The short version: Wuthering Waves' Wikipedia article says it has been compared to Genshin Impact, and it is rated 87% by English reviews on Steam. If you want the same studio, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero come from miHoYo, Genshin's developer. If the gacha is what you want to leave behind, Where Winds Meet limits its monetization to cosmetics, per Wccftech's review, and Duet Night Abyss gives characters and weapons for free. All eight picks are free on PC. Store data was read on October 24, 2026. Not hands-on tested.
How we picked the eight
A game made this list only if a named source ties it to Genshin Impact. That source is the game's English Wikipedia article or a named review, quoted below. "Looks like Genshin" from us does not count.
- Free on PC, on Steam or on the Epic Games Store.
- Out on PC today.
- Left out: Tower of Fantasy is often called a Genshin rival, but the review we found could not be opened to check its wording, so it is not ranked here.
Genshin Impact on PC, as the baseline
Genshin Impact is free on PC through HoYoverse's HoYoPlay launcher and the Epic Games Store, not on Steam. Its Epic Games Store listing gives a minimum of 8 GB RAM and 110 GB of storage, and 16 GB RAM and 150 GB recommended. Every row below is compared with those two minimums.
| Game | Tie to Genshin (source) | Gacha for characters | Steam score (English) | Min. RAM | Min. storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genshin Impact (baseline) | the reference game | Yes | not on Steam | 8 GB | 110 GB |
| Wuthering Waves | Compared to Genshin (Wikipedia) | Yes | 87% of 30,754 | 16 GB | 150 GB |
| Honkai: Star Rail | Genshin gameplay elements (Wikipedia) | Yes | not on Steam | 8 GB | not listed |
| Zenless Zone Zero | Same developer, miHoYo (Wikipedia) | Yes | 89% of 7,810 | 8 GB | 75 GB |
| Arknights: Endfield | "Most dangerous Genshin rival" (Gameswelt) | Yes | 90% of 1,135 | 16 GB | 60 GB |
| NTE: Neverness to Everness | "GTA with Genshin Impact" (MeinMMO) | Yes | 82% of 3,364 | 16 GB | 110 GB |
| Infinity Nikki | Measured against Genshin (Eurogamer, via Wikipedia) | Outfits, not characters | 57% of 5,514 | 16 GB | 60 GB |
| Where Winds Meet | In Genshin's free open-world wave (Wccftech) | No, cosmetics only | 86% of 64,777 | 16 GB | 130 GB |
| Duet Night Abyss | "Genshin Impact and Warframe hybrid" (Prima Games) | No | 56% of 1,274 | 16 GB | 32 GB |
Honkai: Star Rail's figure comes from its Epic Games Store listing, which gives no storage number. "Gacha for characters" follows each game's Wikipedia article or the cited review.
Pick by what you liked in Genshin
Start from the part of Genshin you would miss. Each pick below comes from the sources in the table.
| If you liked | Try |
|---|---|
| Open-world exploration and action combat | Wuthering Waves, then NTE |
| HoYoverse's style and rewards, with turn-based fights | Honkai: Star Rail |
| HoYoverse's action, in a smaller footprint | Zenless Zone Zero (75 GB) |
| Exploration, with base building on top | Arknights: Endfield |
| Exploring and collecting, without combat at the center | Infinity Nikki |
| The open world, without the gacha | Where Winds Meet or Duet Night Abyss |
If you want to know what a gacha actually sells before you switch, our guide on how free-to-play PC games make money explains it.
The closest matches
These four share Genshin's gacha model and are the ones sources compare to it most directly.
1. Wuthering Waves [compared to Genshin, more combat]
Wikipedia says Wuthering Waves "has been compared to other titles of the genre such as Genshin Impact, but aims to place greater emphasis on its combat system." It is an open-world action RPG from Kuro Games, on Steam since April 28, 2025, and its gacha banners give characters and weapons. What changes: it asks for more than Genshin's listing, 16 GB RAM and 150 GB. Score: 87% of 30,754 English reviews, and 80% over the last 30 days.
2. Honkai: Star Rail [same studio, turn-based]
Wikipedia says it carries over "gameplay elements from miHoYo's previous game Genshin Impact," including the gacha system and gear that works like Genshin's Artifacts. What changes: combat is turn-based, which a developer quoted on Wikipedia calls "command-based combat." It is not on Steam: it is free through HoYoPlay and the Epic Games Store, whose listing gives 8 GB RAM, the same as Genshin.
3. Zenless Zone Zero [same studio, city action]
Also from miHoYo, published on Steam by COGNOSPHERE since June 16, 2026. Wikipedia notes that, unlike the character designs of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, it took "a different direction," with non-human playable characters. Players summon its Agents through the gacha. What changes: an urban setting instead of an open fantasy world, and a smaller footprint than Genshin: 75 GB, with the same 8 GB RAM. Score: 89% of 7,810 English reviews.
