Genshin Impact 6th Anniversary: Two Free 5-Stars, 20 Wishes and a lot of rewards in Version 7.1
Genshin Impact turns six on September 28, 2026, and HoYoverse is giving away more than at any previous birthday. Every Traveler can claim two 5-star characters for free this year. One comes from the standard pool, as it has since 2024. The other is a limited character, normally locked behind event banners, which Genshin has never given away before. There are also 20 free wishes, plus a Snezhnaya chapter in which the Tsaritsa finally shows up in person. See what’s more!
What is Genshin Impact?
Genshin Impact is a free-to-play open-world action RPG from HoYoverse, the studio that also makes Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero. It came out on September 28, 2020, on PC, PlayStation and mobile, and reached Xbox Series X|S later on. Six years in, it’s still one of the biggest gacha games around.
You play as the Traveler, who arrives in Teyvat from another world and goes looking for a lost twin. Teyvat has seven nations, each linked to an element and ruled by a god called an Archon. In combat you switch between four party members and combine their elements: Hydro plus Cryo freezes enemies, Pyro plus Electro blows them up. New characters come mostly from Wishes, the gacha system, which you pay for with Primogems (earned by playing) or Genesis Crystals (bought with real money).
The main story has now reached Snezhnaya, home of the Cryo Archon and the Fatui. It’s the last of the seven nations, so the current Archon Quests are where years of plot threads finally start to come together.
From review-bombing to free limited 5-stars: six years of Genshin anniversaries
Genshin’s anniversaries haven’t always gone well. In 2021, players decided the first-birthday rewards were stingy for a game earning that much. The developer, then still called miHoYo, didn’t change anything before the big day, and on September 28 the game was review-bombed on Google Play, where its rating dropped below 2 stars. The studio’s answer came afterwards: a statement that it was listening, plus extra thank-you gifts and an online concert. The next two anniversaries stuck to a similar reward formula and didn’t do much to improve the mood.
Things changed in 2024. In the Version 5.0 livestream, HoYoverse announced a free standard 5-star selector for the fourth anniversary and said it would come back every year, which it did in 2025. This year a limited character is added as well. Players have been asking for exactly that since 2021.
Genshin Impact 6th anniversary rewards
Most rewards unlock with Version 7.1 on September 23. Both character selectors stay open until November 3, 2026.
Free limited 5-star character
To unlock it, you need to finish Chapter VII: Act III, “White Night, Like a Dream Upon Waking,” and Act IV, “A Rekviem for the Underworld.” After that, the Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure’s Eve event lets you invite one event-exclusive 5-star to your party. Both acts require Adventure Rank 18 and a completed Act II (“Wraith’s Nocturne”). If you stopped following the story a few patches ago, you have some catching up to do. The character comes with enough ascension materials to reach level 60.
There are six characters in the pool. Most community guides point to Varesa, an Electro catalyst user who fights on-field with plunging attacks and handles hard content without constellations or premium supports. If you’d rather play a quick sword character, Clorinde is the other strong damage option.
The rest are more situational:
- Nilou (Hydro, sword) is excellent in a dedicated Bloom team and has little to do outside one.
- Chiori (Geo, sword) deals damage off-field and works best in Geo teams.
- Baizhu (Dendro, catalyst) heals and shields, which helps most on accounts short on sustain.
- Tartaglia (Hydro, bow) has a big fanbase and a lot of story weight, but newer characters outperform him by a wide margin. Pick him because you like him.
HoYoverse has also confirmed that a free limited character will be included in every anniversary from now on.
Free standard 5-star character
The standard selector needs no quest. Log in during Version 7.1 with Wishes unlocked (that happens after the Prologue) and choose from Jean, Diluc, Qiqi, Mona, Tighnari, Keqing, Dehya and Yumemizuki Mizuki.
Newer players will get the most from Diluc as a straightforward damage dealer, or from Mona or Jean as supports that fit almost any team. Veterans who already own most of the pool can use the pick to prepare for this patch. Snezhnaya’s combat is built around the Stellar Swirl reaction, and two standard characters help with it. Mizuki is one of the stronger free options for Stellar Swirl teams and pairs well with Vodyanitsa. Qiqi can buff Stellar damage in Vesna’s teams. If neither appeals to you, take a constellation for Tighnari or Dehya, both of whom get noticeably stronger with them.
20 free wishes and a shop bonus
- 1,600 Primogems sent by in-game mail
- 10 Intertwined Fates from a seven-day login event
- First top-up bonus reset, which brings back the double Genesis Crystals on every tier of the in-game shop
- Free Miliastra Wonderland headwear
That adds up to 20 wishes on the limited banners, and regular event rewards come on top of it.
