Genshin Impact Version 2.2 livestream start time, how to watch, and what to expect

Can Genshin Impact bounce back from its anniversary flop? September 2021 marked the free-to-play RPG’s first birthday, but developer miHoYo marked the occasion with a stingy array of rewards. It’s not a great look for the team behind a game that generated more than $150 million in the first week of September 2021 alone, but the upcoming Genshin Impact Version 2.2 update is an opportunity for redemption.

MiHoYo recently announced plans for an October 12 livestream event that will provide a rundown of everything coming with the Genshin Impact Version 2.2 update. Here’s everything we know about how to tune in and what to expect.

When is the Genshin Impact Version 2.2 livestream start time?

Players based in the United States can watch the livestream for Genshin Impact Version 2.2 on Sunday, October 3 at 8 a.m. Eastern via the Tokyo Game Show stream or the official Genshin Impact Twitch channel.

You’ll be able to watch the Genshin Impact Concert event immediately after the Version 2.2 livestream. The concert kicks off at 8:40 am Eastern and will last 90 minutes. It features the game’s iconic orchestral music, along with some experimental covers. Genshin Impact composer Yu-Peng Chen will team up with Maestro Dirk Brossé to lead the festivities.

How to watch the Genshin Impact Version 2.2 livestream

If Twitch isn’t your jam, the Version 2.2 livestream should be available on the official Genshin Impact YouTube channel. You should also be able to watch the livestream in Japanese as well by using the Tokyo Games Show YouTube channel. When the time comes, you can watch the Japanese livestream right here.

According to the video description, the Japanese stream will include appearances from Japanese Genshin Impact voice actors like Shun Horie (male Traveler), Masakazu Morita (Thoma), and Chiaki Takahashi (Xinyan).

What is the Tokyo Game Show and how does it relate to Genshin Impact?

Tokyo Games Show is a Japan-based multi-day gaming event that’s primarily centered on Asian games. In basic terms, it’s E3 for anime games.

Genshin Impact also had a presence at TGS 2020. Developer miHoYo used the space to unveil the Yuri Lowenthal voiced character, Dainsleif. Their previous presentation also included essentially a roadmap of the overall Genshin Impact narrative. Hopefully, this year is equally flashy.

What's going to be revealed in the Genshin Impact Version 2.2 livestream?

The livestream will provide a rundown of what’s coming to the game in the next update, including limited-time events and new story quests. Players who mostly use PC and Mobile devices to enjoy Genshin Impact will be given instructions on how to claim Horizon Forbidden West protagonist Aloy in Version 2.2. The stream will likely showcase the rumored new hangout events featuring Sayu and Thoma.

Finally, the update will likely introduce Tsurumi Island, and will act as something of an epilogue to the Inazuma storyline.

In-game lore describes Tsurumi Island as:

“A mysterious island enshrouded in fog. No one has set foot here in many long years.”

Paimon and the Traveller will likely break that streak.

What are the Genshin Impact Version 2.2 Banners?

MiHoYo has not yet revealed the Banners for Genshin Impact Version 2.2. There’s conflicting information for what might be featured on the Version 2.2 Banners.

Thanks to an official tweet from miHoYo, we know for sure is that one of them will include the new four-star Pyro Polearm character, Thoma.

The featured five-star characters are expected to be re-runs of previous heroes. The leaker UBatcha has suggested that we can expect re-runs for Hu Tao, Ganyu, and Albedo this year. Due to datamined bonuses in the Spiral Abyss and the pictures used to display those bonuses, some players over on Reddit expect Hu Tao and Childe will be rerun in 2.2.

In any case, we can expect official confirmation about the Version 2.2 banners from miHoYo during the October 3 event.

Genshin Impact Version 2.2 launches October 12.