Phantasy Star Online 2 Confirms Steam Release and Global Launch?

On the 12th of June, the PSO2 website posted an official blog post titled “2020 Content Roadmap,” where the team went on to detail what players would have to look forward to over the course of the next year.

“Greetings, Arks! Now that Phantasy Star Online 2 finally launched on Xbox One and Windows 10 in North America you are probably wondering what’s next for the game in 2020. We know that a great number of players have waited a long time to be able to play PSO2 and we cannot wait to share the road ahead with you.”

Now, there are several different points in this blog post worth noting. First and foremost, is their announcement that the game is going to be launching onto more than just the Microsoft Store in the near future: “Play it on Xbox One and Windows 10, with more PC platforms coming soon.” Yup, you read that correctly, according to the PSO2 team and Microsoft directly, the game is going to be releasing onto additional PC platforms “soon.” If you thought that was good news, then you’re in for a treat. For those of you wondering how to play from outside of North America, it has been revealed that they’re aiming for a “global release” this year: “We are also working hard to introduce this legendary online action RPG to a global audience this year.” This means players all across Europe, Asia, Australia and pretty much everywhere outside of North America will gain access to the game, hopefully on the platform of their choosing. Which is about time, honestly.

Now at the time of its release, PSO2 and its players had access to episodes 1-3, with additional content being promised in the future. As of June 12th, it was revealed that not only will Episode 4 be coming in August 2020, but Episode 5 will be coming in September, and Episode 6 anywhere between