HoYoverse’s 7.0 Special Program confirmed three limited livestream codes, an August 12 Snezhnaya release date, new characters, banners, events, and a winter outfit for the Traveler.
Image: IGDB
Genshin Impact 7.0 codes expire before Snezhnaya arrives
HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact Version 7.0 Special Program has confirmed the update’s August 12, 2026 release date, but the first deadline players need to care about comes much sooner. The three Genshin Impact 7.0 codes shown around the livestream window are EVERWINTER, ODETTE0812, and ONTOSNEZHNAYA, according to coverage from Siliconera and Game Rant, with Polygon also reporting that the codes expire on August 3 at 12 a.m. EDT.
That short redemption window creates the immediate pressure point for anyone saving for Snezhnaya. The patch itself is still next month, but the Genshin livestream codes are a this-week task. Polygon reports that the codes award Primogems alongside other progression materials such as Mora and Adventurer’s EXP, while Screen Rant and Game Rant both describe the full livestream code set as offering up to 300 Primogems. Game Rant’s visible reward table lists ONTOSNEZHNAYA with 100 Primogems and 5 Hero’s Wits, ODETTE0812 with 100 Primogems, and EVERWINTER with 10 Mystic Enhancement Ores, while still presenting the set as a 300-Primogem claim overall. Because the captured reward listings vary in detail, the practical answer is simple: redeem all three rather than trying to optimize by individual code.
Siliconera writes the codes in mixed case as “Everwinter,” “Odette0812,” and “OntoSnezhnaya,” while Game Rant presents them in uppercase. Players should enter the code text exactly as shown by the redemption page if using a direct link, but the important confirmed codes are the same three names across the available reports. Polygon says players can redeem them through HoYoverse’s official gift redemption website or through the in-game settings menu, with rewards arriving through in-game mail shortly after redemption.
The safest redemption timing is before August 3 begins in EDT
The date language around the Genshin Impact redeem codes is close, but not identical across reports. Siliconera says the codes can be redeemed until August 3, 2026. Polygon gives the sharper cutoff: August 3 at 12 a.m. EDT. Since midnight is the start of the day in that time zone, players outside the eastern United States should treat August 2 as the practical last day unless they have already checked their local conversion.
That matters because Version 7.0 is a banner-start patch as well as a region-start patch. If you are entering Snezhnaya with a low Primogem balance, these Genshin 7.0 Primogems will not change a banner plan by themselves, but they are free currency attached to a deadline. Missing them means leaving a small but guaranteed part of the update’s launch economy unclaimed before the new Archon Quest and first Snezhnaya banners go live.
For players who manage multiple accounts or play across PC, console, and mobile, Polygon’s browser recommendation is the cleanest route supported by the source material. Log in through the HoYoverse code redemption site, choose the correct server and character, redeem EVERWINTER, ODETTE0812, and ONTOSNEZHNAYA, then confirm delivery through in-game mail. If you prefer to stay in the client, Polygon notes that the settings menu also supports code entry.
Version 7.0 sends players to the Fatui’s homeland on August 12
Siliconera reports that Genshin Impact 7.0 launches on August 12, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices. The update introduces Snezhnaya, the long-anticipated nation tied to the Fatui, the Harbingers, and the Tsaritsa. Polygon frames the patch as Genshin’s return to numbered versions after the recent “Luna” naming, and describes it as the point where players go to Snezhnaya after years of waiting.
The confirmed setup is heavy with story implications, but the sources also draw a line between presentation and final experience. Siliconera says the Special Program trailer opens with the Aether version of the Traveler moving through a snowstorm into the region, followed by language that the “gods” never “showed favor” to Snezhnaya. The same report says the update begins a new Archon Quest and includes appearances by Harbingers and Fatui.
For lore-focused players, the important confirmed detail is not merely the snowfield aesthetic. Snezhnaya is the institutional home of antagonistic forces that have been present across Genshin Impact’s main story for years, and Version 7.0 is where HoYoverse starts turning that background pressure into a playable region. Polygon goes further by saying players finally meet the Tsaritsa, who has been collecting the Gnoses, while Siliconera’s provided report confirms the update’s connection to the Tsaritsa’s homeland rather than detailing that meeting itself. Until HoYoverse’s quest content is playable, that distinction is worth keeping intact.
