If you’ve ever scrolled TikTok or YouTube and stumbled on Genshin Impact cutscenes, you’ve probably wondered is Genshin Impact an anime at least once. I know I did when I first saw a clip of the Liyue Archon Quest, all dramatic voice acting and vibrant animation, and thought I’d missed a new popular series release. But once I dug into the game, I realized it’s way more layered than a standard anime, even if it borrows a ton of the elements that make animated shows so beloved. We’re breaking down all the overlaps, key differences, and even official Genshin animated content you might not know about to answer the question once and for all.
Why so many people assume Genshin Impact is an anime
It’s not hard to see why so many casual viewers mix up Genshin for a standalone anime. First, the cel-shaded 3D art style is nearly identical to the visual language of most modern hit anime series, with soft line work, bright, saturated color palettes, and dynamic camera angles during action scenes. The character design leans even harder into that aesthetic, with big expressive eyes, exaggerated hair colors, and classic anime trope character archetypes that are common in shonen and slice of life anime alike.
The game’s story cutscenes add to that confusion too. Major Archon Quest segments often have 10+ minute fully animated, fully voiced scenes that feel exactly like clips from a high-budget anime. The Japanese voice cast is also stacked with iconic anime actors, from Aoi Yuki (who voices Lumine and has starred in Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia) to Jun Fukuyama (who voices Zhongli and played Lelouch in Code Geass). I once showed my 12-year-old sibling a 15-minute Sumeru Archon Quest cutscene, and they sat through the whole thing asking what episode of the new “magic anime” I was watching.
Core differences that answer if Genshin Impact is an anime
For all its anime-inspired flair, Genshin Impact is first and foremost an open-world role-playing game, not a passive viewing experience. Interactive storytelling is the core of Genshin, meaning you control where you go, who you talk to, and even which side quests you complete to fill out the world lore, something you can never do with a standard anime series. Every player’s experience of the Genshin story is slightly different, depending on which characters they’ve pulled, which regions they’ve explored first, and which optional quests they’ve chosen to complete.
There are a few key structural differences that make the distinction clear:
- You control the main character’s movements, dialogue choices, and exploration path, instead of following a fixed linear plot written for all viewers
- New content is added in ongoing 6-week patch updates rather than pre-planned episode or season drops common for anime
- Thousands of optional lore and story beats are only accessible if you seek them out, rather than being shown to every person who experiences the story
- Core gameplay loops like combat, artifact farming, and puzzle solving make up roughly 70% of most players’ time spent with the game
That doesn’t mean the animated parts of Genshin are an afterthought, though. The dev team spends months perfecting every major cutscene to match the quality of high-budget anime, but it’s all built to serve the game first, not stand alone as a viewing experience. You can’t watch the full Genshin story without playing through the gameplay segments to unlock the next cutscene, at least not officially.
Official Genshin Impact anime content that does exist
While the game itself is not an anime, there is official Genshin anime content you can watch right now, with more on the way. HoYoverse released an official Genshin Impact anime series collaboration with ufotable in 2023, the iconic studio behind Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and the Fate/Zero series. The first teaser trailer got over 100 million views in its first month, and the series will adapt the core Archon Quest story from the start of the game, following the Traveler’s search for their lost sibling across Teyvat.
There’s also tons of shorter anime-style content released regularly for the game, from 3-minute character demo trailers to longer animated short films tied to in-game events. I’ve rewatched the Zhongli “The Unfortunate Return of the Adeptus” animated short at least 10 times, and it’s easily better than a lot of standalone anime OVAs I’ve seen, even if it’s tied directly to promoting his character banner in the game. If you just want to experience the Genshin story without playing, you can find fan-made compilations of all the game’s cutscenes on YouTube, though those are edited by fans, not official anime releases.
Should you play Genshin if you love anime?
If you love anime for deep storytelling, vibrant, memorable characters, and immersive fantasy worlds, Genshin is almost certainly going to be a good fit for you. You don’t have to spend any money to enjoy the core story content, since all Archon Quests and main regions are accessible for free, even if you never roll for new 5-star characters or buy in-game cosmetics. The world of Teyvat is packed with the same kind of emotional story beats, hidden lore, and found family dynamics that make so many hit anime so beloved.
That said, it’s not for every anime fan. If you hate grinding or open-world gameplay, you might get frustrated when you have to fight bosses or solve puzzles to unlock the next story cutscene. The story also updates in chunks every 6 weeks, so you’ll have to wait months between major Archon Quest chapters, unlike binging a full anime season in one weekend. If you’re on the fence, try watching a few of the official Genshin story cutscenes first, then play the first hour of the game (it’s free on all platforms, including mobile) to see if the gameplay clicks for you. Most of my anime-loving friends got into Genshin specifically for the story, and now they’re more invested in the fate of Teyvat than any currently airing anime series.
At the end of the day, the answer to is Genshin Impact an anime is no, it’s a video game first and foremost that draws heavy inspiration from anime art and storytelling tropes. That said, if you’re a fan of anime, you’re probably going to love the world, characters, and story that HoYoverse has built, and you’ll have even more official Genshin anime content to look forward to as the ufotable series rolls out. You don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy it either, since the game is designed to be accessible for casual players who only log on to progress the story every few days. Whether you’re here for the anime-style cutscenes or the open-world exploration, there’s something for every type of fan in Teyvat.