Genshin Impact
Games review
As of Jun 23, 2026, Genshin Impact is rated 81/100 on OpenCritic (42 critic reviews), and 81/100 on Metacritic (26 critic reviews). Each source is shown in its own units, never blended into one score.
Is Genshin Impact worth it in 2026?
An 81/100 across both OpenCritic and Metacritic reflects a game that genuinely earns its score: a sprawling, visually rich open world built along the lines of Breath of the Wild, with clever elemental combat and deep RPG systems available at zero upfront cost. The friction, however, starts before the endgame, slow leveling progression and a restrictive stamina system throttle the experience throughout, and the story elements reviewers flagged as uneven mean the narrative backbone of this hundred-hour RPG is inconsistent enough to disappoint players who came for it. The bigger structural problem is a gacha monetization system that six sampled reviews describe as actively predatory: character drop rates are stingy enough that building your roster without spending real money is a grind engineered to wear you down, not an oversight. The core exploration and combat loop is legitimately good; the business model is specifically designed to make you feel the cost of not paying.
Players who want a Breath of the Wild-style open world to explore casually, have no interest in roster completion, and can treat the gacha system as background noise they will never engage with.
The monetization pressure is not confined to the endgame, slow leveling and stamina restrictions create friction throughout, and the gacha system is engineered to defeat the discipline it takes to ignore it.
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes below. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Different sources measure different things, so each is shown in its own units and never merged into one number.
Pros
- expansive open world12
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- Genshin Impact's open world and clever combat are fantastic, but its endgame tries way too hard to milk you for cash.
- An incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure.
- This is an amazing smorgasbord of exploration, discovery, combat, and customization worthy of your attention, despite the presence of a predatory monetization model
- free-to-play value8
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- Genshin Impact offers a very well-made action-RPG as a free-to-play service--though it's not without a few caveats.
- A discreet and relaxing action-rpg, which thanks to its model business manages to be a completely free single player experience.
- Genshin Impact needs to be played to be believed. This is an addictive open-world adventure with gorgeous art and unique combat...and it's free! The character designs are sharp and...
- engaging combat system7
see reviews +-
- Genshin Impact's open world and clever combat are fantastic, but its endgame tries way too hard to milk you for cash.
- This is an amazing smorgasbord of exploration, discovery, combat, and customization worthy of your attention, despite the presence of a predatory monetization model
- With a dense open world inspired by Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact provides hours of free entertainment with its rich combat and deep RPG systems.
- deep exploration content6
see reviews +-
- An incredible open-world and addictive exploration make Genshin Impact anime-zing adventure.
- This is an amazing smorgasbord of exploration, discovery, combat, and customization worthy of your attention, despite the presence of a predatory monetization model
- With a dense open world inspired by Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact provides hours of free entertainment with its rich combat and deep RPG systems.
- gorgeous visuals5
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- And so I chip away and bristle against it where I can. I will allow myself to grind, but I will listen to a podcast during the most unbearable moments. I will not feel bad about ge...
- Genshin Impact needs to be played to be believed. This is an addictive open-world adventure with gorgeous art and unique combat...and it's free! The character designs are sharp and...
- Genshin Impact is a remarkable game in many respects, boasting vibrant visuals, a rich, sprawling world, deep systems, and finely-tuned action. Unfortunately, the game's free-to-pl...
- rich rpg systems4
see reviews +-
- With a dense open world inspired by Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact provides hours of free entertainment with its rich combat and deep RPG systems.
- Genshin Impact is a remarkable game in many respects, boasting vibrant visuals, a rich, sprawling world, deep systems, and finely-tuned action. Unfortunately, the game's free-to-pl...
- Genshin Impact provides you with more content as a free to play game than most full-price titles do. With so much to offer, you can easily get lost in its lush world, fun and excit...
Cons
- predatory gacha monetization6
see reviews +-
- Genshin Impact's open world and clever combat are fantastic, but its endgame tries way too hard to milk you for cash.
- This is an amazing smorgasbord of exploration, discovery, combat, and customization worthy of your attention, despite the presence of a predatory monetization model
- Genshin Impact needs to be played to be believed. This is an addictive open-world adventure with gorgeous art and unique combat...and it's free! The character designs are sharp and...
- stingy character drop rates4
see reviews +-
- Genshin Impact needs to be played to be believed. This is an addictive open-world adventure with gorgeous art and unique combat...and it's free! The character designs are sharp and...
- Despite its often less-than-subtle nods to Nintendo's Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact does enough differently to stand apart. Throw in punchier combat, a more traditional story...
- Genshin Impact is a remarkable game in many respects, boasting vibrant visuals, a rich, sprawling world, deep systems, and finely-tuned action. Unfortunately, the game's free-to-pl...
- uneven story elements3
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- HoYoverse usually releases a major nation every year, and our next destination is the France-based region of Fontaine. This is where the god of justice resides, but I find this a l...
- Though the story elements won't be to everyone's taste - and as such, the efforts the game makes to inject a sense of drama and interpretation stakes can fall flat and veer into be...
- Put aside your reservations about free-to-play mobile RPGs, gacha mechanics, and weeby storytelling: Genshin Impact is totally unique. I came in a skeptic and now find myself genui...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 20 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 68 ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.