Odette and Alyosha define the first roster decisions of 7.0
The first Snezhnaya character slate is smaller than some players may have expected from a new-region launch. Siliconera reports that only one new five-star character is being introduced in Version 7.0: Odette, a Cryo sword user. The same report says her signature five-star weapon, Whitelake Frostfeather, will also appear on a banner after the update arrives, and that Odette used to be a Fatui under Signora.
Alyosha is the other new playable character named in the supplied reports. Siliconera identifies him as a four-star Electro polearm user, while Polygon also describes him as the new Electro four-star. The key progression detail is availability: Siliconera says players get Alyosha for free through the new “Everwinter Without Mercy” Archon Quest. That makes him functionally different from a standard new four-star whose first copies depend entirely on banner luck.
For roster planning, the confirmed structure suggests two tracks. Players who want Odette or her weapon need to prepare for a limited five-star and weapon banner decision. Players more interested in filling out elemental coverage can plan to clear the new Archon Quest for Alyosha before spending pulls in search of constellations or banner four-stars. That is a systems reading of the announced structure, not a claim about strength, builds, or meta value, since the provided source material does not include kit details beyond element, weapon type, rarity, and acquisition route.
The first banner cycle pairs Snezhnaya’s debut with reruns
Siliconera reports that Version 7.0’s first phase character banners feature the five-stars Odette and Arlecchino, with Alyosha among the four-star characters. The second phase is reported to include reruns for Flins and Ineffa. That structure gives the Genshin Snezhnaya update a familiar tension: the new region begins with one new limited five-star, but the surrounding banner schedule still asks players to weigh newness against returning characters.
The pairing of Odette and Arlecchino in phase one is especially relevant for players who do not spend or who save carefully. The Genshin Impact 7.0 codes supply up to 300 Primogems according to Screen Rant and Game Rant, but the banner choice will be decided by a player’s accumulated savings, pity state, and appetite for Snezhnaya’s first Cryo five-star versus a rerun unit. The sources do not provide pricing changes, pity changes, banner rate changes, or weapon-banner adjustments, so there is no basis here to claim Version 7.0 alters the gacha economy.
Alyosha’s placement among the first-phase four-stars should also be read alongside the free Archon Quest copy reported by Siliconera. Pulling on phase one may provide additional copies if he appears at increased availability, but the confirmed free route means players do not need to spend Primogems simply to unlock him. For completion-minded players, that makes the Archon Quest a progression priority once the update lands.
Snezhnaya adds a Traveler outfit, shooter elements, bosses, and four events
Beyond characters and banners, Siliconera reports that the Traveler receives a winter-ready “Night Hunt in Snow” outfit in Version 7.0. Polygon similarly notes that the Traveler gets a more bundled-up, snow-appropriate outfit as part of the update. The sources do not state whether this outfit is free, paid, quest-locked, or delivered automatically, so players should wait for HoYoverse’s in-game patch notes or update notices before assuming an acquisition path.
The gameplay footage also appears to broaden Snezhnaya’s action language. Siliconera says the trailer showed glimpses of new Firearm third-person shooter elements, as well as looks at the Chimeric Winged Lion and Immortal Construct bosses and other enemies. Those details are confirmed as shown in the presentation, but the supplied source material does not explain whether firearms are a limited mechanic, a regional traversal or combat system, an event feature, or a permanent character-related system.
HoYoverse also used a dedicated Events Overview trailer to show four Version 7.0 events, according to Siliconera: Great Expeditionist Challenge, Mutual Aid in Bloom: Into the Frostlands, Overflowing Abundance, and Trial of the Bastion. No full reward breakdown is included in the supplied text, so the reliable takeaway is event count and naming rather than exact Primogem totals, materials, or gameplay duration. If you are trying to stay current without rushing, the likely launch path is straightforward: redeem the codes before the August 3 cutoff, enter Snezhnaya on August 12, prioritize the Archon Quest for story access and Alyosha, then evaluate events as HoYoverse publishes their in-game schedules.