Genshin Impact gives players an open world across seven elemental nations, with an elemental reaction combat system and gacha character progression. GPA scores it high on Open World and Action.
Game Characteristics
Character Building
90%
Graphics
85%
Anime Characters
85%
Story Depth
80%
Open World
80%
Action
75%
Emotional Story
75%
Strategy
70%
Visual Novel / ADV
55%
Existential Themes
50%
Co-op
50%
High Difficulty
40%
Dystopian Setting
30%
Logic
30%
Player profile fit
Recommended for: Beginner to Advanced players (A score of 50 or higher indicates a good fit.)
Honkai: Star Rail runs its turn-based combat through a space station and a series of themed planets, with a gacha character system that expands the party composition options. GPA scores it high on Turn-Based and Story Depth among mobile titles — the HoYoverse entry that most directly addresses players who want JRPG mechanics in a live-service framework.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
90%
Graphics
85%
Anime Characters
85%
Story Depth
75%
Open World
0%
Action
40%
Emotional Story
70%
Strategy
70%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Zenless Zone Zero sets a character-action RPG in the Hollow-infested city of New Eridu, where anomalous phenomena require specialized agents to navigate. GPA scores it high on Action and Graphics — a HoYoverse title built around the studio's highest action-game benchmark.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
85%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
80%
Story Depth
75%
Open World
0%
Action
80%
Emotional Story
70%
Strategy
0%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Arknights: Endfield puts the next century of the Arknights universe on a new planet, replacing the original's 2D tower defense with 3D real-time squad combat and open-world base building. GPA scores it high on Strategy and Action — the franchise's transition from tower placement to direct unit control.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
85%
Graphics
90%
Anime Characters
80%
Story Depth
75%
Open World
75%
Action
75%
Emotional Story
70%
Strategy
80%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 follows Rex and the Blades — living weapons with distinct personalities — toward the mythical Elysium. The combat system builds through Blade combinations and chain attacks. GPA scores it high on Turn-Based and Emotional Story, with Story Depth above average — a positioning that reflects the series' commitment to extended narrative investment.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
70%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
70%
Story Depth
85%
Open World
50%
Action
75%
Emotional Story
85%
Strategy
50%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
NTE: Neverness to Everness sets an open-world action RPG in Hethereau, a city where the supernatural coexists with hyper-stylized urban life. Street racing, mahjong, crane operations, and crew management sit alongside the main story. GPA scores it high on Action and Graphics — a live-service title that treats the city itself as the primary content.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
60%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
80%
Story Depth
50%
Open World
80%
Action
80%
Emotional Story
50%
Strategy
70%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Persona 5: The Phantom X extends the Phantom Thieves setting into a mobile RPG with a new protagonist and a gacha progression system. The visual identity matches the mainline entry. GPA scores it high on Turn-Based and Story Depth among mobile adaptations — a positioning that reflects the license quality rather than mechanical novelty.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
70%
Graphics
70%
Anime Characters
70%
Story Depth
70%
Open World
60%
Action
40%
Emotional Story
75%
Strategy
55%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Pokémon Legends: Z-A marks an ambitious return to the Kalos region, focusing its narrative and gameplay entirely within the urban expanse of Lumiose City. Developed by Game Freak, the game centers around an innovative urban redevelopment plan designed to foster a harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon. Building upon the structural shift introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, this entry promises a refined approach to catching, battling, and exploration, set against the backdrop of a changing city full of mystery.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
85%
Graphics
60%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
65%
Open World
60%
Action
80%
Emotional Story
65%
Strategy
70%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet opened the series to a fully explorable open world. Three independent storylines run simultaneously without a prescribed order. GPA scores it high on Collection and Co-op.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
90%
Graphics
50%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
70%
Open World
70%
Action
65%
Emotional Story
70%
Strategy
70%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 connects the worlds of the first two games through a story about soldiers fighting a war no one can explain. The real-time combat scales with party composition through the Ouroboros system. GPA scores it high on Turn-Based and Emotional Story, with Story Depth above average — a JRPG where the narrative's ambitions match its length.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
60%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
40%
Story Depth
85%
Open World
60%
Action
70%
Emotional Story
80%
Strategy
50%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim gave players a province-sized open world and enough quest content to sustain thousands of hours. The modding scene extended that lifespan indefinitely. GPA scores it at the maximum for Open World — the defining axis — with Story Depth mid-range, reflecting breadth of content over narrative density.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
80%
Graphics
65%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
80%
Open World
