The most direct Genshin alternative. Kuro Games built Wuthering Waves explicitly to compete in the open-world gacha space, and after a rocky launch it has matured into a genuine rival. The combat system — built around parrying, perfect dodges, and character-specific mechanics — is more demanding and more rewarding than Genshin's. The world is smaller but the movement system is more fun: wall-running, air dashing, and extended gliding make traversal feel fast.
If you love Genshin but wish the combat had more depth and skill expression, Wuthering Waves is the direct answer. It's not a replacement — Genshin's world and content library are still larger — but as a companion game for combat-focused sessions, it's the best option available.
Same open-world structure, same gacha character collection, same free exploration — with sharper combat and more demanding endgame content.
For you if: You want the Genshin formula with better action combat and more endgame to push.
Made by HoYoverse — the same studio as Genshin — Honkai: Star Rail shares the same production values, character writing quality, and event structure. The shift from real-time combat to turn-based strategy changes the experience significantly but keeps everything else: the gacha system, the regular updates, the lore-rich world, the voiced characters.
Many players run both games simultaneously and treat them as different modes of the same studio's output. Star Rail is widely considered to have stronger story writing and better pacing than Genshin. The turn-based combat is also more accessible — no reaction timing, no positioning, just strategy and team composition.
If you trust HoYoverse's content pipeline and production quality, Star Rail delivers it with a different combat philosophy. The writing is consistently praised as the stronger of the two games.
For you if: You want HoYoverse's quality but prefer turn-based strategy to real-time action, or you want a stronger story focus.
HoYoverse's third major gacha title, set in a modern-day city called New Eridu rather than a fantasy world. Zenless Zone Zero has the most stylish combat of the three HoYoverse games — rhythm-based parries, character switching chains, and a visual flair that leans into its urban anime identity. The tone is lighter and more comedic than Genshin or Star Rail.
The world is smaller and the exploration is arena-based rather than open-world, which will disappoint players who loved Genshin for its exploration. But the combat and character design are excellent, and the content updates follow HoYoverse's reliable schedule.
For you if: You want HoYoverse's production quality with faster, more stylish combat in a modern urban setting.
Tower of Fantasy adds an MMO dimension that Genshin deliberately avoids. You see other players in the world, you can form parties and tackle content together, and the social layer is a core part of the experience. The combat uses a weapon-switching system rather than character-switching, which gives it a different feel from Genshin's elemental teams.
The game had a troubled launch but improved significantly post-release. For players who liked Genshin's open world but wanted more social MMO elements and co-op integration, Tower of Fantasy is the clearest answer.
For you if: You want Genshin's open world with real-time multiplayer, social guilds, and co-op as a default rather than an afterthought.
PGR is for players who want Genshin's action gacha format but with harder combat and a more serious narrative. The combat is fast, demanding, and skill-expressive in ways Genshin's isn't. The story takes its sci-fi post-apocalyptic premise seriously rather than keeping it light and accessible.
The game is less approachable than Genshin — the onboarding is steeper, the combat more punishing, and the aesthetic more somber. But for players who want those qualities, it delivers better than anything else in the genre.
For you if: You want harder action combat and a darker story in a gacha format similar to Genshin's structure.
Reverse: 1999 is the least similar game on this list mechanically — it's turn-based, not open-world, and its aesthetic is surrealist early 20th century rather than fantasy anime. But it earns its place here because Genshin players who value polish, intelligent writing, and a sense that the developers care deeply about their world consistently find it satisfying.
If you loved Genshin for its world-building and character writing rather than its combat or exploration, Reverse: 1999 is the lateral move that most often lands for that audience.
For you if: You loved Genshin for its lore and characters more than its combat — and you want literary writing and a visually unique world.
Tales of Wind (Laplace M globally) is the social MMORPG alternative for players who want the anime art style and fantasy world of Genshin but with a persistent multiplayer community. Guild systems, social spaces, couple mechanics, and PvP give it a social texture Genshin deliberately lacks. The chibi art style is charming and distinct from Genshin's more realistic proportions.
For you if: You want Genshin's anime fantasy aesthetic in a social MMO format where the other players are part of the experience.
Arknights shares almost nothing mechanically with Genshin — it's a tower defense strategy game. But Genshin players who loved Teyvat's world-building and wanted a game that goes deeper into lore, politics, and narrative consistently find Arknights satisfying. The world of Terra is one of the most developed in mobile gaming, built over years of careful world-building that rewards players who read everything.
For you if: You loved Genshin's world-building and want a game that takes lore even more seriously, without caring about action combat.
Epic Seven has the anime art quality that Genshin players expect and a story that takes real risks — character deaths, faction betrayals, and narrative consequences that most gacha games avoid. The turn-based combat is fast and satisfying, and the PvP ecosystem is one of the most developed in any gacha game. For players who want Genshin's visual quality with deeper story stakes and competitive play, Epic Seven is the answer.
For you if: You want anime visual quality and story stakes in a turn-based RPG with a real competitive multiplayer scene.
Alchemy Stars is for Genshin players who want puzzle-strategy combat rather than action or turn-based. The combat works on a color-matching grid system where routing your units through matching tiles creates chain attacks. The art style is gorgeous — watercolor-inspired character design that stands alongside Genshin's visuals — and the world-building and story are more substantial than the concept suggests.
Less well-known than everything else on this list, but consistently praised by players who find it: a quiet, beautiful game that rewards patience and strategic thinking.
For you if: You want Genshin's visual quality and world-building with a completely unique puzzle-strategy combat system.