After almost six years of hearing about the Fatui, the Tsaritsa, and the frozen home they answer to, Genshin Impact is finally opening the door to Snezhnaya. Version 7.0, titled “Everwinter Without Mercy,” is the update that adds Teyvat’s seventh nation, skipping Version 6.8 entirely and moving straight from 6.7. It brings a train-based region, a new firearm combat mode, two new characters, and fresh Cryo-focused reactions.
Quick answer: Version 7.0 goes live on August 12, 2026 at 04:00 UTC, right after each server finishes its scheduled maintenance. Once you update the client and reach the new region, a waypoint unlocks the entry point into Snezhnaya.
Release time: August 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM UTC (12:00 PM UTC+8)
Version 7.0 release date and maintenance times
The release date is August 12, 2026, confirmed through the official Version 7.0 livestream. Servers all come back online at the same absolute moment, 04:00 UTC, even though the local clock time differs by region. Maintenance runs for roughly five hours before that.
| Server | Maintenance window (local) |
|---|---|
| North America (UTC-5) | Aug 11, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM |
| Europe (UTC+1) | Aug 12, 12:00 AM – 5:00 AM |
| Asia / TW, HK, MO (UTC+8) | Aug 12, 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
You know the update has applied when the launcher pulls the new build and the title screen shows Version 7.0. If the download stalls, close and reopen the client after maintenance ends rather than during the window.
Exploring Snezhnaya: the train and the Eye of Graeae
Snezhnaya sits on Teyvat’s northern edge, a land of blizzards and heavy industry powered by Kresnik energy. Its towns are spread far apart and stitched together by an extensive rail network. A train runs across the icy tundra, and once you have the region’s key tool, you can summon a train car to any stop you have discovered and ride between settlements quickly.
That key item is the Eye of Graeae, which you receive on arrival. It shields you from the region’s extreme cold, stores Kresnik energy, and summons the train. The train car itself doubles as a hub, carrying a communication device that works like the Adventurers’ Guild’s Katheryne, a crafting bench, and a workbench for the new shooting gear.
Exploration runs on a new resource called Prime Ice. Gather enough of it and you can build nine Prime Ice Constructs, from portable fires that hold off the cold to climbable ice cubes and launch platforms that help you scale the glacial mountains outside the cities. Statues of the Seven are scattered across this first stretch of the map, including the capital of Snezhnograd and the resting place of the original Cryo Archon.
The third-person shooter mode
Equipping the Eye of Graeae unlocks a third-person shooter mode, playable inside a unique space in Snezhnaya called the Shadow Realm. It swaps the usual combat for an over-the-shoulder camera and gives you firearms with modifiable attachments. Three guns arrive in the update.
Alongside the guns are four Frag Crystals, which act like elemental grenades tied to Cryo, Hydro, Electro, or Pyro. You throw one to apply an element and start the fight, then open fire from range. The Traveler also gets a dedicated Night Hunt in Snow outfit built for use inside the Shadow Realm.
New characters: Odette and Alyosha
Two Snezhnayan characters join the roster. Odette is the only new five-star, a Cryo sword user and a ballerina who once served the Fatui under Signora. Her elemental skill uses a body double, and she plays as an off-field Cryo support who boosts stellar reaction damage. Her signature five-star sword, the Whitelake Frostfeather, appears on a weapon banner during the same phase.
Alyosha is a four-star Electro character who fights with a polearm, ranged weapons, and his dog Tugarin. He works mainly as a healer and support with a Stellar-Conduct buff, and he pairs naturally with the new firearm gameplay. You can get him for free by progressing through the new Archon Quest rather than pulling on a banner.
Snezhnaya also introduces the Cryo Traveler. You unlock this element by touching a Statue of the Seven in the region, and the Cryo Traveler can trigger Stellar-Conduct reactions.
Stellar reactions and how the new team works
Version 7.0 expands the Stellar reactions first introduced in Nod-Krai. Odette and Alyosha are designed to run on the same team so you can chain these effects together.
| Reaction | Elements | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Stellar-Conduct | Cryo + Electro | Alyosha triggers it to power up Odette’s strongest moves. |
| Stellar-Swirl | Cryo + Anemo | Needs an Anemo character; creates a vortex that erupts for heavy off-field Cryo damage. |
Stellar-Swirl is the standout for multi-element teams. Swapping a strong Anemo unit onto the roster lets you keep Cryo damage flowing even after Odette leaves the field. Combat across all of Teyvat also gets an enemy behavior update, with patrolling guards joining fights and enemies coordinating based on their allies and surroundings.
Wish banners in Version 7.0
Event wishes run in two phases. Phase 1 debuts Odette and reruns Arlecchino, with Alyosha featured among the four-stars on both. Phase 2 brings reruns for Flins and Ineffa.
| Phase | Dates | Five-star banners |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Aug 12 – Sep 1 | Odette (Cryo Sword), Arlecchino rerun (Pyro Polearm) |
| Phase 2 | Sep 1 – Sep 22 | Flins rerun (Hydro Bow), Ineffa rerun (Electro Polearm) |
Note: The Tsaritsa is not on any debut banner for this version. She remains a story figure for now rather than a pullable character.
Story, the Archon Quest, and events
The main story reaches a turning point. You finally meet the Tsaritsa, the reigning Cryo Archon who has spent years gathering the Gnoses from the other Archons and is close to finishing that plan. The new Archon Quest covers a catastrophic blizzard, the energy crisis that follows, and the tensions between Snezhnaya’s factions, and it rewards up to 560 Primogems while also handing you Alyosha for free.
Four limited-time events launch during the patch, including Great Expeditionist Challenge, Mutual Aid in Bloom: Into the Frostlands, Overflowing Abundance, and Trial of the Bastion. They mix train racing, target shooting, and domain challenges, and one hands out a free invite for the four-star Cryo character Diona.
Everything opens up the moment your client updates and you ride into the north for the first time. After years of buildup around the Fatui and their icy homeland, Snezhnaya is the payoff, and August 12 is when you get to see it firsthand.
