Phantasy Star Online 2 Confirms May 2020 PC Release Date

No joke. The official PSO2 website made a blog post on April 15th titled “PSO2: XBOX ONE LAUNCH.” In it they went on to announce that the game had finally completed its Open Beta test period, and has moved into its full, complete launch onto the Xbox One.
They further went on to elaborate on the plethora of events they have planned over the next few months but most importantly was what was announced at the very end of the article:

“Thank you for participating in the XBox One Open Beta Test and for accompanying us on this journey to release Phantasy Star Online 2 in North America!
Windows 10 players will not have to wait much longer, the game officially launches on the platform in late May 2020!
We are just getting started! The year 2020 will be an amazing and busy time for every ARKS Operative out there. Stay safe and see you in the game!”

And there you have it. This is a 100% complete confirmation of the game’s PC release. I know, I know. It’s a little vague – but remember that the initial announcement was that it was coming in “Spring 2020.”
Spring ends towards the end of June, so with us getting the game towards the end of May, that’s potentially an entire month earlier than we thought we’d be getting it. And let’s be honest here.. what better time is there to play the game anyway?
Yeah, we all have a ton of time to play video games right now, and while I would’ve preferred to have gotten the game this month while we’re all still confirmed to be secluded from society – next month isn’t bad.
The game will be launching with complete crossplay functionality, however I do have some rather disappointing news for a lot of you regarding the distribution platform.
People have been spreading the rumor that the game would be launching onto Steam due to a small leak made months ago.
However, at least currently, Microsoft have confirmed that the game is going to be playable exclusively through the Microsoft Store – meaning that there will be no Steam version of the game.
Whoa, whoa, lower your pitch-forks, guys. I’m just the messenger here – this could be a completely temporary situation.
They could have plans to, much like the release of the XBox version of the game, release via the Microsoft Store initially and follow up in the future with a release onto Steam as well.
But if there’s any kind of silver lining to this, it’s that at the very least it isn’t an Epic Store exclusive.

Since the game will be releasing towards the end of next month, that means any currently ongoing events will be missed out on by future players.
Granted you could very easily boot up your XBox or a friends XBox and create your own account, participate in the content and pick up where you left off once the game launches onto PC but I know that’s a lot of effort.

Ahead of the PC release the PSO2 team are continuing to keep both the Sonic Collaboration Edition and Ragol Edition Founder’s Packs available for players who are interested in becoming a founder.
They offer various cosmetic items, increased inventory and storage space, XP boosts and 30 days VIP membership.
You also get Ragol Memories which are items that allow for the purchase of legacy PSO-related outfits – which in my opinion is worth more than anything else in the packs.
If you’ve watched any of my videos you’d know that I’m a sucker for outfits and being able to purchase older legacy PSO-related outfits? Hell yeah, you can sign me right up!

So, next month everyone with an XBox or PC will be able to play Phantasy Star Online 2 together, cross-platform. It hasn’t been confirmed specifically when PS4 owners will be able to join in but seeing how fast the PC release came out, I wouldn’t expect it to take all that long.
The game isn’t IP-restricted, meaning that you can play the game regardless of where you live. The servers themselves, which only really affect the main-questing hub are located within North America, however that won’t have a negative impact on gameplay that takes place in the field.
I’m looking forward to booting the game up and playing with everyone soon. While I’m not a fan of the Microsoft Store – I’m really not, I’ll still be using it to log-in and play.
If they ever make the game available via Steam it’s doubtful they’ll be capable of syncing the account information so do note that in advance.
Hopefully this news is what you’re all looking for after a long several weeks at home, and I hope to see you all in-game soon! Or at least, in the next PSO2 video!

Until then, a question I direct towards you XBox players: Are you enjoying the game on the XBox right now, and will you swap over the the PC version of the game once it launches next month?