Music of Genshin Impact
Since 2020, HOYO-MiX, the in-house music studio of the video game developer company miHoYo, has been releasing music soundtracks for in-game Genshin Impact. The music has received generally positive reviews, and has won several awards.
Mondstadt soundtrack
In 2019, video game developer company miHoYo got composer and music producer Yu-Peng Chen, also known as Chen Zhiyi, to produce the soundtrack for their title Genshin Impact with their in-house music studio HOYO-MiX. It was Chen's first major video game work, and he described the project as a difficult challenge. The game has an open-world environment that features areas referred to as regions, with visual designs inspired by different world cultures. In composing the music for these regions, Chen chose a style that integrates elements of traditional folk music with Western musical arrangements. During the pre-release development stage, the game only featured Mondstadt and Liyue, two of the planned seven regions. On top of idyllic rural scenery, medieval European architectural styles and cultures inspired the design of Mondstadt. In composing the music for Mondstadt, Chen borrowed the language and rhythm of Impressionism and used the piano, tin whistle instruments, and medieval-style lutes. In composing the combat music, he used various composition techniques such as polyphony and taking orchestration elements from composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven.The Mondstadt soundtrack was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Robert Ziegler as the conductor, and Nick Wollage and Laurence Anslow as music engineers. The coordination with the orchestra was done by Lei Cine Music Management, with preliminary communication taking place five months before the recording. The recording sessions took place from September 16 to 18, 2019, at AIR Studios. Lei Zhang, the founder of Lei Cine Music Management, joined Yu-Peng Chen and HOYO-MiX director Jinhan "Zoe" Cai for the recording in London. At AIR Studios, Chen had conducted the "Genshin Impact Main Theme" himself.
The first original soundtrack album to be produced for Genshin Impact was The Wind and The Star Traveler, which got released on 19 June 2020. All fifteen soundtracks in the album were composed by Yu-Peng Chen. The next soundtrack album, City of Winds and Idylls, is dedicated to the Mondstadt Chapter and commemorates the release of Genshin Impact. The album got released on digital music platforms on September 28, 2020, and the proper release on the official Genshin Impact YouTube channel occurred on November 2, 2020. Two tracks, "Whirl of Boreal Wind" and "Symphony of Boreal Wind", were performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
Vortex of Legends, the fifth Genshin Impact soundtrack album, got released on April 2, 2021. It featured a total of 17 tracks composed by Yu-Peng Chen of HOYO-MiX, each one an original composition for the Dragonspine area. The track listing was first announced on March 31, 2021, on Chinese platforms. The soundtrack was recorded with the International Master Philharmonic Orchestra at the Jintian Recording Studio.
Liyue soundtrack
For Liyue, which had scenic Eastern fantasy as its basis, Chen used elements of Chinese folk music—traditional instruments, the pentatonic scale, and ancient tonal melodies—with Western romantic harmonies and orchestral arrangements. The Liyue soundtrack got performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Symphony Hall, with Jiemin Zhang as the conductor. Dong An, one of Chen's mentors from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, served as a music supervisor during the scoring sessions of the soundtrack. Xiaoxing Lu, noted as a co-awardee at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards for the soundtrack of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, served as the recording director and consultant. The recording of the Liyue soundtrack took five days.Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds, the third Genshin Impact soundtrack album to be produced, is dedicated to the Liyue Chapter. It featured a total of 69 tracks all composed by Yu-Peng Chen. One track, "Liyue", was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The next soundtrack album for Liyue, Millelith's Watch, got released on June 22, 2022. It featured a total of forty tracks dedicated to The Chasm area, composed by Yu-Peng Chen, Dimeng Yuan, Qian Ding, Yijun Jiang, and Xin Zhao. Before its release, the track listing was announced on June 19. The album saw guest musician Haitao Li on the Morin Khuur. Li was known for performing the instrument on the streets of Shanghai, and had gained significant attention and following online for doing so since 2016.
