HoYoVerse announced what we can expect from the 2.0 update to Zenless Zone Zero and, in addition to the Xbox Series X version, new story, and new region, we each will get to choose a free S-Rank character and S-Rank W-Engine. There will also be activities that essentially give players enough currency and items for three ten-pulls on the gacha, as we can earn 1,600 Polychromes that could be put toward either the Star-Studded Cast Stable Channel banner or limited Signal Searches. Free costumes for Belle and Wise will also be available to earn as rewards in Zenless Zone Zero as well. Everything kicks off on June 6, 2025.

First, we actually get to pick which free S-Rank character and W-Engine we want in Zenless Zone Zero after 2.0 arrives. Here’s the list of all playable units we can choose from, as well as their factions, attributes, and specialties:

• Grace - Belobog Heavy Industries - Electric - Anomaly
• Koleda - Belobog Heavy Industries - Fire - Stun
• Lycaon - Victoria Housekeeping - Ice - Stun
• Nekomata - Cunning Hares - Physical - Attack
• Rina - Victoria Housekeeping - Electric -
• Soldier 11 - Obol Squad - Fire - Attack

As for the free S-Rank W-Engines, it looks like the image showed the ones associated with each of those six characters may be available to choose as your free one. Here’s the list of those possible options:

• The Brimstone - Attack
• Fusion Compiler - Anomaly
• Hellfire Gears - Stun
• The Restrained - Stun 
• Steel Cushion - Attack
• Weeping Cradle -

We also got to see and learn the names of the two Zenless Zone Zero costumes for Belle and Wise. Belle’s is called Delicate Sunlight. Wise’s is Soaring Crane. Both are based on attire seen by people in the new Waifei Peninsula, and they each have a white, yellow, and black color scheme.

Here is how the Zenless Zone Zero Belle and Wise costumes look, and there’s also a screen capture of the free S-Rank characters being given away.

New and returning characters appearing in 2.0 also came up, as the next Zenless Zone Zero Agents were confirmed. The three Yunkui Summit characters, as mentioned before, are Yixuan, Ju Fufu, and Pan Yinhu. Pan Yinhu is the only A-Rank one, as the others are S-Rank. Yixuan, returning character Astra Yao, and Pan Yinhu will be available at launch in 2.0, while Ju Fufu and returning Agent Caesar will appear in the second part of the update.  

The trailer for the new update can be watched below, and it focuses on the new story before showing off playable Agents.

Here’s the full 2.0 Zenless Zone Zero Special Program on YouTube.

Zenless Zone Zero is on the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Xbox Series X version and 2.0 update comes on June 6, 2025. 

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HoYoVerse confirmed in the official patch notes for the 3.3 Honkai: Star Rail update that it changed the English Trailblazer voice actors for Caelus and Stelle. It did not reveal the new performers behind either character. Previously, Caleb Yen played the male option and Rachael Chau voiced the female one. 

The official patch notes for 3.3 noted the Trailblazer English voice actors change in the section discussing changes to Honkai: Star Rail audio. It noted that for now, the snippets that come up when using the Remembrance version of the character in battle or going through the Trailblaze Mission story quests in 3.3 will sound different. It then confirmed that future updates will change the lines for other paths and quests. HoYoVerse offered no explanation in the update and didn’t announce who the new actors are.

This change for the Caelus and Stelle English voice actors isn’t the first time Honkai: Star Rail performers ended up being changed or just disappearing. Starting in 2024, we began to see alterations. In the case of Dan Heng and Himeko, voiced lines for both stopped appearing. So while others would speak during story segments, there would be silence if someone used the English language option. All of this started happening after the SAG-AFTRA strike started in July 2024, with performers striking about concerns regarding AI being used to train or replicate people’s performances. 

We’ve also seen English voice actors changed with little or no notice like this for other HoYoVerse games as the strike continued. Most recently, it also occurred in Zenless Zone Zero. Lycaon ended up being replaced in 1.6. There’s a new English performer for Soldier 11 as well.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 3.3 update is now live for the game worldwide.

