The ‘Phantasy Star Online 2’ PC Release Date Is Finally Revealed

For English-speaking fans of Sega’s Phantasy Star Online 2, the last 8 years have been a roller coaster ride of hope, frustration and relief. Today that ride comes to an end as PSO2 leaves beta status and launches on Xbox One in North America. While the popular Action RPG has enjoyed both a closed and open beta on Microsoft’s console, we can finally call it official and start fighting Falspawn in earnest. But when can PC gamers jump in? Well, Sega has revealed the release date, but it comes with some disappointing news.

PSO2 will launch on PC in North America (although anyone can play it regardless of physical location since it’s not region locked) “late May” 2020. Exclusively on the Microsoft Store.

All those headlines you may have seen about the game launching on Steam when it hits PC have been rendered nothing more than hopeful rumors.

The good news is that cross-play between Xbox One and PC players will be enabled the moment it goes live on the Microsoft Store.

This expands the free to play RPG to a much wider audience and I’m grateful for that, but its presence on Steam will be sorely missed.

Sega is being vague on the details right now, but I suspect it will ultimately land on Valve’s PC platform after a one-year exclusivity period (at most) on Microsoft’s platforms. At which point we should also see PSO2 drop on PlayStation 4 and possibly Nintendo’s Switch as a cloud-based title.

To round out this post with some positive vibes, here’s what Sega’s doing to celebrate the official launch of PSO2:

• Every day between April 15^th-23^rd, ARKS Operatives will receive a special log-in bonus when they report for duty! The Half Scape Doll is able to sacrifice itself to revive players automatically if they become incapacitated on the battlefield – a real boost when fighting the Falspawn.
• ARKS who join an Alliance with at least four members before April 28^th will receive a SG20 Ticket (x1). And members of Alliances that have earned at least 5,000 Alliance Points before April 28^th will receive the collectable emote #269: Impromptu Tea Party!
• Two new Urgent Quests: “The Cunning Black Winged Vanguard” & “The False Champion: Luther the Fallen” begin this week.
• PSO2 Diva, Quna, returns for live concerts on Saturdays and Sundays!
• The Cherry Blossom season is coming to Phantasy Star Online 2 with a new look to the renowned Franca’s Café! Certain ARKS Ship lobbies will also change their appearances periodically.
• PSO2 is one of the first games to be included in Microsoft’s new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks program! All PSO2 players with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will receive extra special goodies after their first log in, including an Xbox jacket and Xbox Controller accessory for their character to show off in-game. Additional Perks will be made available every month, such as bonus Half Scape Dolls and more.
• The ever-expanding catalog of outfits and accessories to collect and mix-and-match continues to grow with the introduction of the Heroic Wanderer AC Scratch Ticket.