If you've been jumping between space stations and alien worlds while chasing the Stellaron Hunters across the galaxy, you've probably asked how many planets in Honkai: Star Rail you can actually explore right now. It's a common question for new and returning players alike, since HoYoverse rolls out new worlds every few major updates, so it's easy to lose track of which are fully playable, which are just referenced in lore, and which are coming down the pipeline later. This guide breaks down every current playable world, what unique content you can find on each, and what we know about future locations so you never have to wonder about available worlds again.
How Many Planets in Honkai: Star Rail Are Fully Playable Right Now?
As of the latest major update, there are 6 fully explorable, playable Honkai: Star Rail planets, plus the Herta Space Station starting hub that is not classified as a planet in official lore. Many players mistakenly include the space station in their count, and that's totally understandable, since it has the same exploration mechanics as full planets, but it's technically a mobile research facility, not a planetary body. Each of the 6 official planets has a full main story arc, dozens of side quests, hidden treasure chests, exclusive materials, and unique achievements to unlock.
If you're just starting out, you'll unlock each of these Honkai: Star Rail planets one by one as you progress through the main Trailblaze Mission arc, so don't worry if you only have access to Jarilo-VI at first. You can't jump ahead to higher level planets even if you see them referenced in story cutscenes, since access is locked behind story progress to make sure you don't run into enemies way higher level than your team.
What Makes Each Honkai: Star Rail Planet Unique for Players?
Each Honkai: Star Rail planet isn't just a pretty backdrop for cutscenes, it actually changes how you play the game in small, meaningful ways. For example, Jarilo-VI has ice mechanics that slow your movement in unheated outer areas, so you have to stick to marked paths or use warmth consumables if you want to explore the frozen wastelands off the main road. Xianzhou Luofu has floating platforms and teleport waypoints tied to the world ship's navigation system, so you have to complete specific main story quests to unlock access to entire sections of the map.
You don't have to complete a planet's entire story to move on to the next one, but you'll miss out on exclusive character ascension materials that only drop on specific worlds. For example, if you want to build Jingliu, you need frost lotus materials that only spawn on Xianzhou Luofu, so even if you've already unlocked Penacony, you'll have to go back to farm those items regularly. Each planet also has unique enemy types, so you'll want to adjust your team comp when you travel between worlds to make shield breaking and fights faster.
Many planets also have permanent minigames that you can come back to any time for extra rewards, like the arcade games on Penacony or the sword fighting challenges on Xianzhou Yaoqing. These minigames often give Stellar Jade, the game's premium currency, so they're worth checking out even if you already finished the main story on that world.
Unreleased Planets Teased in Honkai: Star Rail Lore
HoYoverse has teased dozens of other Honkai: Star Rail planets in character stories, item descriptions, and official trailers that haven't been added to the game yet. Most of these worlds are tied to popular character backstories, so you can expect to get more lore about your favorite units when their home worlds finally drop. For example, Kafka's home planet, referenced as a high-tech dystopian world run by criminal organizations, is expected to drop sometime in the next two years, alongside a major story arc focused on the Stellaron Hunters.
There are also at least three more Xianzhou world ships that haven't been added yet, according to official lore about the Xianzhou Alliance's six fleets. HoYoverse has not given any official release dates for these worlds, but based on past update schedules, we can expect one new full planet every 3 to 4 major updates, so roughly one new world per year. The IPC's corporate-run home planet is another highly anticipated location, since many fan favorite characters like Topaz and Himeko have direct ties to the IPC's operations there.
That said, don't trust random leak accounts that claim to have exact release dates for unreleased Honkai: Star Rail planets. HoYoverse often changes its release schedule based on player feedback and development delays, so even credible leaks can turn out to be wrong months in advance. It's better to wait for official announcements from the dev team for confirmed info about new worlds.
Tips for Exploring Every Honkai: Star Rail Planet Efficiently
Exploring every corner of a new Honkai: Star Rail planet can take 10 to 20 hours if you're going for 100% completion, but there are a few easy tricks to make the process faster and more rewarding. Prioritize unlocking all teleport waypoints on a new planet first before you start doing quests, because it will save you hours of running back and forth between locations later. Many waypoints are hidden and won't show up on your map until you get within a few feet of them, so it's worth wandering off the main path a little when you first arrive.
Collect all the treasure chests on a planet as you complete the main story, instead of coming back later. Many chests are tied to story progress and will disappear once you move past certain quest stages, so you'll lose out on Stellar Jade and upgrade materials if you wait to collect them. You can use the in-game map's chest tracker to see how many chests you've collected in each area, and how many are left to find.
Always pick up the local specialty items whenever you see them, even if you don't need them right now. Future characters will almost always require those world-specific materials for ascension, so you'll save yourself a lot of farming time later if you stock up early. It takes less than 10 seconds to grab a specialty item when you pass it, and you'll thank yourself later when a new limited character drops that you want to build immediately.
If you're stuck on a puzzle on any Honkai: Star Rail planet, you can use the in-game hint system to get a subtle nudge in the right direction without spoiling the entire solution. The hint system is often overlooked by new players, but it can save you a lot of frustration if you're stuck on a particularly tricky hidden puzzle or achievement.
At the end of the day, the answer to how many planets in Honkai: Star Rail are playable will keep changing as HoYoverse adds more content to the game over the next few years. Right now, you have 6 fully explorable worlds to work through, each with dozens of hours of content, unique rewards, and memorable story beats to enjoy. If you're new to the game, take your time exploring each planet instead of rushing through the main story, because you'll miss a lot of the small details that make Honkai: Star Rail's world feel so alive. Even if you've already completed all the content on existing planets, keep an eye out for minor updates that add new side quests and events to older worlds, so you never run out of new things to do.
