Genshin 7.1 Arrives Sept 23 With a Free 5-Star for Year Six
miHoYo confirmed that Genshin Impact 7.1, titled "A Rekviem for the Underworld," launches on September 23, 2026 and runs until November 3, pushing two acts of Archon Quest Chapter VII at once and continuing the Snezhnaya storyline. The first banner phase, from September 23 to October 13, introduces two new 5-stars from Snezhnaya, one Anemo and one Hydro; the second phase brings reruns. The version overlaps the sixth anniversary on September 28, and the rewards include a free limited 5-star selector, a standard 5-star selector, and 20 pulls combined from login and mail. Meanwhile Wuthering Waves 3.6 pushed its iOS weekly revenue estimate to $1.367 million, roughly RMB 9.19 million, on the back of a new Chinese sword-saint character.
The event: 7.1 is dated September 23 and pushes straight into the underworld
Two Archon Quest acts in one version
miHoYo's official summary lists 7.1 "A Rekviem for the Underworld" for September 23, 2026, running until November 3, with 7.2 following on November 4. The unusual part is the pacing: Acts Three and Four of Chapter VII both open in this version, only weeks after 7.0 "The Snowland Unloved by Gods" opened Snezhnaya on August 12. Players will have spent roughly one month in Snezhnaya before the story moves to the underworld.
Banners and anniversary rewards
According to the official preview program streamed on September 12 and the official fan page, the first banner phase runs September 23 to October 13 with two new 5-star characters from Snezhnaya — one Anemo, one Hydro — while the second phase is a rerun pair. The anniversary rewards are the other headline: a free limited 5-star selector, a standard 5-star selector, 20 pulls combined from login and in-game mail, plus 1,600 Primogems and a first-time Genesis Crystal top-up reset.
The sixth anniversary lands September 28
Genshin Impact launched on September 28, 2020, so the 2026 anniversary falls on September 28 and overlaps the 7.1 window. Version 7.0 already opened Snezhnaya as the opening of the final chapter in the seven-nation story — for a six-year-old game, entering the closing arc is itself the strongest retention signal miHoYo can send.
Fallout one: Wuthering Waves clawed revenue back with a sword saint
$1.367 million in a week from one character
Kuro Games launched Wuthering Waves 3.6 on August 20, headlined by Qingxiao, positioned as the game's first proper Chinese xianxia cultivator: zither and sword dual mastery, sword-riding flight, and a heavily marketed open-world visual effect. The commercial response was immediate. Sohu reported that Wuthering Waves hit an estimated $1.367 million in weekly iOS revenue — about RMB 9.19 million — after Qingxiao's release, returning to the iOS top-grossing chart. There was a small bonus moment too: the official Gujian 3 account posted congratulatory crossover art for the 3.6 launch, which pushed discussion further inside Chinese-fantasy fandom.
What players did not buy: the amount of content
Revenue came back; complaints came with it. The two loudest criticisms were that marketing set expectations for unrestricted flight that the live build did not deliver, and that the version's only meaningful new gameplay was a rhythm minigame, leaving the update feeling thin and "middling" overall (Sohu). That is not unique to Kuro Games — tolerance for versions that only last two weeks has been falling across the genre.
Fallout two: Chinese fantasy is now the differentiator
From cosmetic skins to systems-level design
Qingxiao's value is not the art. Dual zither-and-sword mastery forces a rework of how weapons bind to skills, and sword-riding flight has to plug into open-world traversal — engine-level work, not a costume. The competitive axis in 2026 has moved from "whose character looks best" to "whose mechanics are actually distinct." Industry analysis describes the shift plainly: heavy players scrutinize gameplay depth, casual players demand better cutscene direction, and passers-by now compare mobile footage against PC builds side by side (360game). Over the same period, Genshin and Zenless Zone Zero held miHoYo's revenue steady through version updates (tmtpost, citing Sensor Tower) — evidence that the moat for top titles is update cadence, not one breakout character.
From expansion to a share fight
Context matters here too. Arknights: Endfield launched on January 22, 2026 and debuted high on Japan's mobile charts (Nikkei), while Genshin and Wuthering Waves have held top-ten positions there for months. The market is still growing, but more slowly. New games need mechanical differentiation to break out; established games need version content and anniversary generosity to keep people around.
Analysis: why the 二次元 calendar keeps filling up
Lay the schedule out and the logic is obvious. Genshin 7.1 arrives September 23 with the anniversary on September 28. Wuthering Waves 3.6 launched August 20 on a 42-day version cycle, putting its next update in early October. Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai: Star Rail run similar four-to-six week cadences. The genre's business model does not allow the machine to pause: character banners are the revenue engine, banners need new characters, and new characters need new story to stand on. An anniversary is the one moment that can pull in new players, returning players and spending at the same time — which is why the rewards are always the biggest of the year. The flip side is expectation management: fewer rewards and players revolt; more rewards and next year's bar is higher.
Risk: generosity is a symptom, not a strategy
A free limited 5-star is a real concession. By typical gacha math, it writes off roughly the expected value of one guaranteed banner pull per player, which across the player base lands in the tens of millions. That tells you something about where a six-year-old Genshin stands: the entry barrier for newcomers is steep — hundreds of hours of main story — and the daily routine is heavy for veterans, who describe login chores as both steady companionship and an invisible burden (360game). Free characters can pull lapsed players back for a week. They cannot fix the underlying problem, which is how fast content gets consumed. Once the Snezhnaya arc closes, miHoYo has to answer what the next six years look like.
My take: the genre now competes on cadence, not character art
I have played these games long enough to remember when a beautiful illustration plus a banner was enough to move the numbers. It is not enough now. Qingxiao's RMB 9.19 million week was not driven by a face; it was driven by the promise of being the game's first true xianxia cultivator and by how sword-riding flight feels to play. Players pay for things they have not seen before. The fact that Genshin is giving away a limited 5-star for its sixth anniversary tells you miHoYo knows loyalty is being eroded by version pacing. The five days between September 23 and September 28 are the most interesting window in the genre this year: can a six-year-old game pull its veterans back with a free character, and can a new sword saint quiet the "not enough content" complaints?
Which limited 5-star are you picking on September 28 — and did you pull for Qingxiao, or skip? Come discuss in the Gghubs comments.
FAQ
When does Genshin Impact 7.1 launch?
September 23, 2026. The version is titled "A Rekviem for the Underworld," runs until November 3, and 7.2 follows on November 4 (miHoYo official summary).
What are the sixth anniversary rewards?
A free limited 5-star selector, a standard 5-star selector, 20 pulls combined from login and mail, plus 1,600 Primogems and a first-time Genesis Crystal top-up reset (official preview program).
How did Wuthering Waves 3.6 perform commercially?
After Qingxiao's release, Wuthering Waves reached an estimated $1.367 million in weekly iOS revenue — about RMB 9.19 million — and returned to the iOS top-grossing chart (Sohu).
Why are so many Chinese gacha games leaning into xianxia themes?
It is the most direct route to differentiation. Qingxiao is the game's first proper Chinese xianxia cultivator, with zither-and-sword mechanics and sword-riding flight, and 2026 industry analysis says players now weigh gameplay depth and visual fidelity far more heavily (360game).