Inazuma soundtrack
''Realm of Tranquil Eternity''
Like the soundtrack for the Liyue region, the music of Inazuma also took on the fusion of traditional or folk musical elements with Western orchestration. Much of the compositions took from historic Japanese melodies. One instance is "Sakura Sakura", which was adapted for the theme of the Electro Archon. After learning about the popularity of previous combat music with players, Yu-Peng Chen chose to compose four combat themes for Inazuma, opposed to the Mondstadt and Liyue regions only having three combat themes each. He also adopted the rhythmic style of modern electronic music in composing the music. The Inazuma soundtrack was performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, with Hirofumi Kurita as the conductor and Sachiko Miyano of Shangri-La Inc. as the scoring sessions director. The sound recording was done at multiple studios in China and Japan, and the mixing and mastering was done by music engineers Simon Rhodes and Simon Gibson of Abbey Road Studios in London. The recording process took around one and half months; the production for four months in total with preliminary communication accounted for.Realm of Tranquil Eternity, the seventh soundtrack album to be produced for Genshin Impact and dedicated to the Inazuma Chapter, got released on September 22, 2021. Prior to that, its track listing was officially announced on September 17. The album featured 62 tracks, all composed and arranged by Yu-Peng Chen.
''Islands of the Lost and Forgotten''
The second soundtrack album dedicated to the Inazuma Chapter, Islands of the Lost and Forgotten, and the tenth album to be released for Genshin Impact, got released on April 13, 2022. Its track listing was first announced on April 7. The album featured a total of 60 tracks for the Watatsumi Island, Seirai Island, Tsurumi Island areas and the Enkanomiya region; the music was composed by Yu-Peng Chen, Dimeng Yuan, Qian Ding, Yijun Jiang, and Xin Zhao. It was a co-production between HOYO-MiX and Sony Music Entertainment Japan.Sumeru soundtrack
''Forest of Jnana and Vidya''
The music of Sumeru took inspiration from various cultures and regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. For the rainforest area inspired by South Asia, the music featured traditional instruments including the bansuri performed by Eliza Marshall, the sitar performed by Jonathan Mayer and Arjun Verma, and the tabla performed by Kuljit Bhamra, among others. The composers incorporated elements of Indian classical music and yoga music into their work to give the music "a feeling of contemporary wisdom and spirituality". Composer Yu-Peng Chen also took reference from symphonic suites by Russian classical composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and orchestration elements from Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade". The London Symphony Orchestra, along with conductor Robert Ziegler returning from the Mondstadt soundtrack, performed the majority of the music. The orchestra recording was done at Abbey Road Studios in London. Other guest folk musicians included Baha Yetkin, Attab, and Kian on the oud, Steve Smith on the bouzouki and mandolin, Maya Youssef on the kanun, and Peyman on the santur. Mixing engineer Simon Gibson of Abbey Road Studios returned from the Liyue music production to work on the Sumeru soundtrack.Forest of Jnana and Vidya, the fourteenth Genshin Impact soundtrack album to be produced, is dedicated to the Sumeru Chapter. The track listing was officially announced on October 18, 2022, and the album was released on October 20. It featured a total of 100 tracks composed by Yu-Peng Chen, Dimeng Yuan, Qian Ding, Yijun Jiang, and Xin Zhao. Aside from the London Symphony Orchestra, other participating orchestra groups included the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, International Master Philharmonic Orchestra, and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Other participating musicians included Jiannan Gu on the bansuri, Ashley Blasse and Ye Fan on the classical guitar, and Stephanie Gonley and Ming Liu on the violin.
''The Unfathomable Sand Dunes''
The Unfathomable Sand Dunes is the sixteenth album of the Genshin Impact music. It consists of 108 soundtracks. The album was first announced on March 31, 2023 and its tracklist was announced the day before the album's release.The desert area, which was inspired by the Middle East, the traditional instruments featured included the ney performed by John Plotner, the duduk performed by Martin Robertson, and the saz performed by Dursun Can Çakin. Kuljit Bhamra of Red Fort Studios took on the role of supervisor for the folk instrumental performances.
Fontaine soundtrack
The environmental music of Fontaine was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with traditional music artists, complementing Fontaine's overall European aesthetic. When creating the region's soundtrack, Genshin ImpactAccording to one of the game's music producers, Fontaine's environments can be divided into two distinct musical settings: one for above-water situations and one for underwater, each with its own style. For above-water areas, the soundtrack mainly uses traditional European instruments, incorporating elements of jazz, waltz and Baroque music to evoke Fontaine's sense of romance. In contrast, the underwater music emphasizes electronic sounds and vocal chants, creating an atmosphere that is light and peaceful, helping to prevent players from feeling claustrophobic during underwater exploration. Fontaine's main theme uses a sonata form to convey narrative structure, with an expanded development section to enhance storytelling, and also employs montage techniques to reinforce its narrative flow.
