Genshin Impact (Chinese: 原神; pinyin: yuánshén; Japanese: 原神/げんしん; rōmaji: genshin) is an action role-playing game developed by Chinese developer miHoYo, and first published in 2020. The game features an anime-style open-world environment and an action-based battle system using elemental magic and character-switching. The game is free-to-play and is monetized through gacha game mechanics where players can obtain new characters, weapons, and other resources.
Genshin Impact takes place in the fantasy world of Teyvat, which is home to seven distinct nations, each of which is tied to a different element and ruled by a different god. The story follows the Traveler, who has traveled across countless worlds with their twin sibling before becoming separated in Teyvat. The Traveler travels in search of the lost sibling with their companion Paimon and becomes involved in the affairs of Teyvat's nations.
Development took place between 2017 to 2020. Genshin Impact was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS in September 2020, with a PlayStation 5 released in April 2021, and is planned for a future release on Nintendo Switch. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the game's combat mechanics and open-world immersiveness, while others criticized its simplistic endgame and monetization model. A commercial success, the game grossed more than $3 billion in its first year of release, the highest ever first-year launch revenue for any video game.