If you’ve been grinding Honkai Star Rail for hours chasing the next twist in the Astral Express crew’s journey, you’ve probably wondered how many chapters in Honkai Star Rail are left before you catch up to the latest story drop. I’ve spent the last two years playing through every update as it drops, even skipping a limited event banner once to burn through a new chapter arc the second it went live, so I’ve got a full breakdown of every released chapter, hidden content, and what’s coming next. This guide covers only permanent, accessible content, so you don’t have to worry about missing limited-time chapters that are no longer available.
How Many Chapters in Honkai Star Rail Are Currently Released?
As of the latest permanent update, there are 7 core main story chapters, called Trailblaze Missions, that advance the overarching plot of the game. These chapters take you across the first three major planets in the game’s universe, and each is split into smaller sub-sections that unlock as you progress through the story. A lot of new players confuse sub-sections for full chapters, so we’ve broken down the official full chapter list below to avoid confusion:
Each core chapter takes between 3 to 6 hours to beat depending on if you skip cutscenes or stop to read every dialogue line and collect hidden lore entries. You don’t need to complete any side content to unlock the next main chapter, though some side quests will give you extra context for character motivations that don’t come up in the main story. If you only play core chapters, you can easily catch up to the latest content in a week of casual play.
Additional Canon Chapters You Might Have Missed
The 7 core Trailblaze Mission chapters are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to story content in Honkai Star Rail. The game has dozens of smaller canon chapters that expand on the main story and character backstories, and many players count these when talking about total chapter count. First, there are 4 interlude chapters that drop between main arc updates, usually focusing on side characters or setting up plot points for the next main chapter. These take 1-2 hours each to complete, and they’re added to the permanent mission list as soon as they release.
Next, every playable character has at least one companion chapter, which are fully canon stories that dive into their personal backstories. As of now, there are 27 companion chapters available, and more are added every patch with new character releases. Many companion chapters unlock only after you reach a certain Trailblaze Level and raise your friendship level with the associated character, so you might not see them pop up in your mission list right after you beat a main arc.
Finally, limited event story chapters are often added to the permanent story library 2-3 patches after their initial run. So even if you missed a limited event when it was live, you can usually go back and play that chapter later for free, no event currency required. If you count all these additional canon chapters, the total number of Honkai Star Rail chapters jumps to over 38, with more being added every 6 weeks.
How Long Does It Take to Beat All Honkai Star Rail Chapters?
If you’re a new player just starting out, you might be wondering how long it’ll take you to catch up to the latest released content. Let’s break it down by playstyle. If you only play core main chapters, skipping all cutscenes and rushing through mandatory fights, you can beat all 7 main chapters in around 25 hours total. That’s about 3 hours of play a day for a week, so it’s totally doable if you’re trying to catch up before a new patch drops.
If you watch every cutscene, read all dialogue, and take time to explore each map to find hidden lore entries and chests, that number jumps to 40-50 hours for the core chapters alone. If you add all interlude, companion, and permanent side story chapters, you’re looking at over 100 hours of total story content, which is more than many full-priced single-player RPGs offer. If you’re trying to catch up before a new chapter drops, prioritize main Trailblaze missions first, as interludes and companion chapters don’t block access to new main story content.
I once tried to binge all available chapters in a weekend to catch up for a Penacony lore stream I was hosting, and I only managed to get through the main chapters plus half the interludes, so don’t underestimate how much content there is if you take your time. It’s better to pace yourself and enjoy the story rather than rushing through and missing small details that pay off later in the plot.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Chapter Playthrough
There’s a lot of hidden depth in Honkai Star Rail’s chapters that most players miss on their first playthrough, so these small tips will help you get the most out of every story section. First, don’t skip random NPC dialogue if you care about lore. A lot of throwaway lines from side NPCs hint at future plot twists that don’t pay off for months, so taking 30 seconds to chat with every NPC you pass can make later reveals feel a lot more satisfying. Pay extra attention to lines from characters associated with the Aeons, as these almost always tease upcoming chapter plots.
Second, collect all the data bank entries as you play through each chapter. You can find them in hidden chests, from NPC conversations, and after cutscenes, and they fill in gaps in the world building that the main story doesn’t cover. For example, the data bank entries on the Aeon of Elation explain a lot of the weird, chaotic stuff that happens on Penacony that the main story only touches on briefly.
Third, play companion chapters as soon as they unlock. You get free Stellar Jade for completing them, plus extra context for characters you might use in your team. The companion chapter for Jing Yuan explains why he’s so burnt out all the time, which makes his scenes in the Luofu final arc hit a lot harder. You don’t need to own the character to play their companion chapter, either – as long as you’ve reached the required Trailblaze Level, you can access it even if you never pulled for them on a banner.
Fourth, if you’re stuck on a boss fight mid-chapter, don’t be afraid to lower the world level temporarily. You won’t lose any story progress, and you can bump it back up right after you beat the boss to get better rewards from open world chests. Lowering world level has no impact on story cutscenes or chapter unlock requirements, so it’s a safe option if you’re underleveled for a mandatory boss fight and don’t want to spend hours grinding character levels just to advance the story.
Whether you’re a new player trying to plan your playtime or a veteran waiting for the next story drop, knowing how many chapters in Honkai Star Rail are available right now can help you get the most out of your time in the game. The devs have confirmed that there are at least 5 more major arc chapters planned for future updates, so the story is nowhere close to being finished. Even if you’ve already beaten all currently released content, you can go back and replay any chapter whenever you want to catch lore details you might have missed the first time around. I still go back and replay the final Jarilo-VI chapter every few months just to rewatch the scene where Bronya becomes the new Supreme Guardian, it’s still one of my favorite moments in any gacha game story.
