Here's exactly when you can play Genshin Impact Version 3.0

Welcome to Sumeru. Genshin Impact 3.0 marks the next step of the Traveler’s journey toward the nation of Wisdom. The Traveler must seek out Dendro Archon Kusanali for a lead on their sibling, and probably help iron out the nation’s struggles in the process. So far, the next chapter of this story promises to introduce forest rangers Tighnari and Collei to our heroes. Developer HoYoverse has already started marketing the new Sumeru characters to expect in Genshin Impact 3.1, but we need to make it through Genshin Impact 3.0 before we get there.

Here’s what you need to prepare for Genshin Impact 3.0, including launch time, maintenance rewards, and pre-loading instructions.

When is the Genshin Impact version 3.0 release time?

Check for the Genshin Impact 3.0 update on August 23 at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Genshin Impact 3.0 is already available to pre-load. Maintenance should start at about 5 p.m. Eastern and end around 10 p.m. This is usually the case with Genshin Impact updates, which drop a few hours before the actual release date listed in promotional materials.

What are the Genshin Impact version 3.0 maintenance rewards?

Those Adventure Rank 5 or higher receive 300 Primogems in the mail after maintenance.

This sum translates to about 60 Primogems per hour that the game is offline, even if the update finishes early. The AR5 rule blocks newbies from jumping in just for the gems but rewards even beginners for their time. The gems also come to you automatically in the mail, so you don’t need to remember to claim them from another location. Just be sure to check your mail in the next 30 days before the Primogem reward expires!

Can you pre-load the Genshin Impact version 3.0 update?

HoYoverse announced pre-installation options for Genshin Impact 3.0 earlier this week. Here’s how to download the pre-installation files so that you can jump straight into Sumeru.

Preload on PC

To pre-load on PC, download the new launcher from the Genshin Impact official site. It’s the only one on the site now (the old one has been replaced), so there’s no confusing it with the older version. Open the launcher after downloading, where a “Game Pre-Installation” option should be next to the “Launch” button. Press the cloud icon next to Game Pre-Installation and wait for the pre-load to finish before exiting the launcher. After maintenance ends, return to the launcher and download the rest of the files to start exploring Genshin Impact 3.0.

Preload on mobile

Pick one of these ways to pre-load Genshin Impact 3.0 on mobile:

• Check the in-game menu for the pre-install resource package. The pre-installation package is in the “Other” tab of the settings menu (gear icon). Once you open the “Other” tab, you should see the option to “Pre-Install Now” next to a Pre-Install Resource Package option.
• Click a little cloud icon on the bottom left of the Genshin Impact login screen. This option doesn’t even involve opening the game, just tap the cloud icon to download the pre-install resource package. It’s no different from the one in your in-game settings.

After maintenance, the Genshin Impact 3.0 update should be available to download from the App Store or Google Play depending on if you have iOS or Android. Just search for Genshin Impact and you should see an “Update” button waiting to finish the job for you. Click “Update” to download the last of the files and wrap up the rest of the Genshin Impact 3.0 prep work.

Preload on PS4 and PS5

You still can’t pre-load Genshin Impact for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5. After maintenance ends, select the Genshin Impact icon in your library with the OPTIONS button on your PlayStation controller. Click the “Search for Update” option to download version 3.0.

Genshin Impact is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android.