There is an ever-growing roster of Genshin Impact characters, with developer HoYoverse regularly releasing brand new units every few months. The hugely-popular, gacha-infused ARPG game has nearly 50 playable characters, each rooted in one of Genshin’s known regions – Monstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Snezhnaya.
HoYoverse has also released one of the Genshin Impact characters from further afield, having worked with Guerrilla Games to bring the Horizon series’ Aloy to the world of Teyvat. While Aloy is the only non-native character in the game right now, we could very well see HoYoverse team up with other studios in the future.
But what about the denizens of Teyvat itself? Sporting a great variety of characters, ranging from tiny cat folk to wine-enjoying gods, players are spoiled for choice each time the new Genshin Impact banner rolls round.
Read on to find out more about the Genshin Impact characters, including their rarity, which element they use, how to obtain them, and more.
Genshin Impact characters
How many characters are there in Genshin Impact? Right now, there are 47 playable Genshin Impact characters. The next playable character – Kamisato Ayato – is expected to debut sometime in Genshin Impact version 2.6, though this is yet to be confirmed by HoYoverse.
| Portrait | Character | Rarity | Element | Weapon | Region |
 |
Albedo | 5 Star | Geo | Sword | Monstadt |
 |
Aloy | 4 Star | Cryo | Bow | – |
 |
Amber | 4 Star | Pyro | Bow | Monstadt |
 |
Arataki Itto | 5 Star | Geo | Claymore | Inazuma |
 |
Barbara | 4 Star | Hydro | Catalyst | Monstadt |
 |
Beidou | 4 Star | Electro | Claymore | Liyue |
 |
Bennett | 4 Star | Pyro | Sword | Monstadt |
 |
Chongyun | 4 Star | Cryo | Claymore | Liyue |
 |
Diluc | 5 Star | Pyro | Sword | Monstadt |
 |
Diona | 4 Star | Cryo | Bow | Monstadt |
 |
Eula | 5 Star | Cryo | Claymore | Monstadt |
 |
Fischl | 4 Star | Electro | Bow | Monstadt |
 |
Ganyu | 5 Star | Cryo | Bow | Liyue |
 |
Gorou | 4 Star | Geo | Bow | Inazuma |
 |
Hu Tao | 5 Star | Pyro | Catalyst | Liyue |
 |
Jean | 5 Star | Anemo | Sword | Monstadt |
 |
Kaeya | 4 Star | Cryo | Sword | Monstadt |
 |
Kamisato Ayaka | 5 Star | Cryo | Sword | Inazuma |
 |
Kamisato Ayato | 5 Star | Hydro | Sword | Inazuma |
 |
Kazuha | 5 Star | Anemo | Sword | Inazuma |
 |
Keqing | 5 Star | Electro | Sword | Liyue |
 |
Klee | 5 Star | Pyro | Catalyst | Monstadt |
 |
Kokomi | 5 Star | Hydro | Catalyst | Inazuma |
 |
Kujou Sara | 4 Star | Electro | Bow | Inazuma |
 |
Lisa | 4 Star | Electro | Catalyst | Monstadt |
 |
Mona | 5 Star | Hydro | Catalyst | Monstadt |
 |
Ninguang | 4 Star | Geo | Catalyst | Liyue |
 |
Noelle | 4 Star | Geo | Claymore | Monstadt |
 |
Qiqi | 5 Star | Electro | Sword | Liyue |
 |
Raiden Shogun | 5 Star | Electro | Polearm | Inazuma |
 |
Razor | 4 Star | Electro | Claymore | Monstadt |
 |
Rosaria | 4 Star | Cryo | Polearm | Monstadt |
 |
Sayu | 4 Star | Anemo | Claymore | Inazuma |
 |
Shenhe | 5 Star | Cryo | Polearm | Liyue |
 |
Sucrose | 4 Star | Anemo | Catalyst | Monstadt |
 |
Tartaglia (Childe) | 5 Star | Hydro | Bow | Snezhnaya |
 |
Thoma | 4 Star | Pyro | Polearm | Inazuma |
 |
Traveller (Aether) | 5 Star | Multiple | Sword | – |
 |
Traveller (Lumine) | 5 Star | Multiple | Sword | – |
 |
Venti | 5 Star | Anemo | Bow | Monstadt |
 |
Xiangling | 4 Star | Pyro | Polearm | Liyue |
 |
Xiao | 5 Star | Anemo | Polearm | Liyue |
 |
Xingqiu | 4 Star | Hydro | Sword | Liyue |
 |
Xinyan | 4 Star | Pyro | Claymore | Liyue |
 |
Yae Miko | 5 Star | Electro | Catalyst | Inazuma |
 |
Yanfei | 4 Star | Pyro | Catalyst | Liyue |
 |
Yoimiya | 5 Star | Pyro | Bow | Inazuma |
 |
Yun Jin | 4 Star | Geo | Polearm | Liyue |
 |
Zhongli | 5 Star | Geo | Polearm | Liyue |
Upcoming Genshin Impact characters
Currently there are two upcoming Genshin Impact characters which have been confirmed by HoYoverse: Dainsleif and Kamisato Ayato.