How many Primogems can you get in Version 7.1?
Regular patch content adds a lot to that total. According to the current event calendar:
- New Archon Quest: 620 Primogems
- Silverwing in Pursuit of the Moon (Moonchase Festival): about 950
- Carefree Snowball Fight: 420
- Predictive Victory Dynamics: 420
- Anniversary Memories web event: 150
Add Spiral Abyss, Imaginarium Theater, daily commissions and exploration, and anyone who plays regularly through the version will end up with well over the 20 anniversary wishes. Schedules sometimes differ by server, so treat the in-game Events menu as the final word.
How to claim your anniversary rewards
- Update to Version 7.1 and log in.
- Open the Events menu, find the standard 5-star selector, pick a character and confirm.
- Collect the 1,600 Primogems from your mail.
- Log in on seven days during the check-in event to collect all 10 Intertwined Fates. The days don’t need to be consecutive.
- Finish Chapter VII: Act III and Act IV, then go back to the Events menu and claim your limited 5-star.
- Get everything done before November 3, 2026.
Will you be saving up for Vesna or Vodyanitsa? Top Up your Crystals right here and be right on a schedule!
What’s new in Genshin Impact 7.1 “A Rekviem for the Underworld”
Story: face to face with the Tsaritsa
After six years of hints, the Traveler finally meets the Cryo Archon and learns why she has been collecting the Gnoses. Her main problem right now is Ronova, the Ruler of Death, who has been undermining Snezhnaya’s plans. Rhinedottir, the Ruler of Life, also enters the story, and her arrival makes things harder to predict. The chapter ends with a front-line battle fought alongside Snezhnaya’s army.
Ronova also stays in the game after the story ends as a new Weekly Boss. Snezhnaya gets a new world boss too, the Guardian Blade of Drifting Snow. In addition, the Traveler becomes a special consultant at the Tsaritsa’s court, taking on assignments from her Confidential Secretary throughout the update.
Banners: Vesna and Vodyanitsa
Phase 1 runs from September 23 to October 13 and features two new Snezhnaya 5-stars built around Stellar Swirl.
Vesna, Commander of the Druzhna, is an Anemo sword user. She summons Spirit Blades whose attacks near a Stellar Vortex count as Stellar Swirl damage, making her a dedicated on-field carry for the reaction. Outside of combat she can fly, which helps a lot in Snezhnaya’s mountains.
Vodyanitsa is a Hydro catalyst support who heals, lowers enemy Hydro and Cryo resistance, and increases Stellar Swirl damage. Once a Stellar Swirl triggers, she also shreds Anemo resistance. She’s clearly designed to pair with Vesna, but her Cryo and Hydro buffs also make her useful in Freeze teams, including Skirk’s. She can also switch into her true Water Imp form out of combat, swimming quickly and moving across the surface of the water.
Phase 2 brings back Skirk and Escoffier. Skirk owners should look at Vodyanitsa as an upgrade for her team, and anyone who skipped Skirk the first time can get both in the same patch.
Events
The main event is Silverwing in Pursuit of the Moon, which brings the Moonchase Festival back to Liyue after five years. It runs from September 24 to October 12 at Yilong Wharf. Zhongli and Zibai investigate an old mystery, and there are three minigames based on Liyue’s thaumaturges: block-breaking, a time trial and combat challenges. Finishing it gets you the free 4-star sword Silver Light, along with the Tea-Scented Tassels used to refine it.
Three smaller events run alongside it. Carefree Snowball Fight is a snowball-throwing event set in Snezhnaya. Predictive Victory Dynamics (October 12–20) is a combat event where you predict which side wins a fight. Overflowing Favor brings back double drops, which is the best time to farm artifacts for new characters.
Genshin Impact 6th Anniversary: FAQ
September 28, 2026, six years after launch. The anniversary update, Version 7.1, went live on September 23.
Complete Chapter VII: Act III and Act IV of the Archon Quest, then choose one character from the selector: Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde or Varesa.
From the limited selector, Varesa is the most common recommendation. The standard pick depends more on your account. Diluc, Mona and Jean are good choices for newer players, while Mizuki and Qiqi work well in the new Stellar Swirl teams.
How many free wishes does the 6th anniversary give?
Twenty: 1,600 Primogems by mail, which equals 10 wishes, and 10 Intertwined Fates from the login event.
On November 3, 2026. Unclaimed selectors expire after that date.
Yes. Both the standard and the limited character come with ascension materials to reach level 60.
Yes. HoYoverse has confirmed that future anniversaries will include both a standard and a limited selector.
Vesna (Anemo, sword) and Vodyanitsa (Hydro, catalyst) are on the Phase 1 banners. Skirk and Escoffier return in Phase 2.
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