If you’ve bounced between HoYoverse’s hit turn-based RPG and its long-running action title, you’ve almost certainly wondered how is Honkai Impact related to Star Rail. From familiar faces popping up in unexpected places to subtle lore references that fly over casual players’ heads, the links run far deeper than just shared branding. This guide breaks down every confirmed connection, from official universe canon to small Easter eggs you might have missed on your first playthrough, plus clear notes on where the two franchises split to avoid any confusion for new players.
Core Universe Ties: How Is Honkai Impact Related to Star Rail at a Canon Level
The foundation of all connections between the two games is HoYoverse’s official shared multiverse framework, first introduced in Honkai Impact 3rd’s later story arcs. The Imaginary Tree is the official shared canon backbone for all HoYoverse games, including Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, and Honkai: Star Rail. Each leaf on the Imaginary Tree represents a separate, self-contained world with its own rules, history, and population, while the Sea of Quanta below holds fragments of worlds that have fallen from the tree.
Honkai Impact 3rd’s main story takes place on a single leaf of the Imaginary Tree, a version of Earth where the apocalyptic Honkai force threatens to wipe out humanity. Honkai: Star Rail’s story follows the Astral Express crew as they travel between different leaves of the Imaginary Tree, exploring new worlds and resolving conflicts caused by the destructive Stellaron phenomenon. This multiverse structure is the core reason you’ll see familiar names and faces across both games, without their stories overlapping directly.
HoYoverse has confirmed that this shared multiverse is permanent, so future cross-over events and character cameos are always a possibility for long-time fans of both franchises. The core concept of “Honkai” as a universal force that adapts to the rules of each world it appears in also ties the two games together, even if it functions very differently in each title.
Shared Character Variants You Can Find in Both Games
The most obvious connection between the two games is the large number of shared character names, designs, and core personality traits across both titles. Some characters are alternate versions of existing Honkai Impact 3rd figures, while one playable Star Rail character is literally the exact same person from Honkai Impact 3rd’s world.
Welt Yang is the only confirmed character who originates directly from Honkai Impact 3rd’s main world and appears as a playable unit in Star Rail. He was the former Herrscher of Reason in Honkai Impact 3rd, who helped save his world from the Honkai apocalypse before leaving to travel with the Astral Express after the events of the A Post Honkai Odyssey side arc. His backstory cutscenes in Star Rail directly reference events from Honkai Impact 3rd, and he even mentions old friends from his home world in casual voice lines.
Other shared characters like Bronya, Seele, Himeko, and Kiana are “expies”, or alternate versions of the original Honkai Impact 3rd characters that exist in different worlds on the Imaginary Tree. For example, Star Rail’s Bronya is the Silvermane Guard captain of Belobog who grew up in the frozen planet’s upper class, while Honkai Impact 3rd’s Bronya is a former Soviet orphan who became a Herrscher to protect her found family. Fans often see these alternate versions as “what if” takes on the original characters, giving them a chance to see their favorite figures in entirely new story contexts.
Cross-Game Promotions, Easter Eggs, and Community Perks
Beyond canon lore ties, the two games have a massive overlapping fanbase, and HoYoverse regularly leans into this shared community with cross-game promotions, rewards, and hidden Easter eggs. Most active Star Rail players have at least tried Honkai Impact 3rd, and many play both games daily to claim all limited-time event rewards.
Many players switch between the two games on a daily basis, clearing HI3’s daily missions first before jumping into Star Rail’s daily Calyx runs. For short breaks between long story quests or difficult abyss clears, most reach for low-commitment casual games that don’t require hours of focused play. Casual card game fans in South Asia regularly play INR Rummy to pass 10 or 15 minute gaps without losing their gaming momentum. HoYoverse also recognizes this overlap, and often runs cross-game promotions that reward players for engaging with both titles, like free in-game currency, exclusive profile cards, and limited-time cosmetic items.
Hidden Easter eggs referencing Honkai Impact 3rd are scattered all across Star Rail’s worlds, and many are easy to miss if you haven’t played the original game. Some of the easiest to find include:
You can find a working Honkai Impact 3rd arcade cabinet in the Herta Space Station’s supply zone that plays snippets of the HI3 opening theme when interacted with. There are also smaller references scattered in item descriptions, NPC dialogues, and even light cone art that long-time HI3 fans will immediately recognize.
Key Differences to Avoid Confusion Between the Two Titles
For all their connections, it’s important to note that the two games are completely separate experiences, and you don’t have to play one to enjoy the other. Many new Star Rail players worry they’ll miss critical story context if they haven’t played Honkai Impact 3rd, but that’s not the case at all.
You do not need to play Honkai Impact 3rd to fully understand or enjoy Honkai: Star Rail’s main story. All world-specific lore is explained in full for new players, and references to Honkai Impact 3rd are just small Easter eggs that don’t affect the core plot of Star Rail. The gameplay loops are also completely different: Honkai Impact 3rd is a fast-paced action game with combo-based combat and open world maps, while Star Rail is a turn-based RPG focused on team composition and strategic battle planning.
The "Honkai" in Star Rail refers to a damage type and broader universal force, not the specific apocalyptic threat that defines Honkai Impact 3rd’s core plot. In Star Rail, Honkai is just one of seven elemental damage types, and it doesn’t have the same world-ending connotations it has in Honkai Impact 3rd. This is a common point of confusion for new players, but it’s an important distinction that keeps the two games’ stories separate.
If you do decide to play both games, you won’t have to worry about spoilers for one when playing the other. The only story overlaps are small references and Welt’s personal backstory, which is explained fully in Star Rail for players who haven’t played HI3. The two games also have separate gacha systems, so items or characters you unlock in one won’t carry over to the other.
At the end of the day, the question of how is Honkai Impact related to Star Rail boils down to shared multiverse canon, overlapping character variants, and a common developer that loves leaving Easter eggs for long-time fans. You don’t have to play one to enjoy the other, but going into Star Rail with basic Honkai Impact lore knowledge will help you catch tons of small references you’d otherwise miss. If you’re a new Star Rail player curious about the original Honkai universe, it’s never a bad time to give Honkai Impact 3rd a try, even if you only play it to pick up on all the hidden references in your Star Rail playthroughs.