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The 2.0 Zenless Zone Zero special program stream time and date is set, and we don’t need to wait long to learn about the latest update. It happens at 3:30am ET/6:30am ET/12:30pm CET, the usual time, on May 23, 2025. We can likely expect a lot more news than usual, due to this being a full 2.0 release and marking the launch of the Xbox Series X version of the game. Also, there will be a free Polychrome code again. We can watch on Twitch and YouTube.

As part of the 2.0 reveal, a whole new faction and region will appear in Zenless Zone Zero. The place is called the Waifei Peninsula, and the first characters in the update will all be from the Yunkui Summit Faction. When we’re visiting in Waifei Peninsula, we don’t run and stay in a Random Play video store branch. Instead, we work at Subian Temple. Yixuan is an S-rank unit who seems like she may act as head of the group. The other two are Ju Fufu and Pan Yinhu. There will also be a new system for our daily quests and rewards. 

Another big change will involve Belle and Wise in Zenless Zone Zero. In the 1.0 series of patches and story, as well as area, we only see them enter the Hollows via the Hollow Deep Dive System and their unique Bangboo. In 2.0, they’ll be able to enter the Hollows themselves. We'll have to wait for the showcase to see how that works.

Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and it will come to the Xbox Series X alongside the 2.0 update on it seems like June 6, 2025. This is due to Hugo’s banner ending on June 5, 2025, which tends to be the hint for when the next one and update starts. The Zenless Zone Zero Special Program stream for 2.0 airs at 3:30am ET/6:30am ET/12:30pm CET on May 23, 2025.

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Hugo Vlad is the next S-rank Agent to debut in Zenless Zone Zero, and HoYoVerse decided to welcome the character to the game by once again releasing an anime style EP trailer and music video called “My Curse, My Fate.” It features performances by multiple singers while also showing key moments that shaped his life. This comes ahead of his banner’s debut on May 14, 2025. 

Things start with Hugo’s past, highlighting his family situation and the abuse he endured because he has one grey eye and one red one. From there, we see how he repeatedly experienced hardships, with appearances from his sister and Lycaon also coming up. We also get a sense of resolution at the end, showing his current mindset.

Here’s the full Zenless Zone Zero “My Curse, My Fate” EP trailer that highlights Hugo, though note this anime video does feature spoilers about his past if you haven’t gone through recent story quests.

This is the second recent trailer highlighting Hugo. A character demo for him called “Leading Man of the Apocalypse” appeared earlier in May 2025. It featured segments going into his life as a thief and leader for the Mockingbird faction.

Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Xbox Series X version launches alongside the 2.0 update on June 7, 2025. Hugo’s banner runs until June 6, 2025. 

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HoYoVerse announced that one of the quality of life changes in Honkai: Star Rail will involve a change to notifications in 3.3. Basically, it will become easier for us to get rid of any persistent, red icons in-game alerting to new information or updates. We’ll also be able to hold 3,000 Relics at once, rather than 2,000, and a pre-installation of an update will take less space due to “optimizations.”

There are three ways in which HoYoVerse will adjust Honkai: Star Rail red notifications, and they have to do with the in-game phone, in-game notices, and ones that pop up on every device when you play. In the case of the red icon that shows up in the phone menu, those will no longer appear. Instead, to see them you’ll actually need to go into the section. This should make it less cluttered. With the in-game notices, just heading into a section or switching tabs in it will be enough to clear it. The specific example in the announcement used the News section and its different notices as an example. Finally, when you get things like avatars or wallpapers, checking that notification on one platform means you won’t be alerted to it on any others when you there.

As for the pre-installation option for Honkai: Star Rail, that takes effect in 3.3. So it should take less storage space to the files for the update ahead of going through with it. The Settings section will also feature a new option for pre-installs. That will be grouped in Language Settings.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 3.3 update debuts on May 21, 2025. 

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The next two Genshin Impact characters include one who we’ve known about for while due to Childe, which is his mentor Skirk, and an entirely new unit named Dahlia. Both will appear during the 5.7 update, though it’s unknown who will appear first. While we generally suspect Skirk is a five-star, it’s unknown if Dahlia is a four-star or five-star person.

