Genshin 7.1 flipped the charts: FGO's five-day streak ends
Genshin Impact's Version 7.1 launched on September 23, 2026 with roughly five hours of maintenance, 300 Primogems of downtime compensation plus 60 an hour, and a separate 300-Primogem bug-fix payout. Two new five-stars, Vesna and Vodyanitsa, entered the banners, with the first phase running to October 13 at 17:59. Four days in, gamebiz's Google Play revenue recap shows FGO's five-day run at the top ended while Genshin climbed. September 28 is Genshin's sixth anniversary. Bottom line first: mobile revenue rankings still move on two levers — a major version and its handouts. With the anniversary landing on September 28, this ranking cycle is not finished.
What version 7.1 actually shipped on September 23
The official update notes put maintenance at 06:00 (UTC+8) on September 23, 2026, estimated at five hours. Players at Adventure Rank 5 or above receive 300 Primogems for the downtime, plus 60 for every additional hour, with a separate 300-Primogem compensation for fixed issues.
Two new five-stars and the banner schedule
The first banner phase runs from the update until October 13 at 17:59 and features Vesna (Anemo sword) and Vodyanitsa (Hydro catalyst). Phase two reruns Skirk and Escoffier. Both new characters carry open-world traversal abilities, which is where community discussion went first.
Why "best gacha games 2026" lists lag behind a banner week
Editorial rankings and tier lists are built on months of data. A version week can move revenue faster than any list can update, which is why the two should not be read as the same thing.
Fallout one: the revenue ranking flipped this week
Google Play, September 19 to 25: FGO's streak stops
gamebiz's September 26 recap found FGO's five consecutive days at number one ending during the September 19 to 25 window, with Genshin climbing on the back of 7.1. The ranking measures Google Play revenue, so it tracks how much a major version and an anniversary pull from gacha spenders.
A gacha games tier list is not the only variable
Two things carried 7.1's first week: new characters sharing a phase with reruns, and sheer content volume. Community verdicts on the newcomers were not unanimous. Vesna is built for traversal; Vodyanitsa can turn into a mermaid form. On a Zhihu thread about the banners, one player wrote that such strong open-world utility "feels like a version trap".
Fallout two: pull results drove the conversation, not numbers
On the same thread, one player logged that pulling for Vodyanitsa took about 60 pulls and exhausted their Primogems. Another posted a record of 160 pulls for Vodyanitsa, 80 for a Capturing Radiance, and 70 for the signature weapon. These are individual results, not probabilities — but they explain why a launch week generates far more heat than any stat sheet.
September 28 is the sixth anniversary
Genshin Impact launched on September 28, 2020, so September 28, 2026 marks six years. miHoYo published an anniversary benefits overview on September 12, and the preview stream confirmed the usual fixtures: a first-purchase double bonus reset and a selectable limited character.
What an anniversary version is really graded on
For a six-year-old live game, the anniversary is a retention test. Can a new player close six years of content in one patch, and can existing players fund the new banners out of the handouts alone? That question matters more than any single week of revenue.
The comparison worth making: Wuthering Waves 3.6
Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves shipped Version 3.6 on August 20 with two five-stars split across its phases — Qingxiao (Aero sword, sword-riding traversal) and Jingran (Fusion broadblade, damage scaled off max HP). In the same patch the PC client added Nvidia DLSS 4.5 support, and the studio said it changed programming language to optimise performance across platforms. The contrast is clean: one route buys revenue with content and anniversary handouts, the other buys goodwill with engine and performance work.
The caveat: one week of ranking is not a verdict
A single week of revenue is a cash-flow snapshot, not a quality score. FGO dropping to second does not mean the game weakened, and Genshin climbing does not mean 7.1 shipped clean. On September 26, ixbt.games rounded up miHoYo's first post-7.1 fix list, covering character acquisition, quest prompts and event notification icons. Bigger versions mean longer fix windows.
My read: the fight is outside the patch
My read is that every major gacha already knows how to spike a chart with a version update. What separates them now is the work between versions: how fast fixes land, how consistently performance improves, and whether a new player feels punished for the years they missed. Those three things decide long-run revenue and who is still near the top next cycle. We track weekly ranking shifts and patch fix lists in the news section at gghubs.com.
FAQ
When does the first Genshin 7.1 banner end?
The first phase runs from the September 23, 2026 update until October 13 at 17:59, featuring Vesna and Vodyanitsa. Phase two reruns Skirk and Escoffier.
Why did FGO's streak at number one end?
Per gamebiz's September 26 recap, its five-day run at the top of the Google Play September 19 to 25 chart stopped as Genshin climbed on the 7.1 release. Channel revenue charts shift with every banner cycle.
Is it too late to start Genshin Impact?
The anniversary design suggests not: September 28 marks six years, and miHoYo's September 12 benefits overview includes a first-purchase double bonus reset and a selectable limited character. Expect a large download and update on first install.