Honkai: Star Rail swaps Genshin's open world for a train that travels between planets, and real-time fights for turn-based ones. The first hour on a besieged space station is funny, fast and cleverly paced, and the combat is easy to learn and hard to put down. As with its stablemates, new characters are sold through randomised Warps.
The first hour, minute by minute
- 00:00
Account and download
Create or sign in to a HoYoverse account. HoYoverse doesn't publish a fixed PC size, so plan for around 80 GB or more. On PS5 the account is linked to PSN for you.
- 00:28
Wake up on the space station
You choose your Trailblazer and meet March 7th and Dan Heng, the two companions who carry the early jokes and the early plot.
- 00:35
Turn-based basics
The tutorial teaches turns, weaknesses and breaking an enemy's toughness bar. It is quick, and the rules make sense straight away.
- 00:45
Techniques and exploration
Using a Technique before a fight gives you an early advantage. Small puzzles and chests fill the corridors.
- 00:58
First boss
The station chapter ends with a large set-piece fight that tests everything the tutorial taught.
- 01:00
Where you stand
About to board the Astral Express and head to the first planet. Warps are introduced with a discounted beginner banner.
What the first hour gets right
Star Rail's opening is brisk and funny. The characters are sharply written, the jokes land, and the tutorial trusts you. Turn-based combat is easy to learn: each enemy has weaknesses, and breaking their toughness bar at the right moment feels great.
It is also a very comfortable game to play. Fights can be sped up or set to auto once you know them, which makes it a good fit for short sessions on a phone as well as long evenings on a PC or PS5.
Where it asks a lot
As with every HoYoverse game, a HoYoverse account comes first and the download is large. There is no Xbox or Switch version.
The story is text-heavy and, in places, very long. Players who want action rather than dialogue may find the pace slow after the first planet.
Money: shards, the Express Supply Pass and Warps
Oneiric Shards are the paid currency, running from 60 for 99p to 6,480 for £99.99 on PC and phones, with the first purchase of each size doubled. The largest pack is £79.99 on PlayStation, cheaper than on PC. Shards become Stellar Jade, and 160 Stellar Jade buy one Warp.
The Express Supply Pass at £4.99 is the one clear-value purchase: 300 shards at once and 90 Stellar Jade for every day you log in over a month. The Nameless Glory battle pass is £9.99, so a month of both costs £14.98.
Character Warps have a 0.6% base rate for the top rarity, a guaranteed five-star within 90 Warps, and a guaranteed featured character within 180 at worst. HoYoverse publishes all of it. At around £2.42 a Warp, the worst case is roughly £435. We'd leave Warps to the Stellar Jade the game gives you.
Who should play it
Fans of turn-based RPGs, sharp dialogue and science fiction, and anyone who wants a big game that fits around a busy week. Set a spending limit first if it is a teenager's game.
What we liked, what we didn't
Worth your hour
- Turn-based fights that are easy to learn and satisfying to master
- Funny, well-written characters from the first minutes
- Auto and speed-up modes make it easy to fit into short sessions
- Express Supply Pass is good value at £4.99
Watch out for
- Characters sold through random Warps with a 0.6% base rate
- A guaranteed featured character can cost around £435
- Very text-heavy story after the opening
- No Xbox or Switch version
What Honkai: Star Rail really costs
Free, or included in the price
- The whole story across every world
- Several characters given through the story and events
- Endgame modes and the Simulated Universe
- Stellar Jade from daily training, exploration and events
Price list (UK, VAT included)
| Item | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 60 Oneiric Shards | £0.99 | First purchase of each size is doubled |
| 300 + 30 shards | £4.99 | |
| 980 + 110 shards | £14.99 | |
| 1,980 + 260 shards | £29.99 | £28.99 on PlayStation |
| 3,280 + 600 shards | £49.99 | |
| 6,480 + 1,600 shards | £99.99 | £79.99 on PlayStation |
| Express Supply Pass | £4.99 | 300 shards now, 90 Stellar Jade a day for 30 days if you log in |
| Nameless Glory battle pass | £9.99 | Paid track of the roughly six-week pass |
| Nameless Medal battle pass | £19.99 | Glory plus 10 levels and extras |
| One Warp | about £2.42 | 160 Stellar Jade; worked out from shard prices |
New characters and Light Cones are sold through Warps. HoYoverse publishes the rates: 0.6% base chance of a five-star character, a guaranteed five-star within 90 Warps and a guaranteed featured character within 180. At about £2.42 a Warp, the worst case is roughly £435.
Our month-one advice
Play free through the first planet. If you want to spend, the Express Supply Pass at £4.99 is the purchase to make, and on PlayStation the larger shard packs are noticeably cheaper than on PC. Skip buying Warps.
Prices checked 24 September 2026 on the official UK stores. They change with sales and currency updates, so the store checkout price is the one that counts.
How to pay for Honkai: Star Rail in the UK · Set a spending limit first
Questions people ask
Is Honkai: Star Rail free?
Yes. The whole story and all modes are free. Money buys Oneiric Shards, the Express Supply Pass, the battle pass and Warps for new characters.
How much is the Express Supply Pass in the UK?
£4.99 on PC, phones and PlayStation. It gives 300 shards at once and 90 Stellar Jade a day for 30 days, if you log in.
Is Honkai: Star Rail on Xbox?
No. It is available on PC, PS5, iOS and Android, with progress shared across them through a HoYoverse account.
What are the Warp rates?
0.6% base chance of a five-star character, a guaranteed five-star within 90 Warps and a guaranteed featured character within 180. HoYoverse publishes these in the game.