Natlan soundtrack
Natlan's soundtrack reflects the region's diverse cultural inspirations. HOYO-MiX blended Latin American and African musical elements, with teaser tracks featuring classical Spanish guitar strumming, castanet rhythms, and lyrics sung in Swahili. They also added Mesoamerican and Polynesian-style chants. The soundtrack received widespread praise for its authenticity and scope. The Vienna University Philharmonic chorus sung the chants and chorus.The Stellar Moments
''The Stellar Moments Vol.1''
Covers tracks for playable characters from Mondstadt and Liyue. Tracks include the melodies featured in the Character Trailers and Character Demos, which were released on YouTube.The characters included in Vol.1 are as follows: Venti, Klee, Xiangling, Fischl, Qiqi, Mona, Tartaglia, Diona, Xinyan, Albedo, Ganyu, and Zhongli.
''The Stellar Moments Vol.2''
Covers tracks for playable characters from Liyue and Inazuma. Tracks include the melodies featured in the Character Trailers and Character Demos, which were released on YouTube under Genshin Impacts official channel. In Volume 2, characters from Mondstadt did reappear, but they were few and far between.The characters/outfit teasers included in Vol.2 are as follows: Xiao, Hu Tao, Rosaria, Yanfei, Eula, 1.6 "Midsummer Island Adventure" Jean and Barbara outfits, Kaedehara Kazuha, Kamisato Ayaka, Sayu, Yoimiya, Kujou Sara, Aloy, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Thoma, and the Raiden Shogun.
''The Stellar Moments Vol.3''
Covers tracks for playable characters from Inazuma and Sumeru. Tracks include the melodies featured in the Character Trailers and Character Demos, which were released on YouTube under Genshin Impacts official channel. In Volume 3, Liyue got 3 new characters and their tracks are included here.The characters/outfit teasers included in Vol.3 are as follows: Arataki Itto, Gorou, 2.4 "Fleeting Colors in Flight" Ningguang and Keqing outfits, Shenhe, Yun Jin, Yae Miko, Kamisato Ayato, Yelan, Kuki Shinobu, Shikanoin Heizou, 2.8 "Summer Fantasia" Diluc and Fischl outfits, Tighnari, Collei, Dori, Cyno, Candace, Nilou, Layla, and Nahida.
''The Stellar Moments Vol.4''
Covers tracks for playable characters from Sumeru and Fontaine. Tracks include the melodies featured in the Character Trailers and Character Demos, which were released on YouTube under Genshin Impacts official channel. In Volume 4, Mondstadt and Inazuma each introduced 1 new character, while Liyue introduced 2.The characters/outfit teasers included in Vol. 4 are as follows: Wanderer, Faruzan, 3.4 "The Exquisite Night Chimes" Lisa and Kamisato Ayaka outfits, Yaoyao, Alhaitham, Dehya, Mika, Kaveh, Baizhu, Kirara, 3.8 "Secret Summer Paradise" Kaeya and Klee outifits, Lyney, Lynette, Freminet, Neuvilette, Wriothesley, Charlotte, and Furina.
''The Stellar Moments Vol.5''
Covers tracks for playable characters from Fontaine and Natlan. Tracks include the melodies featured in the Character Trailers and Character Demos, which were released on YouTube under Genshin Impacts official channel. In Volume 5, Liyue introduced 2 new characters, and Sumeru introduced 1.The characters/outfit teasers included in Vol. 5 are as follows: Navia, Chevreuse, 4.4 "Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze" Xingqiu, Shenhe, and Ganyu outfits, Gaming, Xianyun, Chiori, Arlecchino, Sethos, Clorinde, Sigewinne, 4.8 "Summertide Scales and Tales" Nilou and Kirara outfits, Emilie, Mualani, Kachina, Kinich, Xilonen, Chasca, Ororon, 5.3 "Incandescent Ode of Ressurrection" Hu Tao and Xiangling outfits, Mavuika, and Citlali.
''The Stellar Moments Vol.6''
Covers tracks for playable characters from Natlan and Nod-Krai. Tracks include the melodies featured in the Character Trailers and Character Demos, which were released on YouTube under Genshin Impacts official channel. In Volume 6, Liyue introduced 1 new character, Inazuma introduced 1 new character, Fontaine introduced 1 new character, and Mondstadt released 2 new characters.The characters/outfit teasers included in Vol. 6 are as follows: Lan Yan, Yumemizuki Mizuki, Iansan, Varesa, Escoffier, Ifa, Dahlia, Skirk, 5.8 "Sunspray Summer Resort" Bennett and Yelan outfits, Nod-Krai Impressions Trailer, Ineffa, Aino, Lauma, Flins, Nefer, Durin, Jahoda, Luna IV "A Traveler on Winter's Night" Yaoyao and Neuvillette outfits, Genshin Fes 2026 Animation, and Columbina.
