Honkai: Star Rail for PC: Free Download and Requirements

Honkai: Star Rail follows a crew travelling between worlds aboard the Astral Express, a train that crosses the stars. Unlike Genshin Impact, it is a turn-based RPG: you explore areas in real time, but combat plays out in turns where timing your skills and ultimates matters.

What’s in the game?

• Turn-based battles: Exploit enemy weaknesses to break their toughness and take control of the fight.
• Paths: Characters belong to Paths such as Destruction, Harmony or Abundance, which define their role in the team.
• Simulated Universe: A roguelike mode with random blessings that changes every run.
• Story: Fully voiced main quests across several very different worlds.

Boarding the Astral Express

1. Choose the Windows option on the official Honkai: Star Rail website.
2. What you get is the HoYoPlay launcher; it downloads the game itself.
3. Sign in with your HoYoverse account. If you already play Genshin Impact, the same account works.

System requirements

HoYoverse’s official release FAQ lists the minimum as 64-bit Windows, an Intel Core i3 processor, 6 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or better; the recommended setup is Windows 10, a Core i7, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060. The game is also available on Android and iPhone.

Warps and spending

The game is free. Characters and Light Cones (weapons) are obtained through a gacha “warp” system that can be used with currency earned by playing or bought with real money.