Genshin Impact Luna VIII Adds Sandrone and Four New Areas
Genshin Impact Version “Luna VIII” went live on July 1, 2026 after maintenance began at 06:00 UTC+8. HoYoverse’s update adds Sandrone, four new areas, new story content, and the Sunny Summer Fontinalia event cycle.
News summary
Sandrone joins as the new five-star Cryo character, while four permanent areas extend the lunar exploration route.
Dunanna Pit, Lunar Highlands, Moontide Sea, and the Dark Side of the Moon are the four named additions in Version Luna VIII.
Eligible Adventure Rank 5 players receive 300 Primogems for maintenance and 300 for issue fixes; the issue-fix compensation deadline was July 4 at 06:00 UTC+8.
Sunny Summer Fontinalia runs after the update through August 11 at 03:59, with Charlotte and her Hurlock Variations outfit among the main rewards.
Players need to update the client, claim compensation mail before it expires, and meet the event’s Adventure Rank 20 and Fontaine access requirements.
Update overview
HoYoverse expands the permanent map with four named regions and adds Sandrone as the update’s new playable character. The version also advances the Song of the Welkin Moon story with new quest content.
The Luna VIII notes add preferred quest pacing and better support for exploring multi-layered terrain. Those changes target how players move through dialogue-heavy quests and stacked map areas rather than adding a separate game mode.
Sunny Summer Fontinalia centers on a Fontaine aquarium managed through Operation Deep-Dive Treasure, Kaleido-Catch, and Curio Ledger. Reaching the required Venue Popularity unlocks an invitation for Charlotte and her Hurlock Variations outfit.
Maintenance was estimated at five hours from 06:00 UTC+8 on July 1. PC, mobile, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S players each use their platform’s normal update process before reconnecting.
Key details
The July 1 rollout combines a permanent version update with a limited event whose schedule and eligibility are separate from the maintenance window.
| Detail | Confirmed for Luna VIII |
| Launch | July 1, 2026 after maintenance beginning 06:00 UTC+8 |
| Estimated maintenance | 5 hours |
| New character | Sandrone, 5-star Cryo |
| New areas | Dunanna Pit; Lunar Highlands; Moontide Sea; Dark Side of the Moon |
| Compensation | 300 maintenance Primogems plus 300 issue-fix Primogems |
| Main event | Sunny Summer Fontinalia |
| Event end | August 11, 2026 at 03:59 |
| Event eligibility | Adventure Rank 20; Prologue Act III complete; any Fontaine Statue of The Seven unlocked |
Trailer, screenshots, and media
HoYoverse’s Version Luna VIII trailer presents Sandrone, the lunar exploration setting, and the Sunny Summer Fontinalia theme. The event overview focuses on the three aquarium activities and the limited rewards available during the July 1 update cycle.
Source timeline
HoYoverse announced the July 1 release date in the Version Luna VIII events overview on June 18, 2026.
Paimon’s version notes followed on June 27 with the new areas, character, story content, and quality-of-life changes.
On June 29, HoYoverse published the maintenance and Sunny Summer Fontinalia notices, setting the 06:00 UTC+8 downtime and the event’s August 11 end time.
Version Luna VIII went live after the July 1 maintenance, with compensation distributed through in-game mail to eligible Adventure Rank 5 accounts.