You unlock Astropolis Central District by updating to Version 4.5 and playing through the main Trailblaze Mission To Roll the Stars in Astropolis, which carries the Trailblazer to the new planet automatically — no warps, key items, or event currency required.
The moment Version 4.5 goes live, the Astral Express leaves Planarcadia behind and sets a course for Astropolis, and the district everyone is asking about opens up simply by following the story there. If you’ve seen it called the “4.5 Zone,” that’s just shorthand for the version it debuts in — there’s nothing special to grind or claim. Here’s exactly how it opens and what waits alongside it.
Honkai Star Rail Astropolis Central District explained
Astropolis is a brand-new permanent planet in the game — the headquarters and vacation resort of the Interastral Peace Corporation, sitting in the Epsilon system as the seventh explorable world after Planarcadia. It arrives with Version 4.5, and it is not a limited event or a side mode; it’s part of the main story.
The planet holds three separate maps, and Astropolis Central District is the first of them — the high-tech community where IPC employees live and work. The “4.5 Zone” label some players use only means this map first becomes reachable in Version 4.5. Once you’re there, it behaves like any other permanent region on the Starmap.
Update to Version 4.5
Patch the game client after the update rolls out so the new Trailblaze Mission appears in your Mission list.
Finish the earlier main Trailblaze Missions
Clear the existing main story through the Planarcadia arc and before, since the new chapter only opens once the prior ones are done — the exact minimum Trailblaze Level isn’t spelled out anywhere official, so check the requirement in-game if the chapter is greyed out.
Accept To Roll the Stars in Astropolis
Start the new Trailblaze Mission, which shares its name with the version and sends the Trailblazer from Planarcadia toward Astropolis to seek the IPC’s help.
Follow the navigation to Astropolis
Let the Navigation system point you to the new planet and play through until the story drops you into Astropolis Central District — it unlocks automatically, with no key item or event currency needed.
Fast-travel freely afterward
Once you’ve reached it through the story, the district’s teleport anchors show up on the Starmap and you can warp back to it anytime like any other permanent map.
Where players trip up on the unlock
The single biggest mix-up is assuming a banner gates the area. Pulling the new 5-star characters or spending event currency does nothing for access — maps and missions here open purely through Trailblaze story progress, and Warps never touch it. If you can advance the main story, you can reach the district.
The other trap is treating it like a timed event. Version 4.5 does bundle limited-time activities such as the racing event, but Astropolis Central District is permanent story content and won’t vanish when the patch cycle turns over. And ignore any pre-release preview that only “likely” tied the map to the mission — those went out before launch. Progressing To Roll the Stars in Astropolis is the real and only unlock.
The other two Astropolis maps you’ll open next
| Astropolis map | How it unlocks |
|---|---|
| Astropolis Central District | Progress the To Roll the Stars in Astropolis Central Mission |
| Lodestar Tower | Continue the same Version 4.5 Trailblaze Mission chain |
| Skycall Aery | Continue the same Version 4.5 Trailblaze Mission chain |
Astropolis Central District is just your first stop on the planet. The same Version 4.5 Trailblaze Mission chain carries you onward to Lodestar Tower and Skycall Aery, so there’s no separate unlock to hunt down — keep playing the story and all three fall into place.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Astropolis Central District permanent, or does it go away after Version 4.5?
It’s permanent. The district is part of the main Trailblaze story on the new Astropolis planet, not a limited event map, so it stays explorable and teleportable long after the 4.5 event calendar ends.
Do I need to pull Robin or Aventurine to reach the district?
No. The new 5-star arrivals — Wind Remembrance Robin • Summeretto and Quantum Elation Aventurine • Waveflair — are optional banner characters and have nothing to do with map access. The district opens through story progress alone.
When does Version 4.5 go live so I can update?
Version 4.5 releases on August 25, 2026 for NA servers (UTC-5) and August 26, 2026 for EU and Asia servers, arriving after the scheduled maintenance window. Update the client once servers are back up and the new chapter will be waiting in your Mission list.
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