160 free Primogems are up for grabs in Genshin Impact's October wallpaper giveaway. If you have been saving for a specific five-star character or weapon in Genshin Impact, every single pull matters. HoYoverse just launched its October 2026 calendar wallpaper event, and it puts 160 Primogems within reach for 100 lucky Travelers. That is one free wish, no credit card required. The catch? You have to enter across social media and hope the odds land in your favor. The timing is worth noting. This giveaway runs alongside the Luna II patch cycle, which has been packed with high-value banners. Players chasing characters or weapons from those limited-time pools will take any extra Primogems they can get. A free pull will not make or break a pity counter, but it is one less pull you have to earn through grinding or spending. Event dates and what you can win. The event opened on September 30, 2026, and closes on October 7, 2026, at 23:59 UTC+8. That gives Travelers exactly one week to submit their entries. HoYoverse will announce the winners on October 14, 2026. The prize pool is straightforward. One hundred randomly selected winners each receive 160 Primogems. There are no region-specific quotas. The rewards are pooled across every participating platform, so your odds depend on how many people enter worldwide, not where you live. On top of the Primogem giveaway, HoYoverse released a fresh set of wallpapers for PC, mobile, and Apple Watch. For many players in the community threads, those backgrounds are the real highlight. The artwork has drawn praise on Reddit and X. How to enter on each platform. The entry method changes depending on where you participate. On X, formerly Twitter, you must like and repost the official Genshin Impact event post. Winners will receive a private message from the official Genshin Impact X account. Make sure your direct messages are open and your account is set to public. If you miss the window to reply with your UID, the reward is forfeited. On Facebook, Instagram, Naver Cafe, Telegram, VK, and Reddit, the process is simpler. Like the event post and drop your Genshin Impact UID in the comments. Your account must be public so the entry is visible to the organizers. You can submit entries on multiple platforms, but HoYoverse will only award one prize per Traveler. If the same person wins on two different platforms, the prize goes to whichever entry was posted first. HoYoverse published a set of rules that are worth reading before you comment. Plagiarism or behavior that violates community guidelines will get you disqualified. Winners must provide a correct UID. If the UID is wrong, HoYoverse will not reissue the Primogems. The rewards will be delivered within 30 business days after the winners are announced on October 14. One rule has stirred some discussion. By entering, you agree to have your UID disclosed on the event platform for reward distribution. Some privacy-focused players have raised concerns about this. HoYoverse stated that UIDs are used only for delivering rewards and are protected under local privacy laws. This policy matches how previous calendar events have been handled. What the community is saying. Reactions across Reddit, X, and other platforms have been mixed but lean positive. A lot of players appreciate the free Primogems and the wallpapers. Others point out that 100 winners is a tiny number relative to the size of Genshin Impact's global player base. The odds are long, but the effort is minimal. You spend maybe a minute liking and commenting, and you could end up with a free wish. On the official subreddit, the wallpapers have been the more popular topic than the Primogems themselves. Several threads praise the artwork quality. The engagement on the official X post has been steady, though it has not reached the viral levels of some previous events. Tips for improving your chances. * Enter on as many platforms as you can. Just remember that only one prize per person is allowed. * Double-check your UID before you hit post. A typo means you lose the reward with no second chance. * Set your social accounts to public during the event window. Private accounts cannot be verified. * Mark October 14 on your calendar. Winners need to respond quickly when contacted, or the prize passes to someone else. Why this event matters right now. Calendar giveaways like this one are a recurring part of how HoYoverse keeps the community engaged between major patches. The Primogem payout is modest, but it adds up when combined with other ongoing events and daily commissions. For free-to-play players who are meticulously tracking their savings toward a specific banner, 160 Primogems can be the difference between hitting pity and falling short. The Luna II patch has been demanding on player resources. Between limited-time banners and time-sensitive events, every bit of premium currency helps. This calendar event is one of the lowest-effort ways to add to your stash. It will not change your account overnight, but it takes almost no time and costs nothing. Winners will be announced on October 14, 2026. Keep an eye on your notifications and your DMs.