90%
Action
75%
Emotional Story
65%
Strategy
60%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii puts Goro Majima at the center of a pirate adventure following memory loss. The naval combat and crew management add mechanics absent from the main series. GPA scores it high on Action and Emotional Story — a spin-off built around a secondary character's appeal rather than the main series' RPG structure.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
65%
Graphics
55%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
85%
Open World
55%
Action
65%
Emotional Story
55%
Strategy
40%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Black Desert Online builds its open world around action combat with no tab-targeting and a knowledge system that tracks every NPC, item, and location interaction. The character creator is the most detailed in the MMO category. GPA scores it high on Open World and Action — a free-to-play MMORPG built around character expression and action combat rather than traditional quest progression.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
85%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
55%
Open World
85%
Action
75%
Emotional Story
0%
Strategy
50%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Granblue Fantasy: Relink adapts the Granblue Fantasy world into an action RPG with a 4-player co-op quest structure. The character roster draws from the mobile game's extended cast. GPA scores it high on Action and Co-op — a single-player and multiplayer hybrid that serves both fan service and genre-competent action in parallel.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
70%
Graphics
85%
Anime Characters
60%
Story Depth
60%
Open World
0%
Action
85%
Emotional Story
60%
Strategy
60%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy's investigation into the machine ecosystem collapse across western North America, adding underwater exploration and a wider variety of machine types. GPA scores it high on Open World and Story Depth — a sequel that expands the geographic and narrative scope of Zero Dawn without changing its fundamental design.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
50%
Graphics
85%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
80%
Open World
85%
Action
80%
Emotional Story
75%
Strategy
60%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Dragon Quest Treasures follows Eric and Mia's childhood adventure, centering treasure hunting and monster recruitment over traditional JRPG combat. The appraisal system turns found objects into scored rewards. GPA scores it lower on Difficulty and higher on Collection than mainline DQ entries — a positioning that correctly identifies the spin-off's audience.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
70%
Graphics
70%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
50%
Open World
50%
Action
50%
Emotional Story
50%
Strategy
30%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Arknights runs its tower defense and tactical combat through a post-apocalyptic world where infected populations are segregated by law. The operator roster and faction writing carry more depth than most mobile strategy games. GPA scores it high on Strategy and Dark World — the combination that identifies a game where the setting's politics are as developed as the mechanics.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
85%
Graphics
70%
Anime Characters
80%
Story Depth
85%
Open World
0%
Action
30%
Emotional Story
70%
Strategy
90%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Horizon Zero Dawn explains its post-apocalyptic world through environmental storytelling and collectibles before the main quest confirms anything. The machine combat rewards studying behavior patterns. GPA scores it high on Open World and Story Depth, with Emotional Story above 75 — a combination that describes an action game where the world-building carries as much weight as the combat.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
50%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
0%
Story Depth
85%
Open World
85%
Action
80%
Emotional Story
80%
Strategy
65%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
Heaven Burns Red's writing density per scene is the highest in the mobile category, following Seraphina and her unit through a war against unidentified organisms with the ambition of a full visual novel embedded in gacha delivery. GPA scores it at the top for Story Depth and Emotional Story — the combination that drove its reputation beyond the gacha audience.
Tag Similarity
Character Building
75%
Graphics
80%
Anime Characters
85%
Story Depth
95%
Open World
40%
Action
0%
Emotional Story
95%
Strategy
0%
Chart tags: Character Building / Graphics / Anime Characters / Story Depth / Open World / Action / Emotional Story / Strategy
About "Genshin Impact"
▸Game Composition (GPA Analysis)
原神（Genshin Impact） leads with its Open-World RPG identity, anchored by the core feel of "Genshin Impact gives players an open world across seven elemental nations, with an elemental reaction combat system an…." The headline profile reads Character Building 90% / Graphics 85% / Anime Characters 85%, making it a strong pick for fans of Character Building and Graphics. Accessible enough for newcomers while offering enough depth to satisfy veterans.
▸Characteristics & Analysis
Our editorial team scored "原神（Genshin Impact）" by using its feel of free to play, miHoYo, and 元素反応 as the primary lens, weighting Character Building and Graphics most heavily. Top similar titles include "崩壊:スターレイル", "ゼンレスゾーンゼロ（ゼンゼロ）", "アークナイツ：エンドフィールド".
Genshin Impact Explained | An Open-World RPG Built Around Exploration, Characters, and Elemental Combat
Game Overview
Genshin Impact is an open-world RPG set in the world of Teyvat, combining exploration, character collection and progression, real-time combat, elemental reactions, and a large amount of story content.
You play as the Traveler, who arrives in Teyvat while searching for a lost sibling. The journey takes you across different regions, each with its own characters, cultures, environments, quests, and storylines.
