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Freedom251 › Blog › Honkai Star Rail

How to unlock crossover characters and rewards in Zenless Zone Zero (current 2026 rules)

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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There is no confirmed way to unlock a Honkai: Star Rail crossover character in Zenless Zone Zero yet. HoYoverse has announced a collaboration for the Version 3.3 “Journey to the Sky” update, with a Winter 2026 launch window, but the announcement does not name the crossover characters, list rewards, or publish eligibility and claim instructions. Until a dedicated event notice appears, any guide claiming a specific crossover Agent, outfit, banner, or free-item route is speculation.

You can still prepare by learning how ZZZ separates playable-Agent recruitment from event-reward claiming. Login and mission events normally require a stated Inter-Knot level and story progress, while limited Agents are recruited through their named Signal Search channels. An outfit may be claimable even when you do not own the Agent who wears it.

What HoYoverse has officially confirmed about the crossover

The Version 3.3 announcement, published October 12, 2026, says that Zenless Zone Zero will collaborate with Honkai: Star Rail during a Winter 2026 launch window. It does not identify any crossover character, W-Engine, outfit, Polychrome package, mission, login bonus, Signal Search banner, eligibility threshold, or redemption screen. Read the announcement here: Version 3.3 “Journey to the Sky” Coming Soon.

That distinction matters because ZZZ uses several different reward systems. A future notice could place a guest character in Signal Search, make an Agent available through a mission, award only an outfit, or distribute currencies and items through a login page. Those routes have different requirements and deadlines. Until HoYoverse publishes the collaboration’s own event notice, there is no evidence for a particular crossover unlock sequence.

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What is not confirmed

  • No crossover character roster has been announced in the cited Version 3.3 notice.
  • No statement confirms that any Honkai: Star Rail character will be a playable Agent.
  • No banner name, Signal Search schedule, pity rule, free-selection ticket, outfit, W-Engine, Polychrome amount, or login-day requirement has been published for the collaboration.
  • No Inter-Knot level, chapter requirement, server region, or claim page has been specified.

When the dedicated notice arrives, treat it as the authority for the exact rules. Version-announcement marketing and event instructions are not interchangeable: the former can establish a release window, while the latter supplies the steps needed to claim a reward.

How ZZZ acquisition routes differ

Before following any event instructions, identify what you are actually trying to obtain. “Unlocking a crossover character” can mean recruiting a playable Agent, obtaining an outfit for an existing Agent, or collecting an event item associated with the collaboration. The action, eligibility, and deadline can differ for each.

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Reward type Typical route documented by HoYoverse What to verify
Playable limited Agent Use the Agent’s corresponding Signal Search channel. Banner name, opening and closing times, currency, pity rules, and whether the Agent is limited.
Outfit or cosmetic Complete login or mission objectives, then claim it on the named event page. Inter-Knot level, story requirement, cumulative days or missions, ownership requirement, and claim deadline.
Polychromes, Master Tapes, or other items Login, check-in, mission, or event milestones. Number of days or tasks, account eligibility, and whether a separate claim button is required.
Event currency or collectible Participate in the specified activity and exchange or claim it in the event interface. Activity period, exchange shop closing time, and any unspent-currency rule.

An Agent and an outfit are not the same unlock. The official Surprise Screening Plan notice explicitly lets a Proxy claim its outfit even without owning the associated Agent. Conversely, earning an outfit does not recruit the Agent. Keep those outcomes separate when checking an event page.

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The requirements you should check first

ZZZ event notices usually place the access conditions near the beginning of the instructions. Check all three categories before spending time on a task.

Inter-Knot level

Some events open at Inter-Knot Level 5, while others require Level 20. Reaching the level alone may not be enough if the notice also requires a story milestone or the Event feature to be unlocked.

Main-story progress

Story conditions are event-specific. A notice can require the Main Story Prologue, “The Hare and the Proxy,” or a later point such as Main Story Chapter 1 – Intermission. Do not apply one event’s chapter requirement to another event.

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Event-feature access

For login rewards, the Event feature must be unlocked in the relevant story section. If the event icon is absent, advancing the Prologue and checking the stated Inter-Knot threshold are the first fixes; reinstalling the game or changing servers will not substitute for an unmet eligibility condition.

