Honkai Star Rail’s dev team recently shared in the Special Program “Memories are the Prelude to Dreams” that the upcoming version 3.8 will run for eight weeks. They further added that the patch will have three-phase banner lineups instead of the usual two. This extended duration appears to be connected to ongoing tensions between China and Japan as adjustments are being made to the upcoming Japanese-themed region, Edo Star. Here's a quick rundown of the information provided by the devs and the reason behind this extended duration. Note: The following information is based on the author's analysis and is also subject to change as more official information arrives. Readers are advised to take it with a grain of salt. Reason behind Honkai Star Rail's 8-week schedule for version 3.8During the Special Program held today, the dev team announced that the upcoming version 3.8 will last up to 8 weeks, instead of the usual 6-week schedule. Additionally, the Special Program did not include a region teaser, which has raised questions among players about the reason behind the extended gap before 4.x patches. The devs have been previously hinting via Special Programs and through in-game content that the next upcoming region is going to be Edo Star, a cyberpunk Japanese-themed planet where the path of Elation has a major influence. However, recent political tensions between China and Japan are likely influencing the development plans for this region. It is possible that the theme of Edo Star is being reconsidered, which may explain the delay to the 4.0 update. There is also no confirmed information on whether the region or its associated characters will be revised or postponed. On the other hand, devs have shared that they will announce further information for the same in the next few days to give players an idea of what's to come. Honkai Star Rail's version 3.8 is officially going to go live on December 17, 2025, and is going to stay till February 13, 2026 (estimated). Honkai Star Rail 3.8 adds a third phase of banners3 Phase banners for Honkai Star Rail's version 3.8 (Image via HoYoverse)To fill the extended 8-week schedule, the devs announced that version 3.8 will include three-phase banner lineups. The first phase will feature the upcoming Fire Nihility character Dahlia and a rerun of Firefly with their signature Light Cones. The second phase will include reruns of Fugue and Lingsha and the third phase will feature reruns of Aglaea and Sunday. This is the first time Honkai Star Rail has expanded a patch with a third banner phase, making it a notable change to the usual format. The estimated time per phase is likely to be 16 to 18 days in order to make up for the long duration. Players are advised to plan their pulls accordingly with this estimation in mind. Also read: Honkai Star Rail 3.8 livestream summaryHonkai Star Rail’s version 3.8 presents an unusually long eight-week schedule with three-phase banners and relatively few events. The community is now looking forward to additional information and possible teasers about Edo Star in the next few weeks, and whether it will meet their expectations once it releases.