Games / Open-world Action RPG

Genshin Impact

A console-scale open world that happens to run on your phone.

Few mobile games attempt as much as Genshin Impact, and fewer still pull it off. You explore Teyvat, a sprawling open world split into nations with distinct cultures, architecture and music, piecing together the story of a traveler searching for a lost sibling. Combat revolves around combining seven elements — douse enemies with water, then strike with lightning to trigger chain reactions that feel genuinely tactical rather than button-mashy.

The free-to-play model is funded by a gacha system for new characters and weapons, which means patience (or spending) shapes your roster. The good news: the entire main story, world exploration and regular events are fully playable without paying, and the production values — voice acting, orchestral score, animated cutscenes — remain unmatched on mobile. It is a heavy download and demands a capable phone, but if your device can handle it, this is the closest thing to a full console RPG in your pocket.

Key features

• Huge open world with seven explorable nations and counting
• Elemental reaction combat that rewards team composition
• Full story campaign, co-op domains and limited-time events
• Cross-save between mobile, PC and console

Why our editors picked it

It reset expectations for what a phone game can look like. No other free mobile RPG matches its scale.