Dainsleaf was initially announced back at Tokyo Games Show 2020, though it’s going to be a long time before we get to see the enigmatic Bough Keeper in action.
Kuki Shinobu and Yelan, meanwhile, were announced back at the end of March 2022, and will release during Genshin Impact 2.7 – Yelan in Phase One on May 31, and Shinobu in Phase Two.
The latest Genshin Impact character to be announced is Shikanoin Heizou, who was confirmed in May 2022.
| Portrait | Character | Rarity | Element | Weapon | Region |
 |
Dainsleif | 5 Star | – | Sword | Khaenri’ah |
 |
Kuki Shinobu | 4 Star | Electro | Sword | Inazuma |
 |
Yelan | 5 Star | Electro | Bow | Liyue |
 |
Shikanoin Heizou | 4 Star | Anemo | Catalyst | Inazuma |
How to get characters in Genshin Impact
There are several ways to obtain characters in Genshin Impact.
Primarily, players will be required to wish on Genshin Impact banners using their hard-earned Primogems. However, there are a few other methods to acquire selected characters.
- Archon Quests
- Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa can all be obtained from the Prologue Chapter of the main story quest
- Paimon’s Bargains
- Two four star characters can be snapped up from the Paimon’s Bargains shop each month in return for 34 Masterless Starglitter
- The March 2022 characters are Ninguang and Xingqiu
- Limited Time Events
- Limited Time Events usually require the player to take part over a period of time, with the promise of a unit or units at the end
- The last Limited Time Event, Prosperous Partnerships, ran from January to February 2022, and allowed players to get a free copy of either Beidou, Chongyun, Ninguang, Xiangling, Xingqiu, or Xinyan
- PlayStation players were given Aloy for free as a Limited Time Event during Version 2.1, while PC and Mobile players received her in Version 2.3
- Permanent Events
- Players who complete the quest ‘A Long Shot’ (unlocked at Adventure Rank 18) will receive a copy of Barbara
- Players who complete Floor 3, Chamber 3 of the Spiral Abyss (unlocked at Adventure Rank 20) will receive a copy of Xiangling
- Wishing on banners
- There are two types of banner in Genshin Impact that players can wish on: ‘Character Event Wish’ banners, and the ‘Standard Wish’ banner
- Character Event Wish banners change every few weeks, with each featuring a selected five star character and a handful of four stars
- The current five star characters are Raiden Shogun and Sangonomiya Kokomi
- The current four star characters are Bennett, Kujou Sara, and Xinyan
- Meanwhile, the Standard Wish banner hosts all of the non-Character Event Wish characters
- The Character Event Wish banner requires Intertwined Fate wishes, while the Standard Wish banner requires Acquaint Fate wishes
And there you have it, the full run-down of all of the Genshin Impact characters currently playable in-game. If you’re wondering which characters are the best, then check out this Genshin Impact tier list from our friends over at Pocket Tactics.
