5 things to look forward to in Honkai Star Rail in January 2026

Although the Honkai Star Rail 4.0 update has been delayed by two weeks, January 2026 still features some things that players should look forward to. Since the drip marketing campaign just revealed two new characters, players are quite hyped about the upcoming patch. Besides that, the special program livestream is expected to take place this month.

This article lists five things that every Honkai Star Rail player should look forward to in January 2026.

Note: Some aspects of this article are based on speculations. Hence, readers are advised to take the information herein with a grain of salt.

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5 things every Honkai Star Rail player should look forward to in January 2026

1) Pure Fiction refresh

One of the endgame activities, Pure Fiction, is set to refresh in January 2026. The reset will bring in a new set of enemies as well as fresh stage buffs. Like all the previous iterations, the upcoming one will feature a generous amount of Stellar Jade. Since this currency is used to purchase Special Passes, players try to finish all stages with the maximum number of stars to acquire all related rewards.

Besides Stellar Jade, Trailblazers can also get other in-game materials, such as Traveler's Guide, Jade Feather, and more.

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2) Release of Honkai Star Rail 3.8's second phase

Fugue banner details (Image via HoYoverse)

In January 2026, the second half of HSR 3.8 will commence. When it goes live, players can roll all the limited 5-star characters and Light Cones that are scheduled to release alongside phase two. During the three weeks, players can acquire Fugue and Lingsha from their respective gacha banners.

Besides that, some limited-time events will also become playable. These will allow Trailblazers to earn various freebies, the highlight being Stellar Jades.

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3) Debut of version 3.8's third half

Aglaea banner details (Image via HoYoverse)

Right after the HSR 3.8 second phase, the third one is set to release. However, it will only stay live for two weeks. During this window, two rerun characters and their signature Light Cones will be obtainable. These 5-star units are Aglaea and Sunday.

Since Aglaea is quite strong in most endgame activities, she is a good pick. However, her only downside is that you need to have good supports.

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4) The commencement of version 4.0's Closed Beta test

Usually, most Closed Betas commence two weeks after a drip marketing campaign starts. Hence, the test for v4.0 is expected to take place sometime during the second/third week of January 2026. When the beta test goes live, a selected few will be able to play the upcoming content ahead of its release.

During that time, the two new characters, Yao Guang and Sparxie, will be playable. Both of them follow the Elation Path; therefore, it will be interesting to see how their kits work.

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5) Honkai Star Rail 4.0 special program

Yao Guang will debut in HSR 4.0 (Image via HoYoverse)

Lastly, right at the end of January 2026, the HSR 4.0 special program livestream is expected to air. Unlike the beta test, the developers will reveal everything that will be implemented into the title when the patch debuts. HoYoverse is expected to showcase two of the upcoming playable characters, Yao Guang and Sparxie.

Besides that, players are eagerly waiting for this live telecast as HoYoverse will reveal the next major destination on the Astral Express crew.

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For more articles related to this turn-based gacha title from HoYoverse, Honkai Star Rail, check out the following section:

• Honkai Star Rail 3.8: Events and banner schedule
• Best teams for Honkai: Star Rail 3.7 Memory of Chaos
• Honkai: Star Rail 3.8 banners schedule
• All Honkai: Star Rail 3.8 QoL optimizations and changes
• Honkai: Star Rail 3.8 Apocalyptic Shadow, Pure Fiction, and Memory of Chaos release date and time

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Edited by Argha Halder