10 Games Like Genshin Impact to Play Next in 2024

HoYoverse released Genshin Impact in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago, and it has become a major hit in the gaming industry. This free-to-play anime RPG from China allows players to explore the vast world of Teyvat as a traveler separated from their twin in another world and interact with — as well as play as — a wide variety of characters whose combat moves are based on elements, like earth, wind, fire, water, and electricity.

Although the story is about a traveler (male or female, depending on your choice) working to find their sibling, Genshin Impact becomes more about exploring the seven nations of Teyvat, learning of their cultures and customs, and fighting the monsters that reside in those nations and less about the eventual family reunion. This game has won numerous awards and spawned loads of fan art and animations.

But for those who want to take a break from Genshin Impact and play something similar, here are 10 games you can check out.

Wuthering Waves

Kuro Games took Wuthering Waves out of its year-long beta testing stage and comparisons between the game and Genshin Impact are now on everyone's lips. In this mobile and PC exclusive open-world gacha title, you play a Rover who awakens to a futuristic post-apocalyptic world from a long slumber with no memory of their past. They join a group of Resonators to explore the realm ravaged by a cataclysmic event called the Lament and battle mysterious beings that started appearing as a result of the disaster.

The character designs and gameplay mechanics are similar to Genshin Impact, but Wuthering Waves' dark and gloomy tone stand starkly contrasts Genshin's colorful and cheery environment. There's also no fairy-like companion following you around — not that we mind Paimon tagging along — and the characters hang on to their gliders the way Mary Poppins holds her umbrella instead of having the gliders attached to their backs like wings.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild is the one Zelda game that kicked off a generation of open-world games outside the series that were inspired by its gameplay mechanics and/or art style, and Genshin Impact draws plenty of inspiration from it. Link wakes up after a century of slumber with no memory of anything that happened to him, and is tasked with saving Princess Zelda and stopping Calamity Ganon from destroying Hyrule and the world. 

Nintendo gave players permission to complete the game’s story in a nonlinear fashion, giving them ample room to explore the vast landscape on the ground and in the air and experiment with various gameplay elements.

For those who want even more from Breath of the Wild, its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, offers an even richer world than its predecessor.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

In Ubisoft’s interpretation of Greek mythology, Typhon has escaped from his imprisonment in the underworld and robbed the Olympian gods of their powers and essences, causing Zeus to flee to Prometheus, who he chained to the mountain as punishment, for help to defeat him. Prometheus makes a deal with Zeus that if a mortal can beat Typhon, he will be freed from his imprisonment, thus he tells the story of Fenyx, a mortal who must stop Typhon after escaping the underworld in order to save their brother. 

Fenyx gains the powers of the gods as the game progresses, such as Ares’ Wrath, and can upgrade their weapons. The one gameplay element that makes Immortals Fenyx Rising stand out from Genshin Impact is the player’s ability to change Fenyx’s gender (Fenyx is female by default), voice, and appearance. Genshin only allows you to choose characters of different genders. Aside from that, players need to monitor their stamina during combat so that they don’t get exhausted after repeated attacks.

See more games like God of War if you enjoy the Greek mythology aspect of this title.

Sonic Frontiers

You might think that Sonic Frontiers is leagues apart from Genshin Impact, but the lovable blue hedgehog’s latest outing couldn’t be any more different. Sonic and his friends get sucked into Cyber Space via a wormhole en route to Starfall Islands, and he manages to escape while they’re stuck in the digital world, hence why they appear to Sonic in pixelated form when he rescues them. 

Frontiers is similar to Genshin Impact in that Sonic has the stamina gauge next to him every time he boosts or goes underwater, is able to climb up structures, has a skill tree, and experiences the day-cycle, and has a navigation system that leads him to the desired destination. Additionally, the puzzles and challenges he completes reveal more locations. If you love Sonic games, you'll enjoy the open-world version.

