PSA: It's not worth paying to preload Honkai: Star Rail on PS5

Version 1.4 of Honkai: Star Rail is due to launch this Wednesday (October 11) across all platforms, coinciding with the game's launch on PlayStation 5. Pre-downloads for the latest update are now available, so players on PC and mobile can get a jump on installing the hefty patch — which looks set to eat up about 10-12GB of space, depending on your platform — allowing them to begin playing more quickly once the version launches.

However, players eagerly anticipating the game's release on PlayStation 5 might have hit a stumbling block if they were hoping to get in on the pre-installation action. Attempting to download Honkai: Star Rail from the PlayStation Store currently greets you with the alarming news that this free-to-play gacha title apparently costs £9.49.

In what I consider to be a not entirely cool move on the part of either HoYoverse or Sony, Honkai: Star Rail's PS5 pre-download is currently gated behind a paid pre-order bundle. This is already a bit annoying, but becomes downright shady due to the fact that the information about HSR's F2P status is discreetly tucked away in the game description, which could leave PlayStation fans with the impression that you need to pay in order to get it on the platform at all.

For the avoidance of doubt, Honkai: Star Rail will indeed be free-to-play on PlayStation 5 once it releases, and while the pre-order bundle does net you some bonuses, they're not really worth a tenner. Cough up the cash and you'll get just two regular Star Rail passes for use in the gacha, alongside 150k of in-game currency, some admittedly useful character and weapon levelling materials, and some not-quite-as-useful consumables. It's considerably less than you'd get paying £10 for a month of HSR's premium battle pass, and it's clear that what you're really paying for here is the preload, with the rest chucked in as a bit of a bonus.

My advice for those keen to play Honkai: Star Rail on PS5 (and I count myself among that number) would be to accept the ultimately very short delay that comes with waiting for the game to be available for free following its official launch. A few extra hours at most to get your hands on a single-player game which PC and mobile players have had since April anyway is more than worth holding onto that tenner, in my considered estimation.

Despite the fact that I think this is a bit of a gross move on the part of both companies involved — especially given that gachas are a deservedly controversial monetisation strategy at the best of times — Honkai: Star Rail remains one of my favourite games of 2023 thanks to its extremely fun turn-based combat system, compelling cast of core characters, and glossy production values. I'm eager to join the throngs downloading and enjoying it for free on PlayStation 5 once Version 1.4 lands on October 11.