Genshin Impact 7.1 is live — release time, compensation and banners

Updated October 12, 2026

Genshin Impact 7.1 unlocks worldwide at the same moment

23 September 2026

Servers are live: Version 7.1 launched on 23 September 2026 after maintenance that began at 06:00 (UTC+8) and was estimated at five hours, confirmed by the official update-details notice published the same day. That notice does not state the minute servers returned, so the countdown target of about 11:00 (UTC+8) remains our calculation from the announced start and duration, not an announced unlock time. Compensation is 600 Primogems in total: 300 for maintenance (60 more per additional hour of downtime) and a separate 300 issue-fix payment that must be claimed before 26 September at 06:00 (UTC+8).

Unlock time by region
Los Angeles (PT)	Tue 22 Sept, 20:00
New York (ET)	Tue 22 Sept, 23:00
London (BST)	Wed 23 Sept, 04:00
Berlin / Paris (CEST)	Wed 23 Sept, 05:00
Dubai (GST)	Wed 23 Sept, 07:00
Beijing / Singapore / Manila	Wed 23 Sept, 11:00
Tokyo (JST)	Wed 23 Sept, 12:00
Sydney (AEST)	Wed 23 Sept, 13:00

If you go by abbreviation: Pacific time (PST/PDT) is the Los Angeles row, Eastern (EST/EDT) is New York, Philippine time (PHT) and Singapore time (SGT) both match the Beijing row, and GMT/BST is London.

At a glance
Release date	2026-09-23
Developer	HoYoverse
Publisher	HoYoverse
Platforms	PC · PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4 · Xbox Series X\|S · iOS / Android
Preload	Available now
Early access	None advertised

Version 7.1 “A Rekviem for the Underworld” is live. It launched on 23 September 2026, after maintenance that began at 06:00 (UTC+8) and was estimated at five hours — so the unlock landed around 11:00 (UTC+8), which is still our calculation rather than an announced minute. Two things are worth doing before anything else: claim the 600 Primogems of compensation, and note that half of it expires early — the 300-Primogem issue-fix payment has to be claimed before 26 September at 06:00 (UTC+8).

Changelog, 24 September. Version 7.1 is live. Updated from the official Version 7.1 Update Details published on 23 September: the launch is confirmed, the compensation is 600 Primogems in two mails rather than the 300 the maintenance preview announced, and the issue-fix half carries a 26 September claim deadline. The countdown clock above has switched to counting up from launch. The pre-launch evidence trail is kept below unchanged.

Changelog, 22 September. Added the official maintenance preview published on 21 September at 03:10 UTC: maintenance start and estimated duration, compensation and open pre-installation. The countdown uses the derived return time, labelled as an estimate. The 23 September date was a derivation here from 25 August until the 12 September announcement; its original evidence table remains below.

7.1 went live on 23 September

Three HoYoverse posts on 12 September, the day of the special program, settle the date:

Post	What it fixes
Version 7.1 “A Rekviem for the Underworld” Events Overview	”will be released on September 23, 2026”
Version 7.1 Benefits Overview	”launches on September 23” plus the anniversary reward list
Character Skill Showcases (14–15 September)	Vesna’s and Vodyanitsa’s event wishes “available after the Version 7.1 update on September 23”

That was the date, and it held. It also lined up exactly with 7.0’s Phase 2 wishes, which closed on 22 September — the night before.

Unlock time: official maintenance, derived return

Official: the Version 7.1 Update Maintenance Preview, published on 21 September 2026 at 03:10 UTC, states that maintenance begins on 23 September at 06:00 (UTC+8) and is estimated to take 5 hours.

Derived: adding five hours gives about 11:00 (UTC+8) on 23 September — the evening of 22 September in the Americas. This is the estimate used by the countdown and regional time table. The notice gives a maintenance start and estimated duration, not an announced unlock time; the actual return may vary.

Maintenance compensation is 300 Primogems, plus 60 for each additional hour of downtime. Eligibility requires Adventure Rank 5 or above before 23 September at 06:00 (UTC+8). Compensation arrives by in-game mail within five hours after maintenance ends; the mail expires after 30 days.