GPA gives the game a 90% Character Building score, 85% Graphics, 85% Anime-style Characters, 80% Story Depth, 80% Open World, 75% Action, 75% Emotional Story, and 70% Strategy. Those scores reflect how strongly the game combines exploration, long-term character progression, party building, and narrative content.
Title tendency chart (Genshin Impact)
Character Building ◀
90%
Graphics
85%
Anime Characters
85%
Story Depth
80%
Open World
80%
Action
75%
Emotional Story
75%
Strategy
70%
Based on GPA gameplay tag scores.
Gameplay Analysis
Exploration Is a Major Part of the Experience
The 80% Open World score reflects one of Genshin Impact's defining features. See also our 30 Open-World Games column for other exploration-heavy titles.
Teyvat is filled with mountains, forests, lakes, caves, cities, ruins, puzzles, enemies, resources, and hidden locations. Characters can climb, glide, and swim, allowing the environment itself to become part of exploration.
Even when you are simply traveling toward the next objective, it is easy to get distracted by something nearby: a chest, a puzzle, an unusual location, or a resource you need for character progression. Exploration is not just a way of moving between quests—it is one of the main activities.
Character Progression Gives Exploration a Long-Term Purpose
Character Building scores 90%, the highest major GPA score on the page.
Characters can be developed through levels, weapons, artifacts, and talents, with different combinations changing how they perform in combat.
Getting a new character is only the beginning. You then gather materials, improve their equipment, build a team around them, and take them into actual combat. That creates a long-term loop: collect characters → build them → create a team → test the team in combat.
Elemental Reactions Add Strategy to Real-Time Combat
The 70% Strategy score and 75% Action score come largely from the way Genshin Impact combines real-time combat with its elemental system. Characters use different elements, and applying different elements to enemies can trigger reactions with different effects.
which characters work well together
when to apply each element
which character should stay on the field
how to respond to different enemies and situations
The controls are relatively approachable, but party building becomes more involved as you collect more characters and start experimenting with different elemental combinations.
Story and Characters Matter as Much as the Combat
GPA gives Genshin Impact an 80% Story Depth score and a 75% Emotional Story score. Teyvat is divided into regions with different cultures, characters, conflicts, and storylines. Beyond the main quest, individual characters and limited-time events also receive their own stories.
Characters are not simply combat units. Learning about their backgrounds, relationships, motivations, and roles in the wider world is an important part of the experience.
Accessible for Beginners, With Room for Deeper Builds
The 40% High Difficulty score suggests that Genshin Impact is not primarily designed as a demanding action game. Target-user scores are relatively balanced: 60 for beginners, 70 for intermediate players, and 60 for advanced players.
Target player scores (50+ suggests a comfortable fit)
Beginner60
Intermediate70
Advanced60
You do not need advanced action-game skills to explore the world and follow the story. At the same time, players who want to optimize their characters and teams have plenty of room to experiment with builds, elemental reactions, and party composition.
Multiplayer Supports the Main Experience
Co-op sits at 50%. Players can explore parts of the world together and participate in certain activities and combat encounters, but Genshin Impact is not fundamentally built around constant four-player cooperation. Our 20 Co-op Games list highlights titles where co-op is the main draw; Genshin treats it as an optional layer on solo progression.
Its main loop remains a largely individual experience: explore Teyvat, develop your characters, build teams, and follow the story.
A Game That Continues to Expand
Genshin Impact has continued to receive major updates since launch. Version 7.1 was released on September 23, 2026, adding new characters, events, and further updates to existing endgame content.
This makes Genshin Impact fundamentally different from a traditional RPG that has a fixed amount of content and a defined ending. New characters, stories, events, and gameplay content give players reasons to return over a long period of time.
Who Is It For?
Genshin Impact suits players who:
want to explore a large open world
enjoy collecting and developing characters
like experimenting with party compositions
enjoy elemental combat systems
like anime-style characters and visuals
care about story and character development
want a game they can return to for a long time
want a combination of open-world exploration and RPG progression
It is less suited to players looking for a short, self-contained RPG or a game where demanding action mechanics are the main attraction.
Conclusion
Genshin Impact combines open-world exploration, character progression, elemental combat, and story into a long-running RPG experience.
Its 90% Character Building score, 85% Graphics and Anime-style Characters scores, and 80% scores for Story Depth and Open World reflect the areas that define the game most strongly.
You explore the world to find resources, use those resources to develop characters, experiment with new teams, and then use those characters to explore further. For players who want a large world to explore, a roster of characters to develop, and a story to follow over the long term, Genshin Impact offers all three within the same gameplay loop.
