Honkai: Star Rail review
HoYoverse's free turn-based RPG publishes all its Warp odds with a 90-pull guarantee, while characters and Light Cones come from paid pulls.
Updated · research review: official sources and player reviews, not our own play time
Image: © COGNOSPHERE (HoYoverse), press release
This Honkai: Star Rail review is based on official sources and player reviews, not on our own play time. HoYoverse's turn-based space fantasy RPG launched in April 2023 and is free on Windows (HoYoPlay or Epic), PlayStation 5, iOS and Android. Characters and Light Cones come from Warps, a gacha with published rates: 0.6% base for a 5-star character, guaranteed within 90 pulls. Money buys Oneiric Shards, the Express Supply Pass and Nameless Honor upgrades.
What we liked
- Free on PC, PS5, iOS and Android
- Official odds: 0.6% base 5-star rate, guaranteed within 90 Warps
- 4.4 stars from 53,236 US App Store ratings
- No PvP, so purchases do not decide matches against other players
What we didn't
- Characters and Light Cones come from paid gacha pulls
- 3.7 stars from 526K Google Play (US) ratings
- Latest full official PC specs date from February 2024
- No Steam, Xbox or macOS version
What is Honkai: Star Rail?
Honkai: Star Rail is a space fantasy RPG developed and published by HoYoverse (COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD.). Version 1.0 went live on April 26, 2023. The ESRB describes it as a strategy role-playing game in which you follow characters exploring the universe aboard a space train, solve puzzles and fight in turn-based combat.
You recruit characters, each with a combat Path and an element, and equip them with Light Cones. New story chapters and characters arrive in numbered versions. Version 4.6, "Dance With the Beast Before Moonrise," went live on September 28, 2026, and runs until November 11, 2026. It adds Pearl, a 5-star Ice character of the Elation Path, a new Trailblaze Mission, and Astral Imageas, companions you can collect and take into a co-op challenge with friends.
HoYoverse says the game has passed 150 million downloads across all platforms. It has also announced a crossover with Zenless Zone Zero for Version 4.8.
Is Honkai: Star Rail free to play?
Yes. Honkai: Star Rail is free to download on every platform. The App Store and Google Play list it as free with in-app purchases, and it is also listed on the Epic Games Store.
Stellar Jade is the main currency players earn without paying. Official notices show regular grants: the Version 4.6 update alone sent Stellar Jade ×300 as maintenance compensation and another ×300 as bug compensation to every Trailblazer at Trailblaze Level 4 or above. Event Warps take Star Rail Special Passes, according to HoYoverse's Warp details.
Oneiric Shards are the paid currency. The battle pass is called Nameless Honor, and its paid tiers, Nameless Glory and Nameless Medal, are sold in the game. The Express Supply Pass is a timed purchase: HoYoverse added an expiry reminder in Version 3.8, and Version 4.6 added a Renew button that appears when the pass is about to run out. HoYoverse does not describe it as an automatic subscription.
Is Honkai: Star Rail pay to win? What money buys
Honkai: Star Rail has no PvP mode, so purchases only matter against the game itself. Here is what is for sale.
Characters and Light Cones come from Warps, a gacha. HoYoverse publishes the rates on its Warp details pages. For the current Character Event Warp, the base chance of a 5-star character is 0.600%, the consolidated chance including the guarantee is 1.600%, and one is guaranteed within 90 Warps. Each 5-star has a 50% chance to be the featured character; if it is not, the next one is. The Light Cone Event Warp lists 0.800% base, 1.870% consolidated, a guarantee within 80 Warps and a 75% chance that a 5-star is the featured Light Cone. HoYoverse also posts rates for the Astral Imagea companion draws added in Version 4.6.
As of October 30, 2026, the US App Store lists Oneiric Shards from 60 for $0.99 to 6,480 for $99.99, the Express Supply Pass at $4.99, Nameless Glory at $9.99, Nameless Medal at $19.99 and a Trailblaze Assistance Pack at $4.99.
