HoYoverse has announced a significant delay for the highly anticipated Version 4.0 update for Honkai: Star Rail, extending Version 3.8 to an eight week run, which pushes the next major patch into 2026. Along with an apology for the delay, HoYoverse revealed the game’s next new planet, Planarcadia, and teased upcoming characters.
Planarcadia and the Aeon’s Game
The next world officially coming to Honkai: Star Rail is Planarcadia. HoYoverse provided some lore about the new region: “The threat of Destruction compelled the cosmos to unite once again, and everyone now looks toward other Aeons involved. The Express once crashed into and departed from ‘Planarcadia.’ There, Aha graced the pursuers of Elation with a reward: join THEIR game and become an ‘Aeon’ for a minute.” Preview images suggest that Planarcadia will resemble an amusement park.
Compensation and Character Teases
In response to the Version 4.0 delay, HoYoverse provided all players with in game freebies, including Stellar Jade ×1,000 and Fuel ×10, which can be claimed from the in game mail. The developer also released an image showing silhouettes of upcoming Version 4.0 characters, who are expected to factor into the Planarcadia story content. Fans speculate that one of the teased figures is a new version of the character Sparkle. Version 3.8, titled “Memories are the Prelude to Dreams,” is set to be released on December 16, 2025, and will run for eight weeks before Version 4.0 arrives.
