Genshin Impact 7.1 Release Date and Anniversary Rewards

Updated 26 October 2026: Earlier versions said Phase 2's banner dates had not been published. HoYoverse's Phase II Event Wishes notice, posted October 8, runs the Skirk and Escoffier reruns from October 13 at 18:00 to November 3 at 14:59 server time, and the banner section below now carries those dates. Earlier versions also gave the Phase 1 end and the anniversary selectors' November 3 close as UTC+8. Both are server time, so the selectors close at 06:59 UTC on the Asia server, 13:59 UTC on Europe and 19:59 UTC on America. This update also names the Guardian Blade of Drifting Snow as a Cryo boss and corrects what you get for inviting a character you already own: a constellation plus the materials, not the materials alone. It also corrects the US time given for the start of maintenance and the number of new TCG action cards. The post was first written two days before Version 7.1 launched, so details of launch week and of events that have since ended are now in the past tense.

Genshin Impact's sixth anniversary arrived with Version 7.1 on September 23, 2026, and for the first time HoYoverse is handing out two separate free 5-star character selectors instead of one — on top of the two brand-new 5-stars that debuted on the same patch. That is a genuinely bigger giveaway than any previous anniversary, and both selectors close on November 3, the same day as the Phase 2 banners.

Here is everything confirmed so far, sourced against the official HoYoLAB announcements and the Genshin Impact Wiki's live Version 7.1 tracker.

When Does Genshin Impact 7.1 Release?

Version 7.1, "A Rekviem for the Underworld," went live on September 23, 2026. HoYoverse's official Update Maintenance Preview laid out the exact window:

The 300 Primogems were mailed out within 5 hours of maintenance ending, and HoYoverse set that mail to expire after 30 days.

Two New 5-Star Characters: Vesna and Vodyanitsa

Both debut characters are Snezhnaya natives tied directly to the Tsaritsa's inner circle, and both released when servers came back up on September 23.

Vesna — Commander of the Druzhna

Vesna Strivozha is a 5-star Anemo Sword character, titled "Snowy Banquet's Sharp Blade" and, in-story, Commander of the Druzhna — the Tsaritsa's personal guard. She was featured on the Phase 1 Event Wish "When Warm Winds Cavort," which opened with the version and closed on October 13.

Vodyanitsa — Prima Donna of the Korolevskiy Troupe

Vodyanitsa is a 5-star Hydro Catalyst character, titled "Lingering Siren-Song" and billed as the Prima Donna of the Korolevskiy Troupe. She was featured on the Event Wish "Surging Ballad," which ran in the same window as Vesna's banner.

This post was first written two days before launch, when the wiki's ascension and talent tables for both characters were still blank stubs, so it does not cover their kits. Our Vesna build guide and Vodyanitsa build guide do.

Banner Schedule: Two Phases

Version 7.1 runs the standard two-phase banner structure, and HoYoverse has published official dates for both phases: the Phase I Event Wishes notice before launch, and the Phase II notice on October 8, 2026. Phase 1 closed on October 13, and Phase 2 runs until November 3.

Server time is UTC+8 on the Asia server, UTC+1 on Europe and UTC-5 on America, per the wiki's Reset page. Phase 2 therefore opened at 10:00, 17:00 and 23:00 UTC respectively, and it closes at 06:59, 13:59 and 19:59 UTC on November 3, the same minute as both anniversary selectors below.

Both Phase 1 banners boosted the same three 4-stars: Diona, Faruzan and Chongyun. Phase 2 is Skirk and Escoffier reruns, both Cryo and both previously released characters rather than new debuts, and both of its banners boost Dahlia and Candace (Hydro) and Mika (Cryo). The Phase 2 weapon banner, Epitome Invocation, features Azurelight (Sword) and Symphonist of Scents (Polearm). All of it comes from HoYoverse's Phase I and Phase II Event Wishes notices.

The Sixth Anniversary: Two Free 5-Star Selectors

This is a genuine first, not just marketing framing: per the wiki's own change history for this event category, the standard-banner selector has run every anniversary since it was introduced in Version 5.0, but the limited-banner selector was added as a category in Version 7.1. That makes this the first anniversary with two free 5-star picks instead of one. HoYoverse's official Benefits Overview also confirms Intertwined Fate ×10, Primogems ×1,600, and a reset of your Genesis Crystal first-time top-up bonus as additional anniversary rewards, with further specifics promised via later in-game announcements.

Both selector events run September 23, 2026 (11:00 UTC+8) through November 3, 2026 at 14:59 server time — that's your deadline for both, not just one. HoYoverse's event notices give no time zone for the close, and the wiki's event pages list it as server time: 06:59 UTC on the Asia server, 13:59 UTC on Europe and 19:59 UTC on America.