Based on what the official stores sell, we rate it as mildly pay to win; we will check this again when we play it ourselves.
Honkai: Star Rail on PC, Mac, consoles and mobile
On Windows, Honkai: Star Rail installs through HoYoverse's HoYoPlay launcher, linked from the official site, or through the Epic Games Store. It is not sold on Steam, and there is no macOS or Xbox version. HoYoverse lists the game as available on PC, iOS, Android, the Epic Games Store and PS5.
Your HoYoverse account holds your progress, and HoYoverse's PS5 FAQ says purchases such as Oneiric Shards, Nameless Glory, Nameless Medal and the Express Supply Pass carry over between PS5, PC and mobile.
On iPhone and iPad, the App Store requires iOS 13.0 or later and lists a download of about 3.8 GB. HoYoverse's most recent full device list, published with Version 2.0 in February 2024, recommends a Snapdragon 855, Dimensity 1000 or Kirin 990 with 6 GB of RAM on Android 9 or later, and an iPhone X, iPhone XR or newer, or an iPad with an A12 chip. Check the store listing for the current minimum before you install.
Honkai: Star Rail system requirements
HoYoverse does not sell Honkai: Star Rail on Steam, and its latest full PC specification appeared in the Version 2.0 update notice in February 2024. The figures below come from that notice, so newer versions may ask for more.
Supported (minimum): an Intel Core i3 processor, 6 GB of RAM, a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or better, and 64-bit Windows 7 or later.
Recommended: an Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM, a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or better, and 64-bit Windows 10 or later.
HoYoverse has not published a current storage figure in its recent notices. Older pre-download notices put the full PC install at about 26 GB in September 2024, and HoYoverse says each version's pre-installation package has since been made smaller. The PlayStation 5 version downloads updates automatically, according to HoYoverse.
Games like Honkai: Star Rail
If you are looking for other free character-collecting RPGs, these games from our catalog are the closest matches:
Genshin Impact: HoYoverse's open-world action RPG on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, iOS and Android, with a wish gacha that also guarantees a 5-star character within 90 pulls.
Zenless Zone Zero: HoYoverse's urban fantasy action RPG, on PC (including Steam since June 2026), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android.
Summoners War: Com2uS's turn-based monster-collecting RPG, running since 2014, free on iOS, Android and Windows through Steam.
MARVEL Strike Force: Scopely's turn-based squad RPG with Marvel heroes and villains, free on iOS and Android, with published orb odds. Unlike Honkai: Star Rail, the last two include PvP modes.
FAQ
Is Honkai: Star Rail free?
Yes. It is free to download on Windows (HoYoPlay launcher or Epic Games Store), PS5, iOS and Android. Optional purchases include Oneiric Shards ($0.99 to $99.99), the $4.99 Express Supply Pass and the Nameless Glory and Nameless Medal pass tiers, per the US App Store on October 30, 2026.
Is Honkai: Star Rail pay to win?
There is no PvP, but characters and Light Cones come from paid gacha Warps with published odds: 0.6% base for a 5-star character, guaranteed within 90 Warps. Based on what the official stores sell, we rate it as mildly pay to win; we will check this again when we play it ourselves.
Is Honkai: Star Rail on Steam?
No. On PC it installs through HoYoverse's HoYoPlay launcher or the Epic Games Store, both on Windows. Progress and purchases follow your HoYoverse account across PC, PS5 and mobile, according to HoYoverse.
What are the Honkai: Star Rail PC requirements?
HoYoverse's latest published specs (February 2024) list an Intel Core i3, 6 GB of RAM and a GTX 650 on 64-bit Windows 7 as supported, and an Intel Core i7, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 on Windows 10 as recommended.
What is the pity in Honkai: Star Rail?
Per HoYoverse's Warp details, the Character Event Warp guarantees a 5-star character within 90 Warps (1.600% consolidated rate), with a 50% featured chance and a guarantee after a miss. The Light Cone Event Warp guarantees a 5-star within 80 Warps.
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