We first learned about Skirk by following the story of Fatui Harbiner Tartaglia. After he fell into the Abyss when he was a kid, she found him and became his mentor. She will be a Cryo unit in-game, and her title is Void Star. Her Constellation is called Crystallina. Her one description on social media suggests that she could was picked for her role when Khaenri'ah fell.

As for Dahlia, we know less about him due to the fact this is his first real reveal. We do know he’s the first new Genshin Impact character from Mondstadt in a while. He’s also a member of the church, like Barbara and Rosaria. He’s a deacon. He’s considered a Herald of Barbatos known as the Ode and Oblation, and he is a Hydro character. His Constellation is called Cantus Choralis, and Jean mentioned he’ll help people deal with problems via drinking contests.

Here’s official art showing both characters:

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and Skirk and Dahlia are expected to debut in 5.7 in June 2025.

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HoYoVerse confirmed the 3.3 Honkai: Star Rail release date will be May 21, 2025, and it also shared the characters and events coming alongside Cipher and Hyacine. This patch will mark the first rerun banners for both Aglaea and The Herta, and the Legend of the Galactic Baseballer event will return.

Here’s a “The Fall at Dawn’s Rise” trailer that goes through the Honkai: Star Rail 3.3 events and characters. The new characters come up first, with Hyacine highlighted initially. Then, we get a teaser for the Trailblaze Mission. That’s followed by a look at Cipher. Hyacine and The Herta will appear in the first phase of banners, and Cipher and Aglaea will be in the second part. At the 1:57 mark, the events come up. In addition to Legend of the Galactic Baseballer, the Trace n Drift event begins, Divergent Universe: Protean Hero appears, and two new Cavern of Corrosion accessory sets appear.

You can see the full 3.3 Honkai: Star Rail Special Program below, with details about events and its release date mentioned throughout.

As a reminder, we also know what to expect from 3.4. Phainon will be a new five-star, and the Fate/Stay Night event that also includes the debut of Archer and Saber as playable units will come up.

Honkai: Star Rail is on the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the release date for 3.3 is May 21, 2025. 

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On the official Facebook page for Genshin Impact, HoYoVerse announced it will require age verification for everyone in the US who plays the game by May 20, 2025. It noted this is part of a measure to comply with laws in the country. This will be mandatory, and s could be suspended if people don’t comply by July 18, 2025. There’s also the prospect of potential deletion.

HoYoVerse actually mentioned two dates with regards to cut-offs for US players and the Genshin Impact age verification process. In the first part, it noted that someone needs to provide their date of birth by July 18, 2025. The consequences of meeting that date involve an being suspended, friends on the friend list being deleted, all chat records being wiped, and notifications on mobile devices being disabled. The announcement didn’t note if complying after that date could result in the suspension being lifted.

Toward the end of the announcement, it noted a HoYoVerse would be deleted starting on July 20, 2026 if these conditions aren’t met. The announcement said this would be irreversible. The official and conditions for the game noted that people who play must be at the minimum age of consent for Personal Data Collection and mentions being an adult.

Here's a screenshot of the notice on Facebook:

Notably, this notification doesn’t appear on Facebook pages for other HoYoVerse games like Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, Tears of Themis, and Zenless Zone Zero. 

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and US age verification will start on May 20, 2025 and be required by July 18, 2025. The latest update is now live and added Ifa and Escoffier as playable characters.

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Phainon appeared as an ally for the Trailblazer and Dan Heng basically since the Honkai: Star Rail Amphoreus storyline started, and now he’ll become a playable character in version 3.4. HoYoVerse teased his debut on social media with insights into what kind of unit he’ll be. He’ll show up on July 2, 2025.

As expected from someone who is a leader, Phainon will be a five-star Chrysos Heir. He’ll follow the path of Destruction, much like Mydei. This means he can target single opponents, but will likely have a Skill or Ultimate that hits a group of enemies. He’ll also deal Physical damage. 

This means he’ll be the third Physical Destruction type unit in the game. The first form of the Trailblazer also follows that path and deals that type of damage. Clara, who’s been in the game since launch, is also on that path. Yunli, who debuted in 2.4, is that type as well.

Phainon isn’t the only Honkai: Star Rail playable character for 3.4. HoYoVerse already announced two others. Both are part of the Fate/Stay Night crossover event. Saber and Archer, from that series, will as five-star playable units. We’ll also get Archer, the first male Quantum character, as a free one when he debuts. 

