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GINX TV > Guides & Tutorial > Honkai: Star Rail

Is Honkai Star Rail Free-To-Play (F2P)?

Are you wondering if Honkai Star Rail is free to play? We have the answers you need!
Is Honkai Star Rail Free-To-Play (F2P)?

Honkai: Star Rail is a beautifully designed turn-based RPG developed by HoYoverse. The game will take players on a journey across the stars as they become a passenger on the luxurious Astral Express. As a free-to-play gacha game, Honkai: Star Rail will use microtransactions as its monetization model. Players will have the ability to purchase in-game currency using their real-world money in order to summon characters or speed up their progression.

While some games use monetization as a gateway for progression, other games use it as an added bonus. If you are interested in learning whether or not you can play Honkai: Star Rail as a free-to-play player, you've come to the right place! Let's find out!

Is Honkai: Star Rail Free To Play?

Honkai Star Rail
Players will need to spend currency when summoning for characters. (Picture: HoYoverse)

Yes, Honkai: Star Rail is incredibly free-to-play friendly. First and foremost, for those completely out of the loop, Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-play game in the sense that it can be downloaded from your preferred app store without spending a penny. However, usually when people question whether a game is free-to-play, what they really mean is whether they can progress in the game, clear difficult content, and enjoy their time in the game without spending money. 

The answer to this question is also yes! At the start of the game, players will be given up to eight characters for absolutely free! These characters all have various elements and will allow you to play through the main storyline and clear content without much issue. Over time, players will be able to accrue summoning currency, and thanks to the guaranteed pity system, it is possible to grab any character you want so long as you plan accordingly and save your resources.

Honkai Star Rail
Players will be given several characters for free! (Picture: HoYoverse)

Additionally, because there is no PVP in Honkai: Star Rail, there is no reason to rush through content while summoning on every new banner that comes out. In games with PVP, summoning certain meta-defining characters is the only way to stay relevant. However, because this game only has PVE content, players can summon their favorite characters without feeling like they are falling behind!

Much like Genshin Impact, spending money in Honkai: Star Rail is meant to help speed up progression for those who don't like to wait for their energy to refill or grind stages for enhancement materials. 

And that's everything you need to know about whether or not Honkai: Star Rail is free to play!