Is Genshin Impact Available on Xbox? When is it Releasing?
- Microsoft missed a significant opportunity by not securing Genshin Impact for Xbox, resulting in the game becoming a PlayStation console exclusive and a global hit with over 63 million players.
- Genshin Impact is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, iOS, and Android, but not on Xbox. Future availability on Xbox remains uncertain, with no official plans announced.
- Xbox players should explore other platforms like PlayStation, PC, or mobile devices to play Genshin Impact, as an Xbox release is unlikely in the near future.
Microsoft’s list of missed opportunities wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the failed deal with miHoYo in 2019. The reported agreement, which aimed to bring Genshin Impact to Xbox, allegedly fell through, with Sony picking up the pieces and securing the title for PlayStation. A year later, Genshin Impact was announced and quickly became a global bestseller, available on all major platforms except Xbox.
Genshin Impact is not available on Xbox, and the company itself acknowledges that not having the game on their side has hurt the company in more than one way. HoYoverse’s hit RPG has mustered up more than 63 million players across platforms, with Microsoft missing out on the action.
Table of Contents
What is Genshin Impact?
For those unaware, Genshin Impact is a free-to-play roleplaying game developed by Shanghai-based studio miHoYo (later rebranded to HoYoverse). The game’s core idea is to explore the open world, complete quests for rewards, collect and upgrade characters and weapons, and fight enemies and bosses to progress through the game.
The game clearly draws inspiration from Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with its art style and strategic elemental combat options. With the game’s story, you play as a traveler who arrives in a fantasy world, Tevyat, where they get separated from his sibling. The game’s objective is to essentially find your lost sibling and explore the seven nations of Tevyat.
The story of the game is arguably one of its weaker points. With little focus on the main objective — finding your lost twin — to complicated magical jargon within cutscenes, it’s hard to ignore the lack of coherence. But the game’s strong RPG systems, its beautiful world, and its decent combat system are part of why Genshin Impact has become more popular by the minute.
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Which Platforms is Genshin Impact Available On?
At the time of this writing, Genshin Impact is available on all major consoles on the market, excluding Xbox. HoYoverse’s hit title is available to play on:
- Windows PC
- Sony PlayStation 5
- iOS
- Android
- Sony PlayStation 4
Nintendo, Mac, and Xbox users will have to wait to see if the developers plan to release the game on other platforms. However, given the strategy and the results outlook, there’s a huge possibility that the game will remain a PlayStation console exclusive.
↪ Nintendo Switch & macOS Release
There have been numerous reports since the game’s release for a Nintendo port, but that move has yet to see the light of the day. HoYoverse, however, confirmed that the game was in development back in 2022. Genshin Impact’s official YouTube channel even uploaded a Nintendo Switch trailer for the game in January 2020, but even after 4 years, there are no strong insights as to whether the game will be ported to the Switch in the near future.
With macOS and Apple’s increased focus on the gaming sector, it’s possible that the next few years may see HoYoverse bringing the Genshin Impact to Mac. At the time of this writing, however, no official statements have been made in this regard.
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Why is Genshin Impact a PlayStation Console Exclusive?
Genshin Impact was released to the public in late 2020, prior to which there was quite a strong feeling between the two console giants, Sony and Microsoft, about making the game an exclusive on either platform. For the first two years after its release, the general sentiment was that miHoYo was not interested in developing an Xbox version, with speculation that this decision was related to poor Xbox One sales in the East.
In a 2022 Reuters report, a Microsoft spokesperson revealed that Microsoft had been in contact with the developers during the development phase of Genshin Impact but failed to reach an agreement. The company regrets this, particularly since the game has made Sony a lot of money—the exact figure is unknown, but we know that it’s huge.
Genshin Impact has sold over 60M copies, most of which comes from the mobile segment, where the title has racked up north of a whopping $5 billion in consumer spending within 40 weeks, coming ahead of titles like Clash of Clans. But, with this report, it was seen that more than half of the audience came from China and Japan, two areas where Microsoft has seen weak console sales and needs a lot of catching up to do behind its rival, Sony.
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Is Genshin Impact Coming to Xbox Soon?
Xbox players shouldn’t get their hopes up just yet. As of this writing, there’s little to no mention of a port for Genshin Impact coming to Xbox. The game won’t be available on Xbox’s next-generation consoles anytime soon. HoYoverse’s recent release of its latest mainline RPG, Honkai: Star Rail, exclusively on PlayStation consoles further excludes Microsoft from the mix.
It is speculated that HoYoverse may have an internal agreement with Sony to keep its games PlayStation console exclusives. If this is true, Microsoft seems to have alternative plans – ones that involve developing a game similar to Genshin Impact, incorporating the core Gacha mechanic and RPG elements reminiscent of the hit title. This plan of action was revealed back in 2022, but the company has remained silent on the matter ever since.
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Should You Wait for Genshin Impact on Xbox?
The short answer is no! The developers have no plans to release an Xbox port of the game anytime soon, partially due to the great reception on other platforms. However, the counterargument to this could be that the game would be open to new audiences. In any case, it’s best to search for an alternative route if you wish to play the game right now.
Microsoft seems aware of the missed opportunity. The company’s internal insights and perspectives on not having Genshin Impact on their console line are no secret. Microsoft’s spokesmen have already stated that the company “regretted” not reaching an agreement with miHoYo in 2019. This experience now seems to be a major factor in Microsoft’s strong interest in independent, indie Chinese studios.
READ MORE: Microsoft Considering ARM CPU For Its Next Xbox Console ➜
Conclusion
Genshin Impact is inarguably one of the more popular titles at the moment. This, coupled with the game’s strong core RPG elements, has quickly turned it into a cash cow for the platforms it released on. Unfortunately for Microsoft, they missed out on the opportunity, resulting in consequences that the company regrets to date.
FAQs
There is no mention of the fact that the developers have completely scrapped the possibility of bringing Genshin Impact to Xbox. However, from what we can infer from HoYoverse’s interviews and decisions—such as the platform choice for Honkai: Star Rail—it is certain that there is either some sort of friction between the two or that HoYoverse has an exclusivity agreement with Sony.
The only source that we informed about this incident was a Reuters report in 2022. That report only dives into a few specifics about the deal. Still, it gave the impression that Microsoft passed on the opportunity to bring miHoYo on board with its titles, which they didn’t know would become instant hits later down the line.
At the moment, you could either switch to another platform of your choice, particularly a PlayStation or a PC or you could choose to play the game on your phone. It is available for free on both Android and iOS.