The Shimmering Voyage
''The Shimmering Voyage Vol.1''
The Shimmering Voyage Volume 1 is a set of 68 tracks consisting of story quest music, world boss music, battle music, location music, and other miscellaneous music for Genshin Impact.These 68 tracks are split into 4 discs: "Fairytales of the Isles", "Blazing Stars", "Roar of the Formidable", and "A Stranger's Sojourn".
This covers the story up until "We Will be Reunited" 1.4 – in areas, bosses, and more.
''The Shimmering Voyage Vol.2''
The Shimmering Voyage Volume 2 is a set of 57 tracks consisting of story quest music, world boss music, battle music, location music, and other miscellaneous music for Genshin Impact.These 57 tracks are split into 3 discs: "A Vagrant Breeze", "Fantasia of the Isles", and "A Turbulent Peregrination".
This covers the story up until "Summer Fantasia" 2.8 – in areas, bosses, quests, events, and more.
''The Shimmering Voyage Vol.3''
The Shimmering Voyage Volume 3 is a set of 68 tracks consisting of story quest music, world boss music, battle music, location music, and other miscellaneous music for Genshin Impact.These 57 tracks are split into 3 discs: "La liesse, ou le fluide mirage des songes", "Tathya-Samvrti", and "Anecdotes of Reverie".
This covers the story up until "Secret Summer Paradise" in 3.8 – areas, bosses, quests, events, and more.
''The Shimmering Voyage Vol.4''
The Shimmering Voyage Volume 4 is a set of 67 tracks consisting of story quest music, world boss music, battle music, location music, and other miscellaneous music for Genshin Impact.These tracks are split into 3 discs: "Summertime Excursion", "Romance Without Words", and "Curiosites Esthetiques".
This covers the story up until "Summertide Scales and Tales" in 4.8 – areas, bosses, quests, events, and more.
''The Shimmering Voyage Vol.5''
The Shimmering Voyage Volume 5 is a set of 59 tracks consisting of story quest music, world boss music, battle music, location music, and other miscellaneous music for Genshin Impact.These tracks are split into 3 discs: "Joy Upon the Endless Summer Draft", "Fate Drawn Asunder", and "Luck That Leaps Through the Doom".
This covers the story up until "Sunspray Summer Resort" and "Song of the Welkin Moon: Prelude" in 5.8 – areas, bosses, quests, events, and more.
Footprints of the Traveler
''Footprints of the Traveler Vol.1''
This album covers the Version Soundtracks found in the Version trailers for the updates 1.0 – 2.8. These can also be found on the YouTube channel with the audio for the trailers.''Footprints of the Traveler Vol.2''
This album covers the Version Soundtracks found in the Version trailers for the updates 3.0 – 3.8. These can also be found on the YouTube channel with the audio for the trailers.''Footprints of the Traveler Vol.3''
This album covers the Version Soundtracks found in the Version trailers for the updates 4.0 – 4.8. These can also be found on the YouTube channel with the audio for the trailers.''Footprints of the Traveler Vol.4''
This album covers the Version Soundtracks found in the Version trailers for the updates 5.0 – 5.8. These can also be found on the YouTube channel with the audio for the trailers.EPs and singles
"Fleeting Colors in Flight"
"Fleeting Colors in Flight" is the eighth soundtrack and first EP album produced by HOYO-MiX and released in 2022 for the video game Genshin Impact.The album was performed by Yu-Peng Chen as composer and Dimeng Yuan as arranger and produced in Shanghai Media Group. The first track single Devastation and Redemption was released on January 15, 2022. Yun Jin performed this musical piece in the style of Chinese opera. The vocals of Yun Jin's voice actor Yang Yang were performed in Shanghai Jingju Theater Company. Later, the Myriad of Lights and instrumental version of Devastation and Redemption were released on January 31, 2022. All three soundtracks in the album were composed by HOYO-MiX and were dedicated to the version 2.4 soundtrack release of Genshin Impact.
Musicology
Motif
The "632753" battle motif, also known as "Photon of Fluctuation" motif, and its variations are widely used in the battle music of various regions of Genshin Impact, as well as in many character demonstrations. It is also used as the player death sound effect in Genshin Impact.The main factions in Genshin Impact, such as Fatui as well as some core characters throughout the story, also have their own music motives, which are used in promotional videos, when characters appear in the story, and in boss battles. When players hear these motives, they can associate them with the corresponding factions and characters.