Wuthering Waves Vs. Genshin Impact: Which Game Is Better? (2024)

Wuthering Waves has a story that revolves around the nameless and amnesiac protagonist known simply as Rover. Just like Hoyoverse’s Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves is an open-world hack-and-slash adventure game with a gacha system built-in to collect a varied cast of characters.

Both games share many similarities at their core, as they fit within the same genre box, but each game has plenty to offer players. Whether it be in your new character obsession, compelling lore, or exciting and high-octane gameplay, each of these games is a blast to play, but what if you don’t have enough time for both? Which is better?

6 World And Exploration

Winner: Genshin Impact

Both games have massive and spiraling open worlds, ready to be explored by the protagonists. Genshin Impact has been a mainstay of the genre since its inception, and a live-service game, it has continuously added even more areas for players to explore.

Wuthering Waves’ Solaris-3 is a unique world with futuristic locales that are pleasing to the eye, but it is still quite limited in its scope.

Every area in the world of Genshin Impact is vastly different than the last, and although Wuthering Waves’ world is stunning and unique, it is still miles behind the behemoth that is the world of Teyvat.

5 Combat

Winner: Wuthering Waves

Just because Genshin Impact is one of the first ones to do it doesn’t mean they’re the best. Its combat system is nothing to scoff at. It’s engaging, the animations are enthralling, and it gives the player a sense of empowerment that no other RPGs do. Switching between characters is a delight, but aside from skills and ultimates, the combat can get a bit stale after a while.

On the other hand, Wuthering Waves took what Genshin Impact was known for and dialed it up a couple of notches. The combat remains the same hack-and-slash attacks paired with a skill and an ultimate, but what Wuthering Waves does differently is in its parry and dodge system. Players can time their dodges to initiate a short slow-down window, giving you a small advantage over your enemy, and even parry their blows letting you deal a huge counterattack.

4 Character Building

Winner: Wuthering Waves

Both games feature similar character-building systems, albeit with different naming conventions. Each character can upgrade different passive nodes that can significantly increase your damage or healing output, and pulling multiples of a character will let you unlock even stronger abilities.

Although Genshin Impact has the artifact system in place that allows players to modify their playstyles accordingly, Wuthering Waves includes the Echoes system, which can increase specific stats but gives you a Pokemon-like party of creatures that you can summon mid-battle to unleash their powerful attacks.

3 Story

Winner: Genshin Impact

One could argue that Genshin Impact’s story is a bit cookie-cutter and vanilla, but its simplicity is what makes it so great. It has an incredible plot and even better characterization that has made millions of players fall in love with Teyvat and its inhabitants. It is also a live-service game, so the story will continue until Hoyoverse decides to close its doors.

Wuthering Waves story is nothing to scoff at. It features a dark tone and an evil, and at times quite edgy, troupe of characters ready to cause havoc. The world has a futuristic and somewhat post-apocalyptic feel to it, adding more urgency to the conflict at hand. The only downside of the story is that it needs tons to catch up to Genshin’s caliber.

2 Characters

Winner: Genshin Impact

The cast is the biggest selling point of both of these games. They are both gacha games, after all. When it comes to characters, the winner is clearly Genshin Impact. With over 80 characters to pull and play as, Genshin Impact features some of the most unique character designs in gacha games.

Players have spent plenty of time with many of these characters and even waited patiently until their favorite character’s banner has a rerun to maximize their main’s potential.

Wuthering Waves has incredible character designs as well. The world of Solaris-3 is a bit more desolated and decrepit than Teyvat, making the characters sport darker and edgier designs compared to that of Genshin’s more whimsical cast.

There is nothing wrong with edgier designs, but even though Genshin Impact’s designs are more fantasy-esque, they have more variety than Wuthering Waves’ short cast.

1 Verdict

Winner: Genshin Impact

Both games are incredible in their own way. Although both games are very similar, when you get past surface-level attributes, you can find glaring differences in their gameplay, aesthetic, and even world exploration.

Since both games share a genre, you will find it easy to jump from game to game depending on preference. If you enjoy a more serious tone, Wuthering Waves can offer more for you, but if you are looking for a long and fulfilling journey filled with whimsy, download Genshin Impact today.

Even though they are both excellent, Genshin Impact is by far the better game. The game has had more time to develop and learn from its own mistakes, all while providing you with a metric ton of content to sink your teeth into whenever you feel ready to explore the wonderful and mysterious Teyvat.