See more games like Sonic if you enjoy the gameplay of Sonic Frontiers.

Final Fantasy 14

Final Fantasy 14 takes place five years after the events of the original 2010 game, which was a critical and commercial failure for Square Enix. The gods bless the player character to time travel five years into the future in order to escape the destruction of Eorzea caused by the primal dragon Bahamut, and must face the threat of invasion from the Garlean Empire as they are working to rebuild the land.

Unlike Genshin Impact, FF14 is an MMORPG where players interact with each other but still allows them a great deal of open-world exploration. However, the one thing the game has in common with Genshin is that it has a games-as-a-service model that contains gacha items for people to spend real money on if in-game currency doesn’t cover it. FF14 has also received four expansions in the last 10 years: Heavensward (2015), Stormblood (2017), Shadowbringers (2019), and Endwalker (2021).

See our guide to the Final Fantasy games in order for the full timeline.

Persona 5

Developed by Atlus, Persona 5 centers on a high school student under the pseudonym Joker who, after transferring to a new school after being falsely accused of assault and placed on probation, manifests a Persona along with some other students, prompting them to become vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They dive into a supernatural realm created by humanity’s subconscious desires called the Metaverse and steal malicious intent from the hearts of adults.

Persona 5 allows players to go into dungeons within the Metaverse called Palaces, formed by the hearts of corrupted adults that represent their distorted perception of a real-world location, to fight them and their shadows (which are their true selves). Outside of that, they get to perform part-time jobs and fulfill requests from NPCs.

Although it isn't a live-service title, Persona 5 has one of the longest video game stories of all time to keep you occupied for over 100 hours.

See our guide to all of the Persona games in order for the full series timeline.

Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail is HoYoverse’s latest game. It was also emphasized by the developers in an interview with ONE Esports that, "Honkai Star Rail is not a direct sequel to Honkai Impact 3rd, but a new game for everyone." You play as the Trailblazer, who, along with your companions, travels across the galaxy on the Astral Express. While aboard, you'll travel planet to planet and explore the many new worlds waiting for you.

We gave the game a 9 in our review, stating that with "stellar storytelling and satisfying progression that offer dozens of hours of content that newcomers and hardcore players can enjoy, Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-play RPG that might hook you for months – without making you feel like you have to pay."

Honkai: Star Rail is available now on iOS, Android, and PC via Epic Games Store.

Tales of Arise

The 17th entry in the Tales series, Tales of Arise revolves around a Dahnan slave named Alphen, a slave with no memories of his past, and Shionne, a Renan girl with a curse that makes thorns erupt from her body if anyone touches her, as they form a bond during their journey to end the Renans’ oppression of the Dahnan people. 

This game has no multiplayer like its predecessors, but most of its gameplay emphasizes evasion, countering, and other character interactions in combat.  

Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom

Set hundreds of years after the events of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom revolves around a young Grimalkin (part-human, part-cat) named Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, who gets deposed on his coronation day in a coup following the untimely death of his father. He sets out on a journey to build his own kingdom and unite all the world’s nations.

Players can freely explore the open world of Ni no Kuni 2, but they have to complete quests in a linear fashion to move the story forward. In battle, players can switch between three other characters at any time. There is some world-building involved, as they have to manage the workforces within the town to provide materials for weapons and armor in the shops.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a Wii U-exclusive Xenoblade title that takes places on the planet of Mira, where some of humanity flees to following the destruction of Earth by alien warfare. The player character, who suffers from amnesia after being rescued from their escape pod, becomes a member of BLADE and joins the mission to defend their new world against the Ganglion coalition — and explores their environment walking in their mechs.

Players can customize their character’s gender, voice, build and facial features at any point in the game. Just like Mondstadt serves as the hub world of Genshin Impact, New Los Angeles serves as the hub world for Xenoblade Chronicles X. Completing quests, most of which are divided into story quests, grants players experience points, elevating their stats and class.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.