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and Phainon will launch as a playable character in 3.4 when that launches on July 2, 2025. The next update on 3.3 arrives this week, as the Special Program for it airs on May 9, 2025.

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Ifa is a new four-star Genshin Impact Anemo character from the Natlan region ing the roster permanently once 5.6 launches on May 7, 2025. To help offer more insight into who he is and how he works, HoYoVerse released two trailers looking at him. One is a standard Genshin Impact Collected Miscellany video showcasing gameplay, while the other is more about his personality.

First, here’s the Genshin Impact “Ifa: The Warmth of Down” Collected Miscellany gameplay trailer. It begins by explaining he’s designed to be on-field as a DPS. There’s no English voice over with it, but turning on closed captions offers English subtitles. His standard attack can hit up to three times, with the charged version dealing AOE damage to an area. His Skill is Airborne Disease Prevention, which trigger’s Nightsoul’s Blessing. He’ll hover by holding on to Cacucu and will hurt enemies and heal allies with Tonicshots. His Compound Sedation Field Burst deals Anemo AOE damage and inflict Sedation Marks on enemies. His ive in the field heals active characters with under 40% HP if Phlogiston is present. 

Next, here’s the “Ifa: Air Patrol” trailer focusing on the character’s personality and what his daily life is like. It emphasizes that he’s a doctor first and warrior second. Unlike the Collected Miscellany, it features English voice acting. While it’s more dedicated to his background, there’s some Genshin Impact gameplay shown here too.

While Ifa will be a permanent addition, it will be easier to get him briefly for a limited time. This is because he’s part of the 5.6 phase one banners as a focus unit. Whether you pull on the new five-star Escoffier banner or rerun one with Navia, you’ll have higher odds of getting him.

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and Ifa will become a permanent four-star character after 5.6 launches on May 7, 2025. 

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While it’s Golden Week in Japan right now, meaning news can be a bit slim, we’ll learn more about the 3.3 Honkai: Star Rail update later this week. HoYoVerse confirmed “The Fall at Dawn’s Rise” showcase will air on Twitch and YouTube at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET on May 9, 2025. This comes after some tidbits already appeared during the concert stream. 

The initial image for the showcase teased some of the things we can expect from this presentation. As usual, it will cover new Trailblaze story quests and events in the update. We’ll also see gameplay footage for new five-star characters Cipher and Hyacine. The voice actresses for both of them will also appear as “hosts” alongside Owlbert and the one behind Castorice. We’ll also get codes that work for one day that offer Stellar Jades and other in-game items.

Here’s the placeholder for the 3.3 Special Program presentation:

As for other announcements, we know when the Fate/Stay Night crossover will come to Honkai: Star Rail. That will launch on July 11, 2025, likely alongside the 3.4 version update. Both Saber and Archer will appear as five-star units during it, and there will be a special event. We’ll all also get Archer for free. 

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Special Program going over 3.3 will air at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET on May 9, 2025. 

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At the Honkai: Star Rail concert, we learned that the characters that will appear as part of the Fate/Stay Night crossover will be Saber and Archer. The event will start on July 11, 2025. Both will be five-star units, and Archer will be given away as a free reward. The event also teased a new Honkai game, which could be the teased Honkai: Nexus Anima.

The Archer and Saber crossover characters will show up in Honkai: Star Rail alongside “Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail,” the Fate/Stay Night event. This is confimred to actually bring the Holy Grail War to the game, with the Trailblazer and Astral Express taking part. Kinoko Nasu worked on the story, and Takashi Takeuchi drew the new character designs and art. 

As for the units, both will be focused on dealing damage to enemies, albeit in different ways. Archer, the free units we’ll all be guaranteed to get in addition to being on a banner, is going to be a Hunt character who deals Quantum-type damage. This means he’ll be focused on dealing as much pain to one enemy as possible. Meanwhile, Saber will be a Wind Destruction character. This means she’ll likely deal damage in the same way that Blade, Firefly, and Jingliu do. She will have options of hitting one foe, but there will also be opportunities for AOE hits depending on the ability used. We’ll only be able to get Saber from the banner, though she will appear as an NPC in the event story.

