Genshin Impact 1.6 release date and everything we know

Want to know the Genshin Impact 1.6 release date? The Genshin Impact community has been asking for a number of features for some time now, and it appears they are finally coming in the 1.6 update. Electro characters are receiving a buff to bring them up to snuff, characters will be getting skins for the first time, and the housing system is about to get a major upgrade.

Almost all of the information about Genshin Impact 1.6 has been data mined, but that doesn’t mean anything is set in stone. We’ve seen this in the past with Hu Tao, she was supposed to be in the 1.3 update but ended up being pushed back until March. If something on this list doesn’t arrive in the 1.6 update, it’s likely the feature has been pushed back temporarily.

Kazuha is the only character from the data mined beta to be leaked so far, but we do know that the devs are likely to release at least two characters per update. Genshin Impact 1.5 introduced Yanfei and Eula, two excellent characters that have earned high spots on our Genshin Impact tier list. Here’s everything we know about the Genshin Impact 1.6 release date.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 UPDATE RELEASE DATE

The Genshin Impact 1.6 release date is likely to be on June 9, 2021. The developers introduce big updates to Genshin Impact every five weeks – we fully expect the 1.6 update to launch the week of June 9.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 LIVESTREAM

The Genshin Impact 1.6 livestream is likely to be on May 28 at 9am PT / 12am ET / 5pm BST. The Chinese version of the livestream has already happened.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 NEW CHARACTERS AND RERUNS

Kazuha is the only confirmed character in Genshin Impact 1.6 so far. As mentioned earlier, most updates usually ship with two characters, though there hasn’t been any information about the second one just yet. Yoimiya is rumoured to be the second character as she and Kazuha have a lot in common: they are both five-star and they come from the land of Inazuma.

Who’s next?: Check out the Genshin Impact banner schedule

Kazuha is a Sword user and an Anemo character, a unique combination which makes it difficult to determine whether he’ll end up being played as support or DPS. Rumoured to be a mix between Ganyu and Hu Tao, Yoimiya is set to be Genshin Impact’s first Pyro and Bow user. Not much is known about this character other than these small details. Unlike Kazuha, we don’t know what Yoimiya looks like or what any of her abilities are.

There are also rumours swirling around that the second character could be Ayaka, a five-star Cryo sword wielder. We know all of her abilities as she was one of the first characters available in the first Genshin Impact beta tests.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 SKIN SYSTEM

The Genshin Impact community has been asking for character skins since the game launched back in September 2020. The latest trailer has revealed one new skin coming to the game in the 1.6 update: Sea Breeze Dandelion (Jean).

[1.6] Jean Costume: Sea Breeze Dandelion

Subject to change.#ProjectCelestia pic.twitter.com/LfW6hC2cFK

— Project Celestia (@projectcelestia) May 7, 2021

We now have confirmation that skins can be purchased using Genesis Crystals. This currency will be temporarily available at a 20% discount when Genshin Impact 1.6 launches. Genesis Crystals can only be purchased in-game and can be converted to Primogems at will. Jean’s Sea Breeze Dandelion will cost 1680 Genesis Crystals, though the launch window discount means it’ll cost 1350.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 ELECTRO BUFF

Compared to the powerful Pyro and Cryo characters like Diluc and Ganyu, Electro characters have felt underwhelming to use as their damage output doesn’t match up. The 1.6 update includes an elemental reaction to boost the damage from Electro characters’ elemental reactions, improving characters like Keqing and Razor.

Here are the elemental reaction changes coming in the next update:

via the same anonymous source of the Maguu Kenki fight and 1.6 islands.
Following the Dev Q/A regarding buffs to “major reactions” here are what the EM numbers are looking like in an early iteration of the 1.6 beta. Final numbers are very likely to be tweaked further. pic.twitter.com/4ZFTQvMlg7

— AE Entropy (@AeEntropy) April 29, 2021

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 Inazuma

The big question is whether the island of Inazuma will be joining the game in the 1.6 update. It looks like fans shouldn’t get their hopes up just yet, but the teaser in the latest trailer does suggest this area is coming soon.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 HOUSING SYSTEM UPDATE

The Serenitea Pot is receiving a big upgrade in 1.6, as confirmed by the developer’s blog back in April. Any characters owned by the player can be stationed in the Serenitea Pot. Prior to this update, you couldn’t interact with your inactive characters – now you can visit these same characters in the Serenitea Pot.

GENSHIN IMPACT 1.6 UPCOMING EVENTS

Just like the 1.5 update included the Energy Amplifier Initiation event, 1.6 looks like it has at least four events in the pipeline. This information has been data mined from Project Celestia and Genshin Intel, two reliable sources for Genshin Impact leaks.

And that’s all the information there is about Genshin Impact 1.6 so far. Stay tuned as we continue to update this guide as soon as information becomes available. In the meantime, check out our guide for Genshin Impact wood to build some furniture in your Serenitea Pot. We also have a Genshin Impact Domain of Heresy guide for anyone looking to take down the formidable Abyss Herald. Finally, head over to our Genshin Impact codes guide to redeem free primogems.