2025 is going to be a huge year for new characters in Genshin Impact 5.3.

This includes the long-awaited Pyro Traveler, as well as Mavuika and Citlali. Coinciding with the annual Lantern Rite Festival, Version 5.3 also introduces a new Liyue character called Lan Yan. The current patch will kick off 2025 with a great load of new content for players to engage with, from story missions to limited-time events, but that is only the start of what they can expect this year. HoYoverse has already teased new characters in Genshin Impact’s future patches, and leaks have detailed a portion of the content that may come out in the next updates, too.

What To Expect From Genshin Impact Updates In 2025

The First Half Of The Year Should Expand Existing Regions

Based on previous years and how their patches were distributed, it’s expected that the Version 5.X updates should go up until Version 5.8. From Version 5.3 through Version 5.8, players will likely revisit regions that are already in the game, including Natlan. The Nation of Pyro has yet to present the area surrounding the Collective of Plenty and a leak on release of Snezhnaya in Genshin Impact 6.0, then players can also expect a summer event.

While this first half of the year should focus on expanding zones that are already available, the speculated release of Version 6.0 in September should kick off a brand-new year of content. This will likely take players to a new region, expected to be either Snezhnaya or Nod-Krai, and introduce a roster of new characters and a story arc for the year. The patches in 2025 will likely be a blend of expanding older areas and bringing forth new characters related to these zones, as well as continuance in the Archon Quests for Genshin Impact’s campaign.

New Genshin Impact Characters In 2025

Seven Characters Have Already Been Teased By HoYoverse

HoYoverse has already teased the characters for the first six months of 2025. During the Version 5.3 livestream, the developer shared an image with the silhouettes of seven different characters, most of which are recognizable either from their appearances in the game or from leaks – some leaks are over a year old. The rumored characters in the image are supposedly Iansan, Dahlia, Ifa, Kimitsuki Ayano, Varesa, the prison girl, and Skirk in Genshin Impact. Iansan is a near certainty since she was already presented as an important NPC in the Natlan story arc.

Iansan’s release will likely coincide with the release of a new Natlan map area featuring the Collective of Plenty, the tribe from which she hails. The character rumored to be Dahlia had leaked a long time ago and the silhouette matches the character’s leaked design from over a year ago. So far, details about them are scarce, but more should be revealed soon. The tall male figure in the silhouettes is speculated to be Ifa, a Natlanese warrior who has been mentioned by name in the game and has been leaked as an character in Genshin Impact.

Ifa is said to be accompanied by a Qucusaurus and in the silhouette, it’s possible to see a flying figure just above his shoulder.

In the middle, it’s possible to see the silhouette of a female-like figure surrounded by shattered glass. Based on this, the clothing’s outline, and the head adornment, it’s possible to nearly confirm that this is Skirk. Next to her is a character presumed to be Kimitsuki Ayano, even though her design has not yet been leaked. The clothing, however, resembles that of an Inazuman character and there have already been leaks about an Inazuman character in Genshin Impact 5.4.

Like Ifa, Varesa is a Natlanese character who has been mentioned by name in the game and she is, supposedly, the sixth silhouetted figure in the image. There have been a few rumors about Varesa becoming playable at some point and the community’s general interpretation is that the sixth silhouette belongs to her. The seventh and final silhouette matches the leaked design for the mysterious character known as prison girl in Genshin Impact. So far, more details about her are scarce, but the goth-inspired character is said to be related to the Fortress of Meropide in Fontaine.

While these seven characters are expected to be released or at least introduced as NPCs in the next six months, the game will likely undergo a massive change with the imminent release of Version 6.0. The update is expected to take players to a new region and, in it, players will likely meet a roster of new characters, be they from Snezhnaya or just the sub-region of Nod-Krai. Snezhnaya leaks have been scarce, but based on the game’s past years, it’s likely that Snezhnaya characters will have some sort of unique gameplay mechanic like Natlan’s Nightsoul or Fontaine’s Arkhe system.

New Genshin Impact Region (Snezhnaya, Nod-Krai) In 2025

There Is Some Discussion About Where Players Will Go With Version 6.0

With the arrival of Version 6.0, players will likely be taken to a brand-new region. Logically speaking, Snezhnaya is the next big destination on the Traveler’s quest to reencounter their sibling. The seventh Nation of Teyvat is the only one that hasn’t been explored so far, to the rational conclusion is that Snezhnaya will be released in Version 6.0. However, developers have avoided mentioning Snezhnaya as a whole and instead focused on a sub-region in the Nation of Cryo: Nod-Krai. There is a chance that players will only get to explore Snezhnaya in Genshin Impact fully much later.

If the Version 6.0 regional release is limited to Nod-Krai – which is still, technically, part of Snezhnaya – then the year of content related to regions may be a bit different from previous years. In fact, this idea somewhat goes hand-in-hand with a leak shared on Reddit that mentions that Snezhnaya’s release will only occur in Version 7.0 and that Version 6.0 will only see the release of Nod-Krai. Another leak on Reddit mentions that 6.X patches will release map areas from previous regions that have long been mentioned in Genshin Impact, like Mount Esus and Dornman Port.

This year of content will be an exciting one for the hit action RPG. Not only is the story getting a lot more serious in the face of reaching the final Nation of Teyvat and possibly taking the fight to the Abyss and Celestia, but HoYoverse has already promised that gameplay will undergo something of a rework this year. Additionally, the game may push back Snezhnaya’s release to focus on expanding other regions with lore-heavy areas that will inevitably make Genshin Impact richer in 2025.

Source: Reddit (1, 2, 3)