Pre-installation is available now: about 10 GB on PC / 4 GB on mobile, with actual size depending on the installed voice-over packs. The full Version Update Details notice is scheduled for 23 September at 07:00 (UTC+8); that publication time is not the unlock time.

The special program aired 12 September

HoYoverse announced it on 7 September and it ran on 12 September at 08:00 (UTC-4) / 20:00 (UTC+8) on the official Twitch and YouTube channels. It named the version, showed the new content and dropped the usual three redemption codes. Those codes expire about 72 hours after the stream, every time; by 15 September they were dead, and no working version-scale codes exist right now. The next batch arrives with the 7.2 special program.

7.1 banners: Vesna and Vodyanitsa

Two new 5-stars are official, each named by HoYoverse in a Character Skill Showcase with its event wish:

“Snowy Banquet’s Sharp Blade” Vesna (Anemo) — the When Warm Winds Cavort event wish, “available after the Version 7.1 update on September 23”.
“Lingering Siren-Song” Vodyanitsa (Hydro) — the Surging Ballad event wish, same wording, same date.

The official Version 7.1 Event Wishes Notice - Phase I, posted 21 September, settles the rest: both Vesna and Vodyanitsa run in Phase I, from the update until 13 October 17:59 (server time). The 4-star rate-ups on both are Diona, Faruzan and Chongyun; the weapon banner, Epitome Invocation, features Beyond the Chrysalis (sword) and Hymn of the Maelstrom (catalyst). The two character event wishes share one pity counter. Phase II was announced on 8 October; see the confirmed line-up below. The banner schedule carries the same dates.

Phase II: Skirk and Escoffier, 13 October–3 November

HoYoverse’s official Phase II notice, published 8 October 2026, confirms two reruns: Skirk (Cryo) on Void Star’s Advent and Escoffier (Cryo) on La Chanson Cerise. Both share the 4-star rate-ups Dahlia, Candace and Mika. The weapon wish features Azurelight (sword) and Symphonist of Scents (polearm).

The Asia / TW-HK-MO window is 13 October 2026 at 18:00 to 3 November at 14:59 (UTC+8). The Japanese official notice lists the same Asia window as 19:00 to 15:59 JST (UTC+9). This is a server-phase change, not a globally simultaneous version maintenance unlock; use your own server’s in-game wish timer. The banner schedule uses the Asia baseline for its countdown.

Anniversary rewards: two free 5-stars

The 7.1 Benefits Overview lists, as anniversary rewards: two 5-star characters to invite to your party, Intertwined Fate ×10, Primogems ×1,600, and a reset of the Genesis Crystal first top-up bonus, with “more anniversary rewards” to follow in-game announcements. Which characters are on offer, and whether it is a pick or a fixed pair, is exactly what those in-game announcements will specify — the overview does not say, and neither do we until it does.

The Tsaritsa question

The most-asked thing about 7.1 for a month. On the record now: The official 7.1 wish line-up includes Vesna and Vodyanitsa in Phase I, then Skirk and Escoffier in Phase II. Nothing official mentions a Tsaritsa banner in 7.1; the community expectation of “7.1 at the earliest” did not materialise. She stays a speculation entry until HoYoverse names her.

What is announced, and what is not

Official: the 23 September date; the version name; the 12 September special program; Vesna and Vodyanitsa as 7.1 event-wish characters; the anniversary reward list; maintenance starting 23 September at 06:00 (UTC+8), estimated at five hours; compensation; open pre-installation and download sizes.
Derived: about 11:00 (UTC+8) on 23 September for servers to return, calculated from the announced start and estimated duration.
Not yet: an officially announced unlock minute; which two 5-stars the free invitation covers. (The Version Update Details and the Phase I wish notice have both posted — see above.)
Current phase: 7.1 Phase I (Vesna and Vodyanitsa) ends 13 October at 17:59 server time; Phase II follows at 18:00. The times and countdown on the banner page use Asia / TW-HK-MO (UTC+8).

What the derivation rested on

For the record, the 23 September figure this page carried before 12 September came from two independent threads that happened to agree:

Evidence	What it said
Six-week cadence	7.0 launched 12 August 2026; six weeks later is 23 September
7.0’s own banner schedule	Phase 2 (Flins / Ineffa) runs 1 – 22 September — the night before a 23 September maintenance

Both pointed at the right date. They were never an announcement, and the page said so; it is the announcement now.