What is Honkai: Nexus Anima, and how do its battles differ from Pokémon? Honkai: Nexus Anima is a creature-collecting strategy game, but its reported battles centre on deploying teams and managing synergies rather than taking turn-based duels. Honkai: Nexus Anima is an announced creature-collecting adventure strategy game from HoYoverse. Its Anima creatures invite an obvious comparison with Pokémon, particularly because players can encounter and bond with them while exploring, but the reported battle format is fundamentally different: instead of choosing moves in one-on-one turn-based fights, players deploy a group before its members battle automatically. That makes the combat closer to an auto-battler or autochess game. The important decisions appear to come before and around a round: which Anima make the team, where they are placed, and which shared traits they activate. Pokémon's familiar capture-and-train loop may be part of the appeal, but it is not the whole design. Building an Anima collection. Preview coverage describes wild Anima roaming the world. Pocket Gamer reports that players can weaken one in battle before using items to bond with it, putting a creature into the collection. That is the closest parallel with Pokémon: exploration leads to encounters, then a successful battle can add another potential party member. The same preview says that higher-rarity Anima and Eidos companions can also be acquired through the Nexus Trace gacha banner, while lower-rarity creatures can be caught in the world. That means the collection system is reported to combine field encounters with a gacha element, rather than relying solely on catches. How battles work. Reports from pre-release testing describe players deploying multiple Anima onto a battle board. Once a round begins, the creatures attack automatically, shifting the focus from selecting every attack to preparation, formation and the make-up of the squad. Kakuchopurei reports that companion abilities can still affect a fight with damage, healing and buffs, and says up to three can be equipped. Pocket Gamer similarly describes real-time tactical effects including stuns, shields and defence debuffs. So it is not simply a hands-off simulation, but the reported player input is very different from commanding one active creature move by move. Synergies are the strategy. Anima are reported to have roles and shared Aspects, including Reality, Beauty and Strength. Fielding compatible creatures can trigger team synergies, according to Pocket Gamer, while Kakuchopurei describes class-based bonuses such as passive effects for a Reality-focused group and stronger melee output from Strength-class creatures. That makes the central question less about an individual creature's type advantage and more about what a full line-up can do together. A player's tactical work appears to be assembling complementary units, arranging them effectively and using companion skills at useful moments. What is confirmed, and what may change. Honkai: Nexus Anima has been announced for PC, iOS and Android. A final release date is not established here, and the battle and collection details above come from reports on a pre-release test, so they may change before launch. Console versions should not be assumed. Watch's before doors sessions. Intimate, stripped-back live sessions filmed moments before the doors open. Raw sound, real rooms, no second takes. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss a new one. LIKE THAT? READ THESE LIKE THAT? READ THESE

Genshin Impact x Baskin Robbins Japan: what's in the ice cream collab and who gets it. If you live in Japan and have a sweet tooth, the next Genshin Impact real-world collaboration might be worth marking your calendar for. HoYoverse is teaming up with Baskin Robbins Japan for a limited-time event that brings four characters from the game's colder regions - Nod-Krai and Snezhnaya - into an ice cream shop setting. The catch: whether players outside Japan will ever get their hands on the in-game rewards is still an open question. The collaboration features Flins, Linnea, Odette, and Illuga, all of whom have been getting more screen time in recent patches. For lore followers, seeing these four pop up in a promotional tie-in is a sign that HoYoverse is leaning hard into the northern regions of Teyvat. What you get: digital goods and physical merch. The digital bundle includes a mix of cosmetic items and standard progression materials. Players who participate will receive a Serenitea Pot furnishing shaped like an ice cream truck, plus a food recipe for an ice cream box that characters can eat. On top of that, the package comes with 100 Primogems, 20,000 Mora, and three Hero's Wit. HoYoverse has not confirmed how these items will be distributed - whether through redemption codes, in-game mail, or a web event - but past collaborations suggest codes are the likeliest route. Physical merchandise is where the spending adds up. The cheapest option is a keychain set for 1,300 yen (roughly $8.20), which includes ice cream and a metal charm on a lobster clasp featuring one of the characters. For 2,000 yen (about $12.60), you get a small set that adds acrylic standees. The standard set costs 2,320 yen (around $14.60) and includes standees of Flins and Linnea posed with ice cream. When and where. Pre-orders open on August 28, 2026. The official event window runs from September 8, 2026 to October 6, 2026. All purchases and redemptions are tied to physical Baskin Robbins locations in Japan. There is no word yet on whether the digital items will reach players in other regions. Will this go global? HoYoverse has a mixed track record with region-locked promotions. The 2021 KFC collaboration initially required players to visit physical stores in China to get a special glider. Months later, the company made that same glider available through a Razer Gold promotion for a limited time, which let players outside China claim it. That precedent gives some hope that the Baskin Robbins items could eventually appear in a wider release, but no official statement supports that yet. Other food-brand partnerships have stayed regional. Bubble tea shops in Southeast Asia and pizza chains in other markets have run promotions that never left their original countries. The pattern is inconsistent, and HoYoverse has not announced any plans to expand this one. How the community is reacting. Reactions on the Genshin Impact subreddit are split. Some players like the look of the ice cream truck furnishing and the acrylic standees. Others are tired of seeing exclusive items locked to specific countries. A recurring comment compares this situation to the KFC glider: players hope HoYoverse will eventually release the digital items globally, even if the physical merch stays in Japan. A few players have pointed out that the ice cream box recipe could be useful in co-op if it provides a buff, though official materials do not list any combat effects. The Serenitea Pot furnishing is purely cosmetic, but collectors who build themed teapot layouts may find it worth the effort. Is the bundle worth it? For free-to-play players, 100 Primogems is a nice bonus but not enough to change a pull strategy. The Mora and Hero's Wit are standard rewards that show up in most events. The real draw is the furniture and the recipe, both of which are exclusive to this collaboration and may never return. Low-spenders and collectors face a tougher call. The digital items alone are not priced - they come with the physical purchase - so anyone who wants the in-game rewards has to buy the merch. At 1,300 yen for the cheapest option, that is a reasonable price for a keychain and a code. The 2,320 yen standard set costs more but includes acrylic standees that fans of Flins and Linnea might want on a shelf. A quick look at past collaborations. Genshin Impact has done food-brand tie-ins before. The KFC promotion in 2021 was the most high-profile, but there have also been partnerships with pizza chains and bubble tea shops in various regions. What makes the Baskin Robbins collab stand out is the character selection. Flins and Linnea are central to the current storyline, and Odette and Illuga are tied to the same northern regions that the game has been exploring in recent updates. For lore fans, that connection matters more than the Primogems. Pre-orders start August 28, 2026. The event itself runs until October 6, 2026. Anyone hoping for a global release should keep an eye on HoYoverse's official social channels, because that is where past expansions of regional promotions were announced first.