As a professional game player who's been roaming Teyvat since day one, I can hardly believe we're already celebrating Genshin Impact's fifth anniversary in 2026. But let me tell you—my mind keeps drifting back to the first anniversary back in 2021. That was a moment that truly tested the bond between miHoYo and its massive player base.

I remember it like yesterday. The 2.1 Update was probably the most hyped patch we'd ever seen, and for good reason. New characters like Raiden Shogun and Kokomi were dropping, Inazuma was getting even bigger with two new islands, and we were getting fishing—actual fishing! On top of all that, the first anniversary was right around the corner, and leaks had been promising something truly special. The community was buzzing with speculation. Some of us were convinced we'd get a free 5-star character; others expected hundreds of Primogems that would let us pull for that elusive pity-breaker.

Then the livestream happened.

miHoYo revealed that anniversary celebrations would grant players a total of 2,270 Primogems and 10 Intertwined Fates. That's a combined total of about 23 pulls. I sat there watching chat explode. Twenty-three pulls. For a first anniversary of a game that had shattered records and dominated the industry, even amid tough competition from AAA releases. The disappointment hit hard and fast. Social media erupted—Twitter, Reddit, you name it. #GenshinAnniversaryRewards and "Genshin 100 pulls" started trending globally.

Why were we so upset? Well, anyone who's ever touched Genshin's gacha system knows the answer. The pity system requires 90 pulls for a guaranteed 5-star on the character event banner. Even then, you've got a 50/50 shot of it being the limited character. Twenty-three pulls wouldn't even get you halfway to that first pity. Many of us had expected at least enough wishes to hit 90, giving everyone a shot at a 5-star. Others argued that a free standard 5-star or a commemorative gift like a glider or namecard was the bare minimum. The rewards felt tone-deaf, especially given how much money and passion the community had poured into the game.

What followed was a firestorm. Players review-bombed the Google Play Store. The official forums turned into a wall of complaint threads. Fan art and memes flooded in, depicting Paimon swimming in Primogems while Travelers got scraps. I even saw a few content creators uninstall the game live, though most of them reinstalled within a week—gacha addiction is a powerful thing.

But here's the twist: miHoYo did what many mobile game developers rarely do. They listened. A few days after the initial announcement, the dev team mentioned that more gifts were still to be revealed. And sure enough, additional rewards rolled out: more Primogems, fragile resin, and a whole string of login events that boosted the total pull count significantly. By the time the anniversary wrapped up, players ended up with enough currency to hit at least one pity, and the notorious community backlash slowly turned into cautious appreciation.

Looking back now, in 2026, that first anniversary feels like a turning point. Every subsequent anniversary has been bigger and more generous. The second anniversary brought a free character selector, enough wishes for a full pity chain, and breathtaking live concerts. The third anniversary? An entire new permanent 5-star added to the standard banner as a give-away, alongside a flood of customization items. By the fourth anniversary, we were getting artifact reroll tokens, massive Primogem drops, and community-created events that genuinely celebrated our adventures.

This year's fifth anniversary is shaping up to be the most explosive yet—leaks suggest we might see the long-awaited housing expansion, a new element teased, and enough intertwined fates to make even the spawn of a thousand-ambition whale blush. It's honestly a little surreal to think that the fury of 2021 laid the groundwork for all this. The devs clearly learned that a celebration with global reach demanded rewards that matched the love players had shown.

Of course, some veterans still joke about the "2,270 Primogem incident" whenever a new anniversary stream comes on. But now it's more of a nostalgic meme than a genuine complaint. I guess sometimes you have to go through a storm to appreciate the sunny days. If you're a new player joining us for the 2026 celebrations, enjoy every free pull, every event, and every heartfelt thank-you—you're reaping the harvest that years of loud, passionate feedback helped grow.

And to those who were there in 2021, standing with me in the trenches of Reddit and Twitter, demanding 100 pulls... we did it. Happy Anniversary, Travelers. May the winds of Teyvat forever be at your back, and may your next ten-pull be the one that finally brings home that C6 character you've been saving for.