A new world of neon, noise and performance anxiety arrives on February 13 — Honkai: Star Rail’s Version 4.0, “No Aha At Full Moon,” opens Planarcadia, a glittering theme park-planet where attention is literally a life force.
If you’ve been waiting for something that looks equal parts pop art and carnival, HoYoverse delivered. Planarcadia is a place where imagenae — creatures born of paint and attention — share the streets with people, giant mechatron sculptures hum above thoroughfares, and every alley seems to hide an entrance into a different Duomension. It’s also Himeko’s homeland and the kickoff point for an Elation-themed story arc that the devs say will play out across the year.
Phantasmoon Games: fame, masks and very loose rules
At the center of the update is the Phantasmoon Games, a no-rules spectacle rumored to be personally designed by Aha, the tricksy Aeon of Laughter. Eight masks are the ticket in; the prize is an audience with Aha and the chance to be an “Aeon for a Minute.” Naturally, factions from across the cosmos — the IPC, the Xianzhou Alliance, the Masked Fools, even Stellaron Hunters like Silver Wolf and Blade — have all come sniffing around. Underneath the glitter, the Express Crew will find intrigue, rivalries and the usual gacha-era theatrics.
Combat in Planarcadia is tuned to that spotlight-first mentality. Characters on the new Path of Elation build “Punchlines” during fights; when enough stack up, Aha shows up for an “Aha Instant,” forcing Elation-path characters to chain their Elation Skills for amplified effects. Afterward, each Elation character gains a unique “Certified Banger” buff. It’s theatrical, strategic and tailor-made for players who like building synergies around a theme.
Two new 5‑stars: Yao Guang and Sparxie
Version 4.0 adds two headline 5‑star characters who lean hard into that Elation mechanic.
- Yao Guang — A Physical support from the Xianzhou Alliance (the Yuque ship). Long heard but never seen, Madam Yao uses Weal and Woe Lots to shuffle luck: Weal Lots buff allies’ Elation and grant Punchlines, while Woe Lots during an Aha Instant punish enemies and refund Skill Points. Her Ultimate hands out Punchlines and can immediately trigger an extra Aha Instant — useful for burst windows and synergy plays.
- Sparxie — A Fire DPS who resembles the Masked Fool Sparkle and works like a streamer in battle. She opens a livestream room and invites Skill Point consumption to send randomized Gifts that refund Skill Points or generate Punchlines; Aha Instants become multi-bounce lucky-draw carnage. In short: she scales with SP spending and is built to capitalize on Elation stacks.
HoYoverse also confirmed limited-time warps for characters like Black Swan, Evernight and Hysilens in the first half of the patch, with Sparkle, Cerydra and Rappa arriving later. Black Swan and Sparkle receive buffs aimed at improving DOT and Elation-team support respectively.
Events, freebies and quality-of-life tweaks
There’s a surprising breadth of side activities: a collectible-card mini-game called Cosmicon Collective (expect deckbuilding against world encounters), a light management sim named Furbobo Weekly where you run a magazine, a new Duomension platforming area and an expansion to Currency Wars plus Divergent Universe updates for long-term players.
HoYoverse is throwing in some generous sign-in goodies: 20 Warps (Star Rail special passes), a free Ruan Mei outfit, a free 5‑star selector from a curated pool, and 1,600 Stellar Jade via the Yao Guang fortune event. There’s also mention of new Trailblaze outfits and headwear dropping across the version.
On the systems side, daily Assignments are getting more flexible (no fixed times or specific character restrictions), and Relic and Team Lineup interfaces will be tweaked for convenience — small changes that players tend to appreciate long after splashy releases.
If you play on PlayStation, recent cloud and streaming improvements make jumping between devices even easier; the platform-side ecosystem has been moving fast lately, which helps when multiplatform events land across PC, mobile and console PlayStation Portal Can Now Stream Your PS5 Library — Major Cloud Update Arrives.
This release lands on PC, iOS, Android and PS5 (and while nothing official was announced about cross-buy here, ongoing chatter and leaks around a possible PS5–PC cross-buy icon keep the conversation alive among platform-savvy players) Datamine Reveals ‘Cross‑Buy’ Icon on PS5 — Is Sony Preparing PS5‑PC Ownership?.
A quick look ahead: 4.1 teases and resource notes
HoYoverse has already started teasing Version 4.1. A new character, Ashveil — an enigmatic detective with a cane and a monkey assistant — was hinted at during the 4.0 program and is expected to be available across the shorter four-week 4.1 phase. The update also brings new ascension materials aimed at Hunt & Lightning archetypes, a small but meaningful change if you’re farming for future banners.
If you need to pick up hardware before diving in (or want a dedicated console for the Astral Express), the PlayStation 5 Pro is one obvious choice for PS5 players; you can check current listings for a PS5 Pro console PlayStation 5 Pro Console.
Planarcadia looks loud, silly and designed to be endlessly rewatched — an entire update built around spectacle and attention. Whether you’ll dive into card duels, chase the livestream meta with Sparxie, or spend weeks hunting down all eight Phantasmoon masks, HoYoverse is banking on a season of show-stopping moments. The patch goes live on February 13; tune in, dress up, and maybe keep an eye on your Punchlines.