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Step-by-step method for any published event reward

  1. Open the official notice or the in-game event information. Record the event’s exact start and end time, including whether it uses server time or UTC+8. The notices cited here use server time for the relevant event dates.
  2. Identify the reward category. Confirm whether the page offers an Agent, outfit, item, currency, or a choice box. If it says “outfit,” do not expect the Agent to be added to your account.
  3. Meet every listed prerequisite. Check Inter-Knot level, story chapter, and Event-feature access. A cumulative login event may count days only after the event becomes available to your account.
  4. Perform the required action. Log in on the required days, complete the named missions, or open the specified Signal Search. Follow the notice’s wording rather than assuming that general gameplay progress counts.
  5. Open the event page and claim the reward. Conditions can unlock a reward without delivering it automatically. The Surprise Screening Plan notice specifically directs players to claim earned rewards from its event page.
  6. Confirm the result in the account inventory or Agent list. Check the Outfit menu for cosmetics, the Agents list for characters, and the inventory for tapes, currencies, or items.
  7. Claim before the stated closing time. A completed objective is not a guarantee that the claim page remains open after the event ends. Use the notice’s time convention and allow for the game’s displayed server time.

Current documented example: Surprise Screening Plan

The Surprise Screening Plan is a useful model for how a ZZZ reward event works, although it is not the announced Honkai: Star Rail crossover. HoYoverse scheduled it for September 23, 2026, at 10:00 through October 20, 2026, at 03:59 server time. The official instructions are at “Surprise Screening Plan” Event Details.

Eligibility

  • Reach Inter-Knot Level 5.
  • Unlock the Event feature in the Main Story Prologue, “The Hare and the Proxy.”

What the event awards

By accumulating login days, you can choose one Angels of Delusion limited outfit from three options:

  • Nangong Yu: Heartfelt Support
  • Aria: Cuteness Loading
  • Sunna: Delusions in Business

The same event also lists the event-exclusive “Eous’s New Avatar,” Polychromes, and additional rewards. Each outfit can be claimed once per Proxy. The notice expressly says that the outfit can be claimed even if you do not own the Agent associated with it.

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How to claim it

After you satisfy the cumulative login requirement, open the Surprise Screening Plan event page and claim the reward there. Logging in for the required number of days does not remove the need to press the claim control. Because the published closing time is October 20, 2026, at 03:59 server time, check the live in-game page before starting; availability can depend on the server clock and the event may be close to ending.

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Login rewards: the All-New Program example

The “All-New Program” notice demonstrates a simpler login structure. It required Inter-Knot Level 5 and Event-feature access through the Prologue, then awarded Encrypted Master Tape ×10 after seven total login days. The event period listed in the notice also ends on October 20, 2026, using the notice’s server-time schedule. See the official page: “All-New Program” Event Details.

This example shows why “log in once” is not a safe assumption. A notice may count total login days rather than consecutive days, and it may expose the reward only after the counter reaches the required number. The event page is the definitive place to see your current progress and whether a claim button has appeared.

How limited Agents are obtained

Limited Agents follow a different route from login and cosmetic rewards. The Version 3.1 “The Long Goodbye” update notice states that named limited S-Rank Agents are obtained through their corresponding Signal Search channels. Read the update notice at Version 3.1 “The Long Goodbye” Update Announcement.

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For a future crossover Agent, wait for the collaboration notice to say explicitly that the character is playable and to name the Signal Search channel. Then verify the banner’s opening and closing times, required tapes or currency, and any stated guarantee rules in the Signal Search interface. Do not infer that an outfit, event currency, or story appearance creates a playable Agent.

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Separate banner and event objectives

A collaboration could run an event while a character banner is active, but completing the event would not necessarily recruit the banner Agent. Treat these as separate checklists:

  • Event checklist: satisfy level and story requirements, complete logins or missions, and claim rewards on the event page.
  • Signal Search checklist: open the specified channel, use the required currency, and obtain the Agent according to that channel’s rules.

