Next Genshin Impact banner: release date, time, and featured characters [Version 3.1]

Who is featured on the Genshin Impact banners in Version 3.1, and when will it go live? Genshin Impact works on a gacha system, where players can spend various in-game and real-world currencies to Wish on a character's banner in the hopes of obtaining a playable version of them.

While many characters are permanently available as potential pulls from the gacha, others — usually 5-star characters — are only available during limited periods as part of Character Event Wish banners. Every Character Event Wish banner features one 5-star character and three 4-star characters with a massively increased drop rate, and the 5-star character is often unique to the banner and unobtainable in any other way.

On this page, we've compiled everything we know about Genshin Impact's current and upcoming banners, including release dates and times for the next banner changeover. Further down the page, we've included some information about characters who are available to purchase from the current and upcoming stock in Paimon's Bargains.

Genshin Impact: current event banner

The concurrent Character Event Wish banners in Genshin Impact for Version 3.1 (Phase I) are Twilight Arbiter and Ballad in Goblets. The former introduces Cyno, a brand new 5-star Electro polearm wielder, while the latter is a welcome second rerun this year for Venti.

These banners have been available to wish on since Wednesday, September 28th at 4am BST / Tuesday, September 27th at 11pm EDT / 8pm PDT, and are due to end on Friday, October 14th at 6pm BST / 6pm EDT / 3pm PDT.

There are also three 4-star characters who are featured on both banners with an increased drop rate. Candace — a brand new character who is the game's first Hydro polearm wielder — makes her debut alongside rate ups for Sayu and Kuki Shinobu. Note that while the trio of promoted 4-star characters can be pulled from either banner, the featured 5-star characters can only be pulled by wishing on their own individual banner. However, pity accumulates on and is shared between both concurrent Character Event Wish banners.

See below for full details on the characters with increased drop rates on the current banners:

Twilight Arbiter

• Cyno (5-star, new)
• Candace (4-star, new)
• Sayu (4-star)
• Kuki Shinobu (4-star)

Ballad in Goblets

• Venti (5-star)
• Candace (4-star, new)
• Sayu (4-star)
• Kuki Shinobu (4-star)

Genshin Impact: future event banners

Genshin Impact Version 3.1, Phase II is expected to begin on Friday, October 14th directly after Phase I closes. Because of the reduced phase times for the remainder of 2022, the changeover is taking place at a different point in the week than usual, so even veteran fans may want to take note of the temporary adjustments to the schedule as HoYoverse get caught up on the time lost to the Version 2.7 delay earlier this summer.

Phase II will see the debut of another new 5-star Hydro character, Nilou, alongside a rerun for Albedo. Both banners will feature 4-star characters Xiangling, Beidou, and Barbara with a boosted drop rate.

Paimon's Bargains and the Starglitter Exchange

Wishes and banners aren't quite the only way to increase your party roster in Genshin Impact. There is another corner of the in-game store where you can potentially get your hands on some new playables. Check out Paimon's Bargains for a regularly rotated stock of common 4-star characters you can purchase outright in exchange for Masterless Starglitter, a currency generated from pulling duplicate characters and high-end weapons from the gacha.

The Starglitter Exchange features two characters every calendar month, and though they're a little pricey at 34 Masterless Starglitter each, this is a guaranteed purchase rather than a gamble. For October 2022, the characters in the Starglitter Exchange are Amber and Razor.

Paimon's Bargains seem to work on a regular half-yearly rotation, so here's who we can likely expect to see on offer in the Starglitter Exchange over the next few months:

• November 2022: Bennett and Lisa
• December 2022: Barbara and Kaeya
• January 2023: Fischl and Xiangling
• February 2023: Beidou and Noelle
• March 2023: Ningguang and Xingqiu

Genshin Impact gets a new event banner every three weeks, so be sure to check back for news about upcoming banners! To get to grips with your odds of actually pulling that elusive 5-star character, check out our page explaining Genshin Impact's pity system. In the meantime, if you're eager to get wishing but have made the commendable choice not to put your real money into a gacha, our guide on getting more Primogems in Genshin Impact can help you to maximise your in-game earnings.