Sources

The 23 September date is stated in HoYoverse’s Version 7.1 Events Overview and repeated in the Benefits Overview, both posted 12 September; the reward list is from the latter. The special program slot is from the Special Program Preview of 7 September. Vesna and Vodyanitsa, their event-wish names and the “after the Version 7.1 update on September 23” wording are from HoYoverse’s Character Skill Showcases for Vesna and Vodyanitsa. Maintenance, compensation, preload sizes and the Version Update Details publication time come from the official 7.1 maintenance preview, published on 21 September at 03:10 UTC. The approximately 11:00 (UTC+8) return is our calculation from the 06:00 start and estimated five hours, not an announced unlock time. HoYoverse’s 7.0 maintenance preview remains a historical reference. The 7.0 Phase 2 window is recorded on our 7.0 page from the official wish notice. The Tsaritsa paragraph reports community expectation as such. The launch confirmation, the second 300-Primogem issue-fix payment and its 26 September claim deadline are from HoYoverse’s Version 7.1 Update Details, published on 23 September.

FAQ

When does Genshin Impact 7.1 come out?

23 September 2026 — official. HoYoverse's Version 7.1 events overview, posted on 12 September alongside the special program, states the date outright. Until then this page carried 23 September as a derivation from the six-week cadence; the derivation was right, and it is now an announcement.

What time does 7.1 unlock?

Official: maintenance starts on 23 September 2026 at 06:00 (UTC+8), with an estimated duration of 5 hours. Derived: servers may unlock around 11:00 (UTC+8), or the evening of 22 September in the Americas. That is calculated from the start and estimated duration, not an officially announced unlock time; the countdown uses this estimate.

When was the Genshin 7.1 livestream (special program)?

It already aired: 12 September 2026 at 08:00 (UTC-4), 20:00 (UTC+8), on the official Twitch and YouTube channels. It named the version 'A Rekviem for the Underworld', fixed the 23 September date and dropped the usual three redemption codes, which expire about 72 hours after the stream — by 15 September they were gone.

What are the Genshin 7.1 banners?

Two new 5-stars are official: 'Snowy Banquet's Sharp Blade' Vesna (Anemo) on the 'When Warm Winds Cavort' event wish and 'Lingering Siren-Song' Vodyanitsa (Hydro) on the 'Surging Ballad' event wish, both listed as available after the 7.1 update on 23 September. Both are in Phase I, per HoYoverse's Version 7.1 Event Wishes Notice - Phase I (21 September): after the update until 13 October 17:59 server time, with Diona, Faruzan and Chongyun as the 4-star rate-ups; the weapon banner features Beyond the Chrysalis and Hymn of the Maelstrom. The two character event wishes share one pity counter. Phase II is official: Skirk and Escoffier reruns, Dahlia/Candace/Mika, and Azurelight/Symphonist of Scents. Asia / TW-HK-MO: 13 October 18:00–3 November 14:59 (UTC+8); see the Phase II section for the server-time distinction.

Is the Tsaritsa playable in 7.1?

No — not in anything announced. The official 7.1 wish line-up includes Vesna and Vodyanitsa in Phase I, then Skirk and Escoffier in Phase II. Nothing official mentions a Tsaritsa banner in 7.1; community expectation had put her at 7.1 at the earliest, and that expectation did not materialise. This page prints her banner when HoYoverse does.

What free rewards does 7.1 give?

HoYoverse's 7.1 benefits overview lists two 5-star characters to invite to your party, Intertwined Fate ×10, Primogems ×1,600 and a reset of the Genesis Crystal first top-up bonus, framed as anniversary rewards, with more to be announced in-game. Which 5-stars, and how the choice works, is what the in-game announcements will specify.

Are there Genshin 7.1 codes?

The three codes from the 12 September special program expired about 72 hours later, as livestream codes always do — there are no working version-scale codes right now. The next batch comes with the 7.2 special program. Sites listing '7.1 codes' today are recycling expired ones.