❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Honkai: Star Rail has "over 10 unreleased characters" in development as devs tease long-awaited additions in 2027

No resting on their laurels.

Aha from Honkai: Star Rail holding a card up in front of her face.

HoYoverse

Published: Tuesday, 10 November 2026 at 4:06 pm

Stay ahead of the game! Sign up for our FREE gaming newsletter

If you've ever worried that HoYoverse might run out of ideas, you'll be pleased to know that the developers of Honkai: Star Rail have plenty of unreleased characters to fall back on.

Ad

Since launching in 2023 with 23 playable characters, the mobile RPG has ballooned in size to a total of 93 at the time of writing.

At a media event in Seoul ahead of the release of Version 4.7, we asked lead game designer Chengnan An how far in advance the team plans such updates and what their approach to development is.

"It's almost impossible to make a game if we just look into one update only," he began.

"We always want to provide content with high quality, and our stories and characters are closely connected, so we have to play ahead of time.

"If we want to design a whole new world, it takes more than 15 months to dig into the concepts and based on the core concept we can then design our characters."

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Considering how character-driven the game is, it's perhaps no surprise that this is a core focus of development, with plenty of characters currently in development with an eye toward future updates.

"We have over 10 unreleased characters at one time and characters in different production pipelines," he explained. "We also have very specific plans for them."

After asking if there were any characters that they haven't found the right occasion to introduce yet, he coyly teased that "in the next year, you might be able to see some of the characters that players have been wanting for a long time, but no spoilers right now".

In the meantime, the Version 4.7 update dubbed 'Now, Lay Laughter to All Stars' will introduce Aha as the 94th playable character.

Her addition will mark the first time that an Aeon – a race of gods who preside over the game's universe – will be available as a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail.

Ad

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Alex Raisbeck, smiling against a lime green background.

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...