Is Genshin Impact free to play? Cross-play, cross-save, and F2P details explained

Genshin Impact is a free-to-play (also known as F2P) game with microtransactions that supports both cross-play and cross-saves.

The game is free to download on the following platforms:

• Android
• iOS
• PC
• PS4
• PS5

The microtransactions for this F2P game come in the form of:

• Blessing of the Welkin Moon
• Crystal Top-Up
• Gnostic Hymn

Genshin Impact does have cross-plays and cross-saves. However, Travelers should keep regional servers in mind (US, Europe, and Asia). One cannot play with a player on a different server or transfer their regional account to another.

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What new players should know about Genshin Impact: F2P, cross-play, and cross-save

It's a free to play game with both cross-saves and cross-play (Image via Genshin Impact)

There are no hard paywalls to prevent 100% F2P players from accessing the vast majority of the game's content. It's unlikely for F2P players to get every 5-star character or weapon, but smart players should save their resources. Taking advantage of the game's Pity System can guarantee that they get their desired 5-star character or weapon.

Exploring the world isn't limited by a player's real-life wealth. Spending money can help players get more characters quicker than normal, but it's not a necessity to enjoy the game. Of course, it's worth looking at the game's P2W aspects.

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P2W aspects unobtainable for F2P players

Travelers have two options to consider regarding the Battle Pass prices (Image via Genshin Impact)

Not every Traveler has to spend money to be successful in Genshin Impact. If a player wants to be 100% F2P, they can do so and still enjoy the vast majority of the game's content. The only limitations would be how much they can summon, a few skins, and exclusive weapons to the Gnostic Hymn.

The weapons that true F2P players can never get are:

• The Black Sword (4-star Sword)
• Serpent Spine (4-star Claymore)
• Solar Pearl (4-star Catalyst)
• The Viridescent Hunt (4-star Bow)
• Deathmatch (4-star Polearm)

The Crystal Top-Up bundles in USD (Image via Genshin Impact)

Genesis Crystals can be converted to Primogems in a 1:1 ratio. Hence, players who purchase a large quantity of Genesis Crystals through Crystal Top-Up can summon more characters and weapons than F2P players.

In this aspect, whales can more easily obtain Constellations and Refinement Levels than F2P players. The more money the player spends here, the more Genesis Crystals they will have. They don't need to use it on just Primogems, either. They can spend Genesis Crystals on a few skins or purchase various bundles for various materials and level-up resources.

F2P players also can't use Blessing of the Welkin Moon. It costs real-life money, giving players 300 Genesis Crystals instantly, plus 90 Primogems a day for 30 days.

A few skins are only obtainable through Genesis Crystals (Image via Genshin Impact)

Skins do not provide a P2W bonus over default F2P costumes in Genshin Impact; they're merely cosmetic. So far, only Jean and Keqing (both of which are 5-star characters) have outfits that the player must purchase through Genesis Crystals.

Four-star characters like Barbara and Ningguang have skins that F2P players could have obtained by participating in their relevant events. Otherwise, they must purchase them with Genesis Crystals, which isn't an F2P option. Alternate Outfits for Amber, Jean, Mona, and Rosaria are given to players for free.

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Cross-play

An example of Co-Op mode's menu (Image via Genshin Impact)

Cross-play exists in the form of Co-Op Mode. Travelers must be Adventure Rank 16 or higher to access it. One can either click on the Co-Op Mode icon on the UI (the second icon to the right of the minimap) or by finding it through the in-game pause menu.

Cross-play exists between all currently available platforms, so players can play with their friends provided they're all Adventure Rank 16 or higher. The only limitation here is that they must all play on the same regional server. That means those playing on the US server cannot do cross-play with friends on the European or Asian servers. They would have to create new accounts on those servers to do cross-play with them, so remember that.

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Cross-save

Cross-save betweens different platforms is possible, but there are a few caveats to consider. Android, iOS, and PC utilize a miHoYo account, while PS4 and PS5 players use a PSN account. Transitioning from one platform to another that uses the same account type is easy, as the player only has to log in as usual. Keep in mind that Genesis Crystals do not transfer over in cross-saves, but everything else will.

It's the transition from Android/iOS/PC to PS4/PS5 and vice versa that's more tricky. Travelers trying to transfer their Android/iOS/PC account to a PS4 or PS5 need to do the following:

1. Boot up Genshin Impact on the PS4 or PS5 (without having ever logged into the game with the user's PSN).
2. A pop-up will come up after the Terms of Services, so follow its directions. Do not skip this pop-up.

Trying to use a cross-save from a PlayStation console to either Android, iOS, or PC involves:

1. Log into Genshin Impact on the PS4 or PS5.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Go to Account.
4. Go to User Center.
5. Go to Link Account.

Note: Travelers cannot use cross-save functions from one regional server to another. Also, they cannot combine one account from one platform with another on a different platform.