Is it worth starting to play now?

No skip button, open world exploration= lots of time

Gacha system is similar.

If you already did everything in the game, doing dailies and mini games are maybe 10 minutes /day.

If you already play ZZZ, then you should be familiar with a good amount of Hoyo's intricacies. I would say the game is worth trying out just off of that alone.

The gameplay is a great example of being easy to understand, with a good amount of depth hidden below the surface. The elemental reaction system makes for a lot of interesting teambuilding situations, where you have to weigh the pros and cons of having various elements on a team. It helps makes the element of a character really matter, beyond the usual gacha shtick of "use this element when the enemy is weak to it to do more damage."

As for the grind, it is honestly a good bit more than most other gachas, by virtue of being an open world game. The best way of approaching it would be to view it as a marathon, not a sprint. There's no need to force yourself to do everything, when the game has hundreds upon hundreds of hours worth of content at this point.

Even as a Day 1 player, there are still a couple of areas that I've barely touched, since I just didn't feel like it. It can bea lot of fun so long as you aren't trying to force yourself, and the QoL does improve as you get to later areas.

Its never too late for anything!

Id say it's worth it if you're planning to start soon, you'll be able to get some really strong 5 stars as your starter character since new units are consistently good + a free standard 5 star, next patch will bring a lot of rewards and pulls for the Chinese new year and you'll be able to pick a 4 star, some of which are a must have in meta. Basically you'll have a huge jump start when compared to old players, since genshin wasn't exactly generous back in the day.

I think the only real down side of starting now is if you're planning to focus (and catch up) on the lore

Genshin is that kind of game worth playing anytime.

If you are concerned about gameplay & difficult contents, next banner is an archon (or void hunter)-level character that you will like to have her in your teams. Not really need to worry about power-creeping as I still using a 4 stars character in abyss since launch of this game.
Lore & stories is what keeping Genshin unmatched comparing other gacha, do search up some youtuber like MurderofBirds/Ashikai after you have experience the same quests.

You need to do a ton of quest and exploring. Think if you want to invest that amount if time.

And as other comment said-> no skip botton.

I don't see a reason why it would not be worth starting now. If anything with quality of lives updates added over the years you should have better time starting out than old players.

There few downsides, the amount of content can be overwhelming, the map is huge and there are lot of quests, but if you don't try to rush it and just play at your own place you should be fine.

Other downside is that most featured characters on banners are from new regions and require materials from these regions to level up. But they try to mitigate this issue by unlocking couple teleports and giving you direct access to these regions. Bad thing about this is that sometimes when you visit them it can trigger a cutscene and start of a quest.

About the grind it's up to you and how much you want to play. To level up characters there is not really much grind per day as you are limited by resin you can spend.

Iirc when I was starting I was getting around 25-35k primogems per month. Now when I have 100% exploration it's around 6-12k per months. To get a 5* you need 90 pulls, and another 90 if you lose 50:50. So 180 to guarantee a 5*. But you would be really unlucky to get to 180. 150 is pretty safe. Which would be 24k primogems.

ZZZ is alot quicker getting up to scratch than Genshin. Genshin is a very long winded process even on pulling for new characters.


Basically I was well into Inazuma the 3rd region before even getting to hard pity.


Good news is right now you get a free 5 star standard character which collectively arent great but will make the inital start a breeze.


Also there's a character by the name of Sucrose which is certainly a legitimate 5 star limited char on power level from the new events going on.


For a brand new account within a month you can do this:


Xingqui from latern rite event, Sucrose, Aino for free and Ineffa from the upcoming limited banner.


Legitimately I cant see even a team that competes with that by how quickly you can get it. That team has the dps check to pass endgame content (if anyone doesn't believe me I can show a solo carry with Ineffa)


Theoretically you can get that team in one day.

"Worth" to start a game, I rly dont understand this generation

Of course!

If you are someone who like exploring and questing then go ahead. You have whole big ass openworld map in front of you.


If you are someone who like flashy combat playstyle then Genshin combat is not for you.


For grind it is same as ZZZ or other hoyo game. Not very much to do if you reached the endgame.


Genshin is generally a chill open-world exploring game with gacha character collector unless you want to touch the meta and endgame reward part.


As per rule of live-service gacha game if you started late you generally miss out on some reward and you have to wait for the character you like to rerun again if you missed them. 


Just start playing if you think you will enjoy it. Because next year there will be someone who will ask the same question as you. Is it worth starting?


One thing about Genshin is you need more than attention span of a goldfish and is not looking for quick swipe content dopamine rush. There's no skip bottom.

It’s almost solo/1player game,except event forced you to play multiplayers, so play at your pace. Dont rush.

Try it for a few days and go from there, experiencing it yourself would be the best instead of relying on others opinion. But as one of the commenters already said here. No Skip Button for story, Open world, Gameplay relies on elemental reactions, This game is story driven as well.

If you're priority is to get as pulls as fast as possible, I'd say no

Genshin is better enjoyed as a game but if you're looking for a gacha then you are not gonna like the vast open world.

It will be “worth it” if you will have fun playing, and you can only know that if you give it a try. 

It’s a free game so there’s nothing to lose by trying it out. 

The grind is long and not meant to be rushed. If you are the type of person that wants to max everything out from the beginning this is not the game for you. 

Objectively Genshin is by far the least generous of Hoyo's games in terms of f2p wishes per patch and they have a much worse weapon banner system. If you're just interested in the gacha and not particularly anything specific about Genshin, then I'd look elsewhere.

The casual gameplay aspect and the timegating of the grind would frustate you if you only care about those. This game excels in beautiful scenery, music and story. It's a very slow and long process of enjoyment.