Here’s What Time ‘Genshin Impact’ Launches On PS4, PC And iOS

It’s Genshin Impact launch day, the new game from miHoYo that has attracted a lot of attention due to its similar art style to Breath of the Wild, adding in traditional anime characters on top of that.

I’m starting to see a whole lot of buzz swell around the game, especially ahead of its launch which for many regions, will be later today. You can already preload the game on PS4, PC and iOS right now to get ready for the actual launch. So when is that going to be?

Genshin Impact launches at 10:00 UTC+8 on September 28. And if you’re like me and don’t know what that means, that’s:
• 7 PM PDT in the US on Sunday, September 27.
• 10 PM EDT in the US on Sunday, September 27.
• 3 AM BST in the UK on Monday, September 28.
• 11 AM JST in Japan on Monday, September 28.

So, if you’re reading this in the US, your Genshin Impact journey will begin tonight, and you may have to stay up decently late if you want to really get into it.

I’m still debating whether to dive into Genshin Impact myself, and I may wait for a few friends to try it out before I commit to it. It does sound pretty appealing at a BoTW style open world RPG with anime influences and elemental powers, but I’m not enough of an anime fan at baseline to dive in for that reason alone. That actual game itself is going to have to prove itself to be worthwhile, and I’m worried about it being gacha-based with a free-to-play model. I’ve gone down that road before (damn you, Fire Emblem Heroes), and I’m not wild about the amount of money those type of games tend to extract from my wallet.

As for the Breath of the Wild clone comparisons, those behind the game have pushed back on that, saying that even if it looks similar in previews, the actual game doesn’t mirror the structure of BoTW much at all:

“It is important to note that once you actually pick up the game, you will find the experience of Genshin Impact to be very different from that of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Genshin Impact features a fully original story and characters, and the core gameplay revolves around assembling a party of multiple characters and engaging in a combat system based on interactions between different elements.”

We’ll see what happens with this game in the long run, but I know many are hyped to play it by the end of the day today. I may end up giving it a shot based on what I hear, so let me know if you have a good initial first impression once you dive in yourself.

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