Genshin Impact's lasting appeal — especially in story-heavy updates like Masquerade of the Guilty — comes from a precise combination: fluid real-time elemental combat with a swappable character roster, a vast open world rewarding exploration and puzzle-solving, and deeply written character story quests that make you genuinely care about each new face like Furina and Charlotte.
When players search for games like Genshin, they're usually chasing one or more of these pillars: the anime-styled action RPG combat, the sense of wonder in open-world discovery, or the emotionally resonant character arcs. The best alternatives nail at least two of those three.
Top pick:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the single closest match on this list — Genshin Impact was directly inspired by it, and both games share the same DNA of open-world exploration, environmental puzzle shrines, and real-time elemental combat that rewards creative thinking over brute force.
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18 games like Genshin Impact: Masquerade of the Guilty
92%
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2017
Breath of the Wild is the direct design ancestor of Genshin Impact — open-world exploration, physics-based environmental puzzles, and real-time combat across a vast fantasy landscape. Genshin's elemental reaction system maps directly onto BotW's elemental environmental gameplay.
Key difference: Single protagonist; no gacha or character roster.
Best for: Fans who love Genshin's exploration and puzzle shrines above all.
Skip if: You need a large cast and story-heavy character arcs.
Tales of Arise is the closest console equivalent to Genshin's anime action RPG formula — real-time elemental combo combat, a diverse party of characters each with personal story arcs, and a rich fantasy world to explore.
Key difference: No open world or gacha; linear chapter-based progression.
Best for: Genshin fans who want the anime action RPG feel without the gacha grind.
Skip if: You play Genshin primarily for open-world exploration and co-op.
NieR: Automata shares Genshin's anime-styled real-time action RPG combat, emotionally driven story quests, and a richly lore-laden fantasy/sci-fi world. Both reward players who engage deeply with side quests and character backstories.
Key difference: Linear, no open-world exploration or gacha systems.
Best for: Players who love Genshin's story depth and stylized action combat.
Skip if: You only play for exploration and open-world freedom.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 features an enormous open-world JRPG with a gacha-style Blade (character) collection system, real-time elemental combo attacks, and a sprawling story with anime-style character arcs — a remarkably close structural match to Genshin.
Key difference: Console-exclusive; slower real-time combat; no multiplayer.
Best for: Genshin players who want deeper RPG systems and a gacha-like character roster.
Skip if: You prefer pure action combat or play on PC/mobile.
By the same developer, Honkai: Star Rail shares Genshin's gacha character collection, story chapter structure, and anime aesthetics — built around a sci-fantasy universe with dialogue-heavy quests and limited-time events.
Key difference: Turn-based combat instead of real-time action.
Best for: Genshin fans who want the same studio's storytelling in a turn-based format.
Skip if: You play Genshin specifically for real-time action combat and exploration.
God Eater 3 is an anime action RPG with team-based combat, stylized character designs, and a mission-driven structure where you build a roster of characters with distinct roles — strikingly parallel to Genshin's team-building philosophy.
Key difference: Hub-based mission structure, not open world.
Best for: Players who love Genshin's anime combat style and party synergy.
Skip if: You need an open world and exploration above all else.
The Witcher 3 offers the same core loop of main story quests, character-specific story arcs, and sprawling fantasy open-world exploration that defines Genshin's chapter-based narrative structure. Its quest writing quality is comparable to Genshin's best story acts.
Key difference: Western realistic art style; no gacha or elemental combat.
Best for: Genshin fans who want the story-quest experience with deeper RPG depth.
Skip if: You play Genshin primarily for anime aesthetics or combat mechanics.
Tower of Fantasy is a direct open-world action RPG built explicitly in Genshin's image — gacha character and weapon collection, elemental combat, co-op multiplayer, and a vast world to explore with gliders and climbing.
Key difference: Sci-fi setting instead of pure fantasy; MMO-like social features.
Best for: Players who want Genshin's exact formula with more social/MMO elements.
Skip if: You dislike sci-fi aesthetics or large player-driven online spaces.
Hades delivers fast, stylized action combat with a rotating cast of colorful characters, each with distinct abilities and voiced story arcs that unfold over repeated runs — echoing Genshin's character-driven storytelling and snappy real-time combat.
