2025 will be a big year for Genshin Impact in terms of new content, be it playable characters or a new region, and a lot of that content has already been teased or leaked in some way. Currently, HoYoverse's action RPG is at the beginning of version 5.3, an important update that brings the completion of Natlan's main story missions. as Natlanese, Traveler, and even Fatui forces come together to fend off the Abyss's incursion into the Pyro Nation. There are also several new characters in Genshin Impact 5.3.
This includes the highly anticipated Pyro Traveler, as well as Mavuika and Citlali. Coinciding with the annual Lantern Rite Festival, version 5.3 also introduces a new Liyue character named Lan Yan. The current patch will kick off 2025 with a wealth of new content for players to interact with, from story missions to limited-time events, but that's just the start of what they can expect this year.. HoYoverse has already teased new characters in Genshin ImpactFuture patches and leaks have detailed some of the content that could also be released in upcoming updates.
What to expect from Genshin Impact updates in 2025
The first half of the year should expand existing regions
Based on previous years and the way its patches have been distributed, Version 5.X updates are expected to extend through Version 5.8. From version 5.3 to version 5.8, players will likely revisit regions that are already in the game, including Natlan. The Pyro Nation has not yet introduced the area around the Abundance Collective and a leak in the Reddit highlights that players can gain access to a new area of the map in version 5.5. If version 5.8 is the final patch before the release of Snezhnaya in Genshin Impact 6.0, so players can also expect a summer event.
While this first half of the year should focus on expanding zones that are already available, the speculated release of version 6.0 in September should kick off a new year of content. This will likely take players to a new region, which is expected to be Snezhnaya or Nod-Kraiand introduce a roster of new characters and a story arc for next year. Patches in 2025 will likely be a mix of expanding old areas and spawning new characters related to those zones, as well as continuing Archon Quests for Genshin Impactcampaign.
New Genshin Impact Characters in 2025
Seven characters have already been teased by HoYoverse
HoYoverse has already teased the upcoming characters for the first six months of 2025. During the version 5.3 livestream, the developer shared an image featuring the silhouettes of seven different characters, many of which are recognizable from their appearances in the game or from leaks – some leaks are more than a year old. The supposed characters in the image are supposedly Iansã, Dahlia, Ifa, Kimitsuki Ayano, Varesa, the prison girl, and Skirk in Genshin Impact. Iansan is almost certain, as she was already introduced as an important NPC in Natlan's story arc.
Iansã's release will likely coincide with the launch of a new area of Natlan's map featuring the Coletivo da Abundância, the tribe she hails from.. The character that was supposed to be Dahlia was leaked a long time ago and the silhouette matches the character's leaked design over a year ago. So far, details about them are scarce, but more should be revealed soon. The tall male figure in the silhouettes is speculated to be Ifa, a Natlan warrior who was mentioned by name in the game and leaked as an upcoming character in Genshin Impact.
In the center it is possible to see the silhouette of a female figure surrounded by shattered glass. Based on this, the outline of the clothing and the headpiece, it is possible to almost confirm that it is Skirk. Next to her is a character presumed to be Kimitsuki Ayano, although her design has not yet been released. The outfit, however, resembles that of an Inazuma character and there have already been leaks about an Inazuma character in Genshin Impact 5.4.
Like Ifá, Varesa is a Dutch character who was mentioned by name in the game and is, supposedly, the sixth figure cut out in the image. There have been some rumors about Varesa becoming playable at some point and the general community interpretation is that the sixth silhouette belongs to her. The seventh and final silhouette corresponds to the leaked design of the mysterious character known as prison girl in Genshin Impact. So far, further details about her are scarce, but the Gothic-inspired character is said to be related to the Meropide Fortress in Fontaine.
While these seven characters are expected to be released or at least introduced as NPCs within the next six months, the game will likely undergo a major change with the imminent release of version 6.0. The update is expected to take players to a new region, and in it, players will likely encounter a roster of new characters, whether they're from Snezhnaya or just the Nod-Krai subregion.. Snezhnaya leaks have been scarce, but based on the game's recent years, it's likely that Snezhnaya characters will have some sort of unique gameplay mechanic, like Natlan's Nightsoul system or Fontaine's Arkhe system.
New Genshin Impact Region (Snezhnaya, Nod-Krai) in 2025
There is some discussion about where players will go with version 6.0
With the arrival of version 6.0, players will likely be taken to an entirely new region. Logically speaking, Snezhnaya is the next big destination in the Traveler's quest to find his brother. The seventh Nation of Teyvat is the only one that has not been explored so far, the rational conclusion is that Snezhnaya will be released in Version 6.0. However, the developers avoided mentioning Snezhnaya as a whole and instead focused on one subregion of the Cryo Nation: Nod-Krai. There is a chance that players will only explore Snezhnaya in Genshin Impact fully much later.
If the regional release of version 6.0 is limited to Nod-Krai – which is still, technically, part of Snezhnaya – then the next year of region-related content may be a little different from previous years. In fact, this idea goes hand in hand with a leak shared on Reddit who mentions this The release of Snezhnaya will only occur in version 7.0 and version 6.0 will only see the release of Nod-Krai. Another leak in Reddit mentions that the 6.X patches will release map areas from previous regions that were mentioned long ago in Genshin Impactsuch as Mount Esus and Port Dornman.
This year of content will be exciting for the hit action RPG. Not only is the story getting a lot more serious as it reaches the final Nation of Teyvat and possibly takes the fight to the Abyss and Celestia, but HoYoverse has already promised that the gameplay will undergo a rework of sorts this year. Additionally, the game may delay the release of Snezhnaya to focus on expanding other regions with lore-filled areas that will inevitably make Genshin Impact richest in 2025.