If you’ve just downloaded Honkai Star Rail after seeing friends gush over their favorite 5-star characters or cool turn-based combat builds, you’re probably itching to skip past opening guides and start rolling on limited banners. A common question every new player asks right after launching the game for the first time is how long is Honkai Star Rail tutorial, especially if you’re short on playtime or already familiar with HoYoverse’s signature game mechanics. I’ve replayed the opening on three different server accounts over the past year, so I’ve got the exact timings, skipable sections, and tricks to cut down your wait time to get to the open world content.
Exact Timing: How Long Is Honkai Star Rail Tutorial If You Play Normally?
If you take your time reading every dialogue line, follow every on-screen prompt without rushing, and don’t skip any cutscenes, the full tutorial runs between 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes total. That’s shorter than most other gacha game opening tutorials, which often stretch past the 3-hour mark before you get access to core features like banners and friend lists. The timing varies a little depending on how fast you click through text, and how long you spend fiddling with team setups during the first combat trials.
If you skip all non-essential cutscenes and click through dialogue as fast as possible, you can cut this time down to roughly 45 minutes flat. I tested this on my most recent alt account run last month, and I hit the point where the tutorial fully ends right at the 42-minute mark, so that number is pretty consistent for players who want to rush through. Keep in mind that you can’t skip certain mandatory combat sequences, even if you already know how turn-based combat works. HoYoverse locks these sections to make sure new players don’t get confused later on when facing harder elite enemies.
Core Sections Included In The Honkai Star Rail Tutorial
The tutorial is split into 7 distinct mandatory sections, with small bits of optional guidance that pop up as you progress through the first main quest. The mandatory sections you can’t skip entirely are:
A lot of new players assume the tutorial ends when they leave Herta Space Station, but that’s not the case. You’ll still get small guided prompts until you finish the first main quest segment on Jarilo-VI and unlock all core game features. You won’t have full access to every game mode like Simulated Universe and Forgotten Hall until you reach Trailblaze Level 16, which usually happens right as the tutorial wraps up. If you’re rushing, you can ignore all optional dialogue and side quests during this opening segment to hit that level faster.
Can You Skip Parts Of The Honkai Star Rail Tutorial?
Yes, you can skip most cutscenes and dialogue lines, but you can’t skip the mandatory combat and feature explanation sections entirely. That said, there are a few tricks to cut down your total time spent in guided sections significantly. First, you can click the skip button on all cutscenes that aren’t tied to mandatory combat triggers, which cuts out almost 30 minutes of total runtime right off the bat. You can also click through dialogue lines as fast as you can tap or click, instead of waiting for the voice lines to finish playing.
If you’re already familiar with HoYoverse turn-based mechanics from games like Genshin Impact or Honkai Impact 3rd, you don’t need to read every explanation pop-up, just click through them to move to the next section. One common mistake new players make is stopping to open every treasure chest or talk to every NPC during the tutorial, which adds extra time you don’t need to spend. You can always come back to Herta Space Station later to collect missed chests and complete side quests once the tutorial is over, so there’s no pressure to do it all during the opening segment. Just keep in mind that you can’t access the in-game shop, friend list, or co-op mode until you finish the full tutorial, so rushing through is worth it if you want to team up with friends right away.
Tips To Speed Through The Tutorial Without Missing Key Rewards
Rushing through the tutorial doesn’t mean you have to miss out on free rewards you get for completing opening sections. I’ve tested these tricks on multiple alt accounts, and I’ve never lost out on any free pulls or upgrade materials by using them. First, always claim pop-up rewards as you go, instead of waiting until the end of the tutorial to sort through your inventory. If you leave rewards unclaimed, you won’t get the extra Trailblaze EXP you need to hit level 16 fast, which can slow you down.
Second, don’t waste time upgrading characters you don’t plan to use long-term. The tutorial gives you enough materials to level your main team to level 20, which is all you need to beat the opening elite bosses. You don’t need to farm extra relics or level up every character you get during the first 10-pull, that can wait until after the tutorial ends. Third, stick to the main quest path marked with the yellow star on your map. Wandering off to explore side areas will add extra time, and you can always come back later to explore every corner of Herta Space Station and Jarilo-VI.
You don’t need to complete any side quests during the tutorial to unlock core features, so you can ignore them entirely if you’re in a hurry. If you want to get through even faster, turn off auto-play for dialogue and cutscenes right when you launch the game for the first time, so you don’t have to wait for lines to play out before you can click through them. You can also turn off combat animations temporarily to make mandatory fights wrap up faster, then turn them back on once the tutorial ends for a more immersive experience.
At the end of the day, how long is Honkai Star Rail tutorial depends entirely on how much of the opening content you want to engage with. If you want to soak up every bit of story and learn every mechanic slowly, you can take 2 hours or more to get through it, and that’s completely fine. If you just want to jump into pulling for your favorite characters and exploring the open world, you can rush through in under 45 minutes with the tricks we’ve covered. No matter what pace you choose, you won’t miss out on any permanent rewards, so play at the speed that feels most fun for you.