Elden Ring is an open-world action RPG where exploration, ability-based combat, and a dense fantasy mythology drive progression — sharing Genshin's sense of discovery and skill-based fighting, albeit at a far harsher difficulty level.
Key difference: Brutally difficult; no anime aesthetics or character collection.
Best for: Genshin players who want open-world action RPG with a harder edge.
Skip if: You want comfortable difficulty or anime/gacha style.
Skyrim pioneered the fantasy open-world RPG template that Genshin builds on — exploring vast regions, completing faction and main story quests, and acquiring new abilities as you level up. The sense of wonder in discovering a new area is directly comparable.
Key difference: First-person by default; no real-time elemental combo system.
Best for: Genshin players who want deeper RPG systems in a Western fantasy world.
Skip if: You need anime-style visuals or a defined cast of characters.
Horizon Zero Dawn is a third-person open-world action RPG with elemental weaknesses on enemies, a lore-rich quest chain, and a strong story-driven protagonist — matching Genshin's mix of exploration, combat variety, and narrative investment.
Key difference: Single character; sci-fi/post-apocalyptic rather than pure fantasy.
Best for: Players who like Genshin's open-world structure and elemental combat depth.
Skip if: You play for anime cast, gacha collection, or co-op.
Baldur's Gate 3 shares Genshin's emphasis on rich character story arcs, companion relationships, and a deep fantasy world filled with branching quests — particularly resonant for players who care about Furina and Charlotte's narrative depth in Version 4.2.
Key difference: Turn-based tactical combat; no action or open-world exploration.
Best for: Fans who play Genshin primarily for the story and character writing.
Skip if: You play Genshin for action combat or exploration, not story.
Final Fantasy VII delivers a sprawling fantasy RPG story with a memorable character cast, elemental magic system (Materia), and world-saving stakes — sharing Genshin's core JRPG DNA and emotionally resonant main quest structure.
Key difference: Turn-based combat; linear world structure.
Best for: Genshin fans who appreciate JRPG storytelling and memorable character casts.
Skip if: You need real-time action or open-world freedom.
Dragon Age: Origins features a party-based fantasy RPG system where each companion has their own backstory quest, loyalty arc, and unique abilities — closely echoing Genshin's character-specific story quests and team synergy mechanics.
Key difference: Pause-and-play tactical combat; no open world or anime style.
Best for: Players who love Genshin's companion story quests and team building.
Skip if: You play Genshin for fluid real-time action or exploration.
Chrono Trigger is a beloved fantasy RPG with a memorable ensemble cast, each with unique abilities that combine into powerful combo attacks in real-time-flavored battles — an ancestral echo of Genshin's team synergy and elemental reaction systems.
Key difference: Classic 16-bit top-down RPG; no open world or action combat.
Best for: Story-driven Genshin fans who appreciate JRPG roots.
Skip if: You need 3D open-world exploration and fluid action combat.
Shadow of Mordor offers a third-person open-world action RPG in a rich fantasy setting with fluid combat combos and a strong skill progression system — sharing Genshin's moment-to-moment action feel and fantasy world exploration.
Key difference: Nemesis system replaces elemental mechanics; Western realistic style.
Best for: Players who like Genshin's open-world action RPG loop without the gacha.
Skip if: You need anime aesthetics or character collection systems.
Hollow Knight shares Genshin's deep lore buried in environmental storytelling, a vast fantasy world to explore, and precisely tuned action combat — though through a 2D metroidvania lens rather than a 3D open world.
Key difference: 2D side-scrolling metroidvania; single character, no gacha.
Best for: Genshin fans who want tight action and rich worldbuilding in a compact format.
Skip if: You need 3D exploration or the anime character-collection experience.
No open world or gacha; linear chapter-based progression.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC
NieR: Automata
82%
Role-playing (RPG), Action
Linear, no open-world exploration or gacha systems.
PlayStation, PC
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
80%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Console-exclusive; slower real-time combat; no multiplayer.
Nintendo
Honkai: Star Rail - Then Wake to Weep
78%
Role-playing (RPG), Action
Turn-based combat instead of real-time action.
Mobile, PC, PlayStation
God Eater 3
76%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Hub-based mission structure, not open world.