4. Arknights: Endfield [open world plus base building]
German site Gameswelt titled its January 29, 2026 review "the most dangerous Genshin Impact rival in a long time," and described a mash-up of Genshin's open world, Honkai: Star Rail's sci-fi character design and combat that recalls Zenless Zone Zero. What changes: Steam's player tags put Automation and Base Building next to Action and RPG. It has been on Steam since October 14, 2026, with 90% of 1,135 English reviews, an early number. Minimum: 16 GB RAM, 60 GB.
Same idea, different setting
These two keep the gacha but move away from Genshin's fantasy world.
5. NTE: Neverness to Everness [Genshin-style fights in a modern city]
German site MeinMMO headlined its April 30, 2026 launch article "new game mixes GTA with Genshin Impact," and wrote that you fight "in the style of Genshin Impact and other gacha games" with different weapons. It comes from Hotta Studio, published by Perfect World Games, on Steam since July 7, 2026. What changes: a modern city. Minimum: 16 GB RAM and 110 GB, the same storage as Genshin. Score: 82% of 3,364 English reviews.
6. Infinity Nikki [exploration and outfits]
Wikipedia quotes Eurogamer's Jessica Orr, who wrote that Infinity Nikki "might just replace Genshin as the new standard that future open-world gacha games are compared to." What changes: per Wikipedia, its gacha sells clothing items and accessories rather than characters. On Steam since April 28, 2025, it is Mixed at 57% of 5,514 English reviews, but 82% over the last 30 days. Minimum: 16 GB RAM, 60 GB.
Like Genshin, without the character gacha
If the gacha is what you want to drop, these two keep the free open-world idea and change the business model.
7. Where Winds Meet [cosmetics only]
Wccftech's review opens by saying Genshin Impact's 2020 launch "ushered in an era of free open-world RPGs with AAA production values," then reviews Where Winds Meet as a game that "limits monetization to cosmetics." Its Steam page makes the same claim, which is the publisher's. It is a wuxia open-world action RPG from Everstone Studio, published by NetEase Games, on Steam since November 14, 2025. What changes: no character gacha, and a heavier PC listing: 16 GB RAM and 130 GB. Score: 86% of 64,777 English reviews, more than any other pick here, and 79% over the last 30 days.
8. Duet Night Abyss [characters and weapons for free]
Prima Games called it a "Genshin Impact and Warframe hybrid" on October 28, 2025, and wrote that the planned gacha for weapons and characters was dropped, with both now given for free. Wikipedia adds that monetization moved to cosmetics. On Steam since January 19, 2026, from Pan Studio, published by Hero Games. What changes: it plays as a hack-and-slash looter shooter, per Prima Games. Score: Mixed at 56% of 1,274 English reviews. Minimum: 16 GB RAM, 32 GB.
How heavy each one is next to Genshin
Six of the eight list more RAM than Genshin Impact's 8 GB minimum. Only Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai: Star Rail match it.
- More storage than Genshin's 110 GB: Wuthering Waves (150 GB) and Where Winds Meet (130 GB). NTE matches it at 110 GB.
- Less storage: Zenless Zone Zero (75 GB), Arknights: Endfield and Infinity Nikki (60 GB each), Duet Night Abyss (32 GB).
For a side-by-side of official requirements across free PC games, see our free PC games system requirements table.
What this list does not show
It shows what sources say and what stores list, not how each game plays.
- No play impressions. We have not played these games for this article.
- "Like Genshin" comes from the cited sources, and two of them are German articles, translated here.
- Pull rates and pity are not given: guides disagree, and each game shows its rates in-game.
- Scores move. Steam's figures are those of October 24, 2026, as shown to an English-language visitor.
For free games in other genres, see our map of the best free-to-play PC games.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest game to Genshin Impact?
Wuthering Waves, by its Wikipedia article, which says it has been compared to Genshin Impact while putting more weight on combat. Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero come from Genshin's own developer, miHoYo.
Are there games like Genshin Impact without gacha?
Yes. Wccftech's review says Where Winds Meet limits monetization to cosmetics, and Prima Games reports that Duet Night Abyss gives characters and weapons for free.
Which games like Genshin Impact are on Steam?
All of them except Honkai: Star Rail, which, like Genshin Impact, is on HoYoPlay and the Epic Games Store.
Do games like Genshin Impact need a better PC?
Most do. Six of the eight list 16 GB RAM as their minimum, against 8 GB for Genshin Impact. Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai: Star Rail list 8 GB.
Sources and method
Steam store pages, read on October 24, 2026 (UTC) as an English-language visitor in the US store: review summaries, last-30-day rows, system requirements, release dates, developers and publishers. Epic Games Store listings of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, read the same day. Steam player tags are set by players. German quotes are translated by GamiPrime. Not hands-on tested. Last verified: 2026-10-24.
- Wikipedia: Wuthering Waves, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, Infinity Nikki, Duet Night Abyss, read October 24, 2026.
- Gameswelt, Arknights: Endfield review, January 29, 2026 (German).
- MeinMMO, NTE launch article, April 30, 2026 (German).
- Wccftech, Where Winds Meet review, November 12, 2025.
- Prima Games, Duet Night Abyss, October 28, 2025.
