thousands of free, detailed guides for everything from beginner team builds to hidden chest locations, so you can find answers to any question you have in seconds. Popular streamers also regularly do full new player playthroughs, which introduce the game to people who might never have considered trying it otherwise. Recent cross-promotions, like the global KFC collab and the international Genshin concert tour, have also pulled in new players who had no prior experience with the game.
Common Reasons Players Step Away (And How HoYoverse Is Fixing Them)
Genshin isn’t perfect, of course, and plenty of players do step away from the game for months or even years at a time. The most common complaints are burnout from the constant 6-week update schedule, repetitive endgame content for players who only care about competitive play, and frustrating gacha rates that can leave you empty handed even after saving for months for a specific character.
HoYoverse has added more casual endgame content in recent patches, like the Serenitea Pot housing system and event game modes that don’t require high level characters, so players who don’t care about climbing the Spiral Abyss still have fun things to do when they log on. They’ve also added more low-stakes permanent events, like the wind glider racing courses and the combat arena where you can test out any character for free, even if you don’t own them.
They also increased the rate of free premium currency given out through events, so free-to-play players can pull for more characters without spending money. They added a guaranteed pity system a few years ago that ensures you’ll get the limited 5-star character you want after at most two 5-star pulls, which has cut down on a lot of the frustration with the gacha system. They also regularly give out free 4-star characters and even free 5-star characters during big events, so even players who never spend money can build strong, fun teams.
I stepped away from the game in 2023 because I was tired of grinding artifacts for hours every day just to get bad stats, and when I came back, the new artifact strongbox system had cut my grind time in half. I don’t feel pressured to log on every single day anymore, and that’s made the game way more fun for me than it was when it first launched.
So if you’ve been sitting on the fence about trying Genshin for the first time, or wondering if it’s worth logging back into your old account, the short answer to are people still playing Genshin Impact is a resounding yes. The game has more content now than it ever has, the community is still welcoming to new and returning players, and the devs are constantly making improvements based on what fans ask for. You don’t have to catch up on four years of content all at once, and you don’t have to spend any money to have a good time. I log on a few times a week now just to hang out with my in-game friends and mess around with new character builds, and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.