Want to know when the Genshin Impact 2.8 release date is? Despite the 2.7 update delay that pushed back Hoyoverse’s usual six week cycle, the studio has already announced the release date for the next 2.8 update, well in advance of when we would usually find out.
This is still subject to change, of course. For now at least, rest assured that the Genshin Impact 2.8 release date has been announced, although there’s still plenty more we don’t know. Current rumours suggest we’ll get a new Genshin Impact character, but there will also be new Genshin Impact events to work through as well.
Despite the fact that Genshin Impact 2.7 has only recently been released, there are still plenty of rumours circulating for us to compile into one place. From events, to banners, and whatever else we’ve managed to discover, here’s everything we know about Genshin Impact 2.8, including the release date.
Genshin Impact 2.8 release date
The Genshin Impact 2.8 release date is expected July 13, 2022. This is taken from a notice from Hoyoverse posted on May 19, stipulating not only the new release date for the 2.7 patch, but also confirming that the usual six-week patch cycle would resume and that the 2.8 patch would drop in July.
Again, while this is subject to change should another delay occur, this is still a pretty strong statement of intent from Hoyoverse, so we can take it as written for now.
Genshin Impact 2.8 banners
Heizou is an upcoming character who has been rumoured, but was finally – officially – announced by Hoyoverse on May 16. Game data from a 2.8 beta has also led to Heizou’s ability data leaking online in places like Honey Hunter.
This follows the pattern of Yelan and Kuki Shinobu – two new characters who were first announced and featured in the 2.7 beta, are now debuting on the current Genshin Impact banners for patch 2.7.
While Heizou’s banner release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, we’d be surprised if he didn’t appear at some point in patch 2.8.
The first concrete Heizou rumour arrived in mid-February, from known Genshin leaker Ubatcha:
[Questionable]
Heizou will be in 2.8 as the final (currently known) Inazuma char.
4 star. https://t.co/16YX1JlEj2
— UBatcha (@Ubatcha1) February 18, 2022
After Heizou’s announcement and the start of the 2.8 beta, another trusted leaker called Lumie suggested that Heizou would be in the first banner of patch 2.8:
[2.8]
Heizou First Banner*stc
— Lumie (@lumie_lumie) May 24, 2022
Like Kuki Shinobu, Heizou is rumoured to be a four-star character, which means it’s likely he will feature as a four-star option on another (four-star) character banner.
Genshin Impact 2.8 events
No Genshin Impact 2.8 events have been confirmed yet, there already several rumours from 2.8 beta leaks that have appeared online. For example, according to Genshin leaker Genshin Intel, we could be getting a new event to obtain Fischl for free:
The main event of 2.8, “A Summer Sea Sojourn” (summer islands v2), rewards an event currency (something similar to the Shiny Flotsam in 1.6).
A free Fischl can be redeemed using 2000 event currency. https://t.co/vQgGvSf7Yw
— Genshin Intel (@Genshin_Intel) May 17, 2022
Other rumours include a jigsaw puzzle minigame.
Genshin Impact 2.8 livestream
The Genshin Impact 2.8 livestream hasn’t been announced yet, however previous livestreams have taken place roughly 10 – 12 days prior to the release date of a new patch.
With a 2.8 release day of July 13, that would put the livestream between Friday, July 1 and Monday, July 4. Hoyoverse has already set a precedent of running livestreams on weekends.
That’s everything we know about Genshin Impact 2.8. For more Genshin tips, check out our Genshin Impact tier list to find out who the best characters currently are, and we also have plenty of Genshin Impact codes for free primogems.