The Version 3.1 notice also illustrates mixed requirements within one update: some limited events require Inter-Knot Level 5 and Event-feature access, while other activities require Inter-Knot Level 20 and Main Story Chapter 1 – Intermission. There is no universal event level.

What the second-anniversary rewards teach you

The Version 3.1 second-anniversary overview described a dated celebration route rather than a permanent unlock system. During the celebration, players could log in and choose one limited S-Rank Agent from Jane, Soldier 0 – Anby, Trigger, Lucia, or Hugo, together with the corresponding W-Engine. The overview also listed 1,600 Polychromes, check-in rewards, and Lucy’s “Princess on Holiday” outfit through the “Summer Waves Roll In” event. The announcement is available at Version 3.1 Zenless Zone Zero 2nd Anniversary Celebration Rewards Overview.

Those rewards were tied to that celebration’s dates. They do not establish an always-available way to obtain one of the listed Agents, and they do not predict how the Winter 2026 crossover will work. A future collaboration could use a similar selection screen, but only a collaboration-specific notice can confirm that.

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How to prepare for the Winter 2026 collaboration

Preparation is useful even before the crossover rules are known, provided you do not treat unconfirmed details as promises.

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  1. Reach at least Inter-Knot Level 5. That level appears in multiple published login-event requirements, although the crossover may set a different threshold.
  2. Complete the Prologue and unlock the Event feature. This removes the most common gate used by basic login events.
  3. Continue the story. Some activities require Chapter 1 – Intermission or later, so stopping immediately after the Prologue can leave an event tile locked.
  4. Keep an eye on official notices and the in-game Notices panel. The collaboration’s character list, rewards, eligibility, and deadlines will need to be confirmed there.
  5. Reserve the relevant currencies only after the banner rules are published. Do not spend based on a rumor about a crossover Agent or assume that an event currency will be usable in Signal Search.
  6. Record the server-time deadline. Convert it to your own time zone only after preserving the original server-time value, because the game’s end time controls access.

These steps improve access to ordinary event content; they do not guarantee a crossover reward. The collaboration notice could impose a higher level, a later chapter, or an entirely different route.

Troubleshooting: why a reward or character is missing

The event icon is not visible

Check the notice’s Inter-Knot requirement and confirm that the required story segment unlocked the Event feature. If either condition is unmet, progress through the Prologue or the specified chapter and then restart the game interface.

The login counter did not advance

Open the event page and verify the event’s definition of a “login day.” Some notices count total days during the event rather than consecutive days. Make sure you logged in after the event began according to the server clock.

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The reward is marked complete but is not in the account

Return to the event page and look for an unpressed claim button. The Surprise Screening Plan instructions require an explicit claim. Then check the correct destination: an outfit appears in cosmetic menus, while a tape or currency appears in inventory.

You claimed an outfit but cannot find the Agent

This is expected when the reward is cosmetic. The Surprise Screening Plan notice allows an outfit claim without owning its Agent. Recruit the Agent separately only if a Signal Search or another official route makes it available.

A supposed crossover Agent is not in Signal Search

Check whether HoYoverse has published a collaboration notice identifying that character as playable. The Version 3.3 announcement currently supplies only the Winter 2026 collaboration window, not a roster or banner. Do not spend currency or follow third-party instructions until the official channel is named.

The claim button disappeared

Compare the current server time with the event’s closing time. Some pages close immediately when the event period ends, even if you met the objective earlier. If the event is still within its published period, capture the in-game notice and contact the game’s official support route rather than repeating the task.

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Where to verify the final crossover instructions

Use the official Version 3.3 announcement for the collaboration window, then switch to the collaboration’s dedicated event notice when it is published. That notice should answer the questions that remain open: which characters and rewards are included, whether a character is playable, what level and story progress are required, which page handles the claim, whether Signal Search is involved, and the exact server-time deadline.

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Until those details are posted, the accurate answer to “How do I unlock the crossover characters?” is: you cannot follow a confirmed unlock route yet because no route has been announced. You can prepare your account and use the documented event procedures above, but do not mistake existing login rewards, outfits, anniversary choices, or ordinary limited banners for the Winter 2026 collaboration.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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