Genshin Impact is more than just a flagship Hoyoverse title that has stood the test of time. It’s a game that has built a compelling narrative, a breathtaking world, and an easy to learn but hard to master action combat system that always seems to draw me back in.
However, 2024 has seen a lot of great games, and if I’m honest, Hoyoverse has even sapped some of their players from this gacha giant with their awesome turn-based game Honkai Star Rail, which led me away from Genshin for far too long. Now, with update 5.2 and a brand-spankin-new Xbox release, I’m ready to jump back in. Will it be enough to get you to play?
Hoyoverse has had a good year when it comes to updates. Despite Genshin bringing a brand new area to life with Natlan in version 5.0, I was already completely tapped out on my gacha fix this year with Honkai Star Rail’s Penacony update, which brought about some fantastic new characters, and a can’t miss story. Hoyoverse also launched Zenless Zone Zero this year, and while it’s an excellent inclusion to the brands stable of game, it didn’t hold me exceptionally long.
If you’re a fan of these anime hero collectors like I am, it’s starting to get more difficult to find the time to get all caught up on everything. I was fairly content with the idea that I’d probably wait for next year’s major update for Genshin before I hopped back in, but that was before Hoyoverse announced that version 5.2 will also signal the release of the game on Xbox. Not only will it release for Xbox X|S but it will also launch on Xbox Cloud, which couldn’t make me happier.
With the push to Microsoft’s platform, that only leaves the Switch as the final destination for the popular action RPG, but in my opinion, the presence of Genshin on Xbox’s cloud platform will reduce the barrier for entry for a lot of players, and specifically, it will allow me to free up space on my phone and PC.
Yes, you could make the case that Genshin Impact has already had the capability to stream on GeForce NOW, but the Xbox release hits different. Xbox has worked hard to enhance the capabilities and community aspects of their cloud service, and with the influx of players new and old jumping into the game, the renewed experience of seeing my friends list journeying into Teyvat will be a welcome temptation I don’t think I can ignore.
Luckily, I’ve also missed a ton of content with the addition of Natlan, but 5.2 also comes with its own new characters and features that I’m looking forward to. In addition to the tribes and the Saurians that I’ve missed by not checking out Natlan earlier this year, I’ll have even more to meet and obtain, alongside two new characters that I’ll definitely want as my current Genshin roster has gone stale after a year of nearly no new rolls for characters. I will also have a few new seasonal events, and the entirety of the Archon Quest to take on, which means there’s plenty of content to keep me busy.
As I round out this year with so many good games that have taken up my time, Genshin is somewhat of an old standard that always feels enjoyable to return to for a time. I know I probably won’t last for too long outside of the story, though exploration of Natlan while traversal with some Saurians does have me a little giddy.
If you’ve been away from Genshin Impact for a while, will 5.2 bring you back? Does the inclusion of playing the game through Xbox Cloud entice you as it does me? Jump into the comments and let us know your thoughts.