PlayStation, PC, Nintendo
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
74%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Western realistic art style; no gacha or elemental combat.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo
Tower of Fantasy
72%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Sci-fi setting instead of pure fantasy; MMO-like social features.
PlayStation
Hades
68%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Roguelike loop replaces open-world exploration.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Mobile, Nintendo
Elden Ring
67%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Brutally difficult; no anime aesthetics or character collection.
Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
63%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
First-person by default; no real-time elemental combo system.
PlayStation, PC, Xbox
Horizon Zero Dawn
63%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Single character; sci-fi/post-apocalyptic rather than pure fantasy.
PlayStation, PC
Baldur's Gate III
60%
Role-playing (RPG), Action
Turn-based tactical combat; no action or open-world exploration.
Xbox, PC, PlayStation
Final Fantasy VII
60%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Turn-based combat; linear world structure.
PlayStation
Dragon Age: Origins
58%
Role-playing (RPG), Action
Pause-and-play tactical combat; no open world or anime style.
PlayStation, PC, Xbox
What makes a game feel like Genshin Impact?
Three things define the Genshin experience: a large, traversable open world stuffed with secrets; real-time action combat built around elemental or ability interactions; and a cast of distinct, story-rich characters whose personal quests reward emotional investment. Breath of the Wild nails the first two almost perfectly, while NieR: Automata delivers on the third with some of the best character writing in the genre. If you want all three pillars at once, Tales of Arise (in the additional list) is arguably the closest single-package alternative.
The Witcher 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn satisfy players who love Genshin's open-world quest structure but want a more grounded, Western RPG experience — rich in lore and side story but without gacha mechanics or the anime aesthetic.
Best picks for Genshin fans who love the character story quests
Version 4.2's appeal hinges on Furina's deeply emotional story arc — a long-running mystery resolved with real dramatic weight. If that character-driven writing is what you're chasing, Baldur's Gate 3 offers companion arcs of comparable emotional depth, while Dragon Age: Origins pioneered the template of party members with fully voiced personal questlines that reshape the main story. NieR: Automata goes furthest in this direction: its main character's arc is one of the most discussed in modern gaming for exactly the same reasons Furina's resonated with Genshin's community.
If you want the anime action RPG combat without the gacha
God Eater 3 is the most underrated pick for Genshin fans specifically craving the team-synergy combat — you build squads of distinct characters with complementary abilities and execute real-time action combos, all wrapped in a high-quality anime aesthetic, without a single gacha pull required. Hades delivers some of the tightest action RPG combat on the list, with a rotating roster of god-given abilities that encourages the same kind of elemental-interaction thinking that Genshin's combat rewards. Neither game has a true open world, but both scratch the action RPG itch that Genshin's combat creates.
What game is most similar to Genshin Impact overall?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the closest structural match — Genshin was openly inspired by it, sharing open-world exploration, physics/elemental puzzles, and real-time action combat across a vast fantasy landscape. For a closer gacha-RPG match, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Tower of Fantasy replicate more of the character-collection and team-building mechanics.
Are there games like Genshin Impact with similar anime-style visuals and real-time combat?
Yes — Tales of Arise and NieR: Automata are the strongest non-gacha anime action RPGs. God Eater 3 is a lesser-known but excellent match, built around team-based anime action combat with a strong character roster. Hades also offers stylized real-time action with a character-driven story.
Is there a game like Genshin Impact with deeper story and character quests?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers arguably richer quest writing in a similarly massive open-world RPG. Baldur's Gate 3 delivers some of the deepest companion story arcs in any RPG. NieR: Automata is the closest in tone to Genshin's emotionally weighty character resolutions, like Furina's arc in Version 4.2.
What open-world RPGs feel like Genshin Impact on console or PC?
Horizon Zero Dawn combines elemental enemy weaknesses, open-world exploration, and a story-driven main quest in a third-person action RPG package very similar in structure to Genshin. Elden Ring and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offer the open-world action RPG formula at a higher difficulty or with deeper Western RPG systems respectively.
What games scratch the same itch as Genshin's elemental reaction combat system?
The elemental reaction system most closely echoes Breath of the Wild's elemental environmental interactions and Tales of Arise's elemental weakness and combo system. Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Chain Attack system, which chains character abilities in sequence for elemental bonuses, is structurally the closest analogue to Genshin's character-switching combat.
92%