Here’s how both will look:

While the whole concert is delisted, there are two single videos available. One is the "Hope Is the Thing With Feathers,” which you can watch below:

And here’s “No Dazzle, No Break.”

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Fate/Stay Night crossover event begins July 11, 2025.

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Ahead of the debut of the Honkai: Star Rail Concert 2025 Global Livestream, HoYoVerse shared an anime short of characters being used to promote the event. It features player avatars Caelus and Stelle taking photos of all of the four-star and five-star units as they prepare for the performance. The stream of the concert itself airs at 4am PT/7am ET on May 3, 2025. 

The Honkai: Star Rail concert anime short begins with Acheron heading onto a stage in a fancy dress, where she finds cardboard standees of Caelus and Stelle. From there, we see Jing Yuan in makeup. Stelle shows up to take photos of him. After that, Caelus is taking pictures of Castorice in a setting filled with decorative butterflies. Dr. Ratio appears for photos with Stelle after that. Then, we see Caelus take pictures of the five-star version of The Herta with some of her four-star Herta dolls. Sunday’s segment with Stelle showed up after that. Things close out with Stelle staying up to edit the photos, before we see all of the featured characters for the concert together.

Here’s the Honkai: Star Rail concert anime short featuring characters that appeared in the game from launch until now. 

You can watch the global stream below:

There is also a sold-out Honkai: Star Rail concert coming to Irvine, California. There will be performances at 3pm PT and 7pm PT on May 10, 2025. A free voice actor will also be held that same day. 

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices.

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Another 2.0 Zenless Zone Zero character appeared, and this time it is a girl named Ju Fufu who happens to be a tiger Thiren. Like past Thiren characters such as Jane Doe, Nekomata, and Ellen Joe, she largely looks human, but has a few animal characteristics.

Ju Fufu is a member of the Yunkui Summit Faction. This is the new one found in the Waifei Peninsula region. In one Zenless Zone Zero announcement about her, HoYoVerse made clear that this girl will correct anyone who thinks she is an orange tabby cat and is not a tiger. She’ll be a type of character who can Stun enemies with fire-based attacks. Also, it seems her weapon is also shown in her teaser image and video and involves a sort of tiger-shaped spiked ball with a tail. 

Ju Fufu the tiger Thiren is one of three new characters confirmed for Zenless Zone Zero 2.0. Two others also appeared after the 1.7 update arrived. One we already knew would be a five-star debuting in 2.0. The other is new. Both are Yunkui Summit Faction too.

In case you missed them, here’s the teaser for Yixuan. She’s the S-rank character we knew about and who featured prominently in 2.0 marketing.

Pan Yinhu is the new panda Thiren. He might end up being the new A-rank Agent.

Zenless Zone Zero 2.0 will appear in June 2025, and it will be available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices when it does. 

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On April 25, 2025, miHoYo applied for a trademark application for Honkai: Nexus Anima, hinting at the next game in the franchise. It also created multiple X (formerly Twitter) s for the IP, and may be hiring more employees to work on it. [Thanks, Gacha News!]

On March 4, 2025, X “chibi0108” posted job openings at miHoYo for a “new Honkai auto chess title.” The ment was looking for level planners, 3D animators, game testers, game server developers, and more. It also gave some more details on what kind of game it is. According to the project details, you will explore a “tranquil seaside town and diverse locations,” as well as “collect Destined Spirits.” You can also raise these Destined Spirits to create your own teams to use in “thrilling auto chess battles.” There is also an exploration element, in which you can discover hidden secrets about the world while flying, gliding, and surfing.

There is virtually no official information as of yet regarding Honkai: Nexus Anima. So more details about the gameplay, characters, and such will need to wait until HoYoVerse makes an announcement. If it’s a part of the Honkai IP, though, we may see expies and recurring themes, much like how familiar faces from Honkai Impact 3rd appear in Honkai: Star Rail.

More information on Honkai: Nexus Anima will appear in the future. It will likely appear on mobile devices and the Windows PC, much like a lot of HoYoVerse’s other current projects.

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