The Limited Selector (Quest-Gated)

The event "Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure's Eve" gives you one event-exclusive 5-star character of your choice, plus that character's ascension materials. It requires Adventure Rank 18 and completing the Version 7.1 Archon Quest, Chapter VII Act IV, "A Rekviem for the Underworld."

The Standard Selector (No Quest Needed)

The event "Across the Frozen Wilds, Honing One's Edge" gives you one character of your choice from the Standard Wish "Wanderlust Invocation," plus ascension materials. The only requirement is having unlocked the Wish feature at all — no quest, no Adventure Rank floor beyond that.

Each selector can only be used once. Neither HoYoverse notice says what happens if you invite a character you already own, but the Genshin Impact Wiki's Constellation page gives the general rule: a duplicate earned through Wishes, Paimon's Bargains or Events gives that character's Stella Fortuna, and a 5-star already at maximum Constellation gets a Masterless Stella Fortuna instead. So picking an owned character gets you a constellation plus that character's ascension materials, not the materials in place of a duplicate.

New Archon Quest, Flagship Event and World Boss

Version 7.1 continues the Chapter VII Archon Quest with two new acts: Act III, "White Night, Like a Dream Upon Waking," and Act IV, the version's namesake, "A Rekviem for the Underworld" — the same quest that unlocks the limited anniversary selector above.

The flagship event was Silverwing in Pursuit of the Moon, part of the returning Moonchase Festival and set in Chenyu Vale's Yilong Wharf. It didn't start with the version — it opened a day later, on September 24, 2026 at 10:00 UTC+8, and ran through October 12. Total confirmed rewards: 950 Primogems, 1 Crown of Insight, a free copy of the new 4-star sword Silver Light, and 4 Tea-Scented Tassels.

Snezhnaya also gets a new farmable Normal Boss, the Guardian Blade of Drifting Snow — distinct from the Trounce/weekly bosses in our weekly boss drop guide, since Normal Bosses don't share that guide's resin-discount or Original Resin cost structure. Confirmed drops are the exclusive material Vagabond's Cracked Armor, the Cryo gem Shivada Jade, and artifact pieces from the Berserker/The Exile and Prayers for Destiny/Lucky Dog sets. It's a Cryo boss: the wiki lists its damage type as Cryo, and HoYoverse's 7.1 update notes say that once its HP drops low enough it encases itself in an ice coffin and periodically deals AoE Cryo DMG.

Also Shipping: TCG Cards, Weapons and Edge of Survival

A few smaller additions round out the patch:

• Genius Invokation TCG: new character cards for Columbina and Illuga (both existing Genshin characters getting card representation, not new playable debuts), plus six new action cards, among them Return of the Three Moons, per HoYoverse's 7.1 update notes. If you're new to the card game, our Genius Invokation TCG guide covers how reactions actually work at the table, which is not the same math as the open world.
• New weapons: two 5-stars tied to the new characters (a sword and a catalyst) plus four 4-stars, including the event-reward sword Silver Light.
• Edge of Survival: two new stages added to the Version 7.0 shooter mode. If you haven't touched it yet, our Edge of Survival / Shadow Realm guide covers the base loadout, ammo economy and unlock gates before you walk into the new stages blind.

For where to spend the Primogems this version hands you — 300 from maintenance compensation, 1,600 from the anniversary, plus what Silverwing paid out — our wish and pity guide breaks down exactly what a pull costs and how the 74-wish soft pity ramp works before you decide whether to pull on the Phase 2 reruns or save. And if you're chasing the livestream codes that came with the Version 7.1 reveal, check our codes tracker — the three from the September 12 Special Program are already expired, but new ones tend to land around major version launches.

Quick Action Checklist

• Version 7.1 went live September 23, 2026 after a ~5-hour maintenance starting 06:00 UTC+8 (6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT on September 22).
• Vesna (Anemo Sword) and Vodyanitsa (Hydro Catalyst) released day one, and their Phase 1 banners closed October 13. The Skirk and Escoffier reruns run in Phase 2, October 13 at 18:00 to November 3 at 14:59 server time.
• Complete the Version 7.1 Archon Quest to unlock the limited anniversary selector: Baizhu, Nilou, Varesa, Tartaglia, Chiori or Clorinde.
• Use the standard anniversary selector any time after unlocking Wishes: Jean, Diluc, Qiqi, Mona, Keqing, Tighnari, Dehya or Yumemizuki Mizuki.
• Both anniversary selectors close November 3, 2026 at 14:59 server time (06:59 UTC on Asia, 13:59 UTC on Europe, 19:59 UTC on America) — don't sit on them.