The Honkai Star Rail 1.6 release date is right around the corner, with HoYoverse gearing up to show off the new content on the way to HSR 2.0 on PS5 and other platforms in the Honkai Star Rail 1.6 livestream. With a plethora of leaks already in the wild, the Version 1.6 update is set to blow players away with even more goodies, from the usual addition of stellar new characters (see what we did there?) and in this case, a potential glimpse at our first new world post-launch.
Honkai Star Rail just keeps getting better with each update, landing it among the best RPG games in our view, especially for PS5 players. The full release of the game saw mountains of great content for players to sink their teeth into, as our Honkai Star Rail review notes, and Version 1.6 looks to keep up the pace ahead of the big Version 2.0 update.
Developer HoYoverse has announced that the Special Program Honkai Star Rail 1.6 livestream will take place on Friday, December 15, 2023, at 4:30 am PDT/7:30 am EDT/11:30 am GMT. Named ‘Crown of the Mundane and Divine’, the Honkai Star Rail 1.6 livestream is primed to reveal the first new world to the game since its launch, Penacony (arriving in 2.0), alongside the new characters and quality-of-life changes that we’ve come to expect from each update.
As our Honkai Star Rail banner schedule explains, we’re expecting to see the Honkai Star Rail 1.6 release date bring the brand-new five-stars Ruan Mei and Dr. Ratio to the game, alongside reruns of the popular Blade and Kafka, which is great news for PS5 players that missed their initial run. Likewise, the new arrivals will shake up the meta for all players, with Ruan Mei and Dr. Ratio having the potential to topple the Honkai Star Rail tier list with their unique kits.
Most exciting, however, is the new world expected to arrive in Version 2.0. We’ve heard word of Penacony in-game for quite some time, such as Silver Wolf and Kafka having a short scene in this location. Known as the Planet of Festivities, Penacony offers players a stunning new environment that’s unlike anything we’ve seen so far, with towering skyscrapers and glamorous lights that give it an almost Vegas air to it. With the Astral Express crew having tied up loose ends in Jarilo-VI and most recently the Xianzhou Luofu, it’s almost time to pack our bags and move onto the next Stellaron, which takes us, of all places, to party-central Penacony. Here, there will be new sub-zones to explore, chests to find, characters to meet, and new Relics to chase.
We’re expecting to see this location in all its glory during the HSR 1.6 livestream, possibly even with gameplay exploring this new world, as HoYoverse has already teased the location at The Game Awards 2023. Penacony is primed to be the fourth world in HSR, sitting alongside Herta Space Station, Jarilo-VI, and the Xianzhou Luofu.
You can get a sneak peek at Honkai Star Rail’s Penacony world at the end of the ‘A Story That Never Grows Dull’ trailer unveiled at The Game Awards:
All of this exciting news surrounding the Honkai Star Rail 1.6 release date comes amid the celebration of the game winning ‘Best Mobile Game’ at The Game Awards 2023.
With all the great content now on offer to PS5 players and the intriguing future additions, it’s no wonder HSR took home the trophy. As a bonus, HoYoverse is gifting all players 1,600 Stellar Jade via in-game mail on December 9, 2023, which must be claimed before the end of Version 1.5.
So, you can celebrate the HSR 1.6 release date in style by using the hefty chunk of free Stellar Jade to get your hands on the new characters coming in the Honkai Star Rail 1.6 banners. What better way to explore Penacony than also learning the ins and outs of a new unit? Get your hands on the free HSR Stellar Jade and put together the best Honkai Star Rail team comp that you can and prepare to board the Astral Express once more, Trailblazer. A new horizon awaits in Penacony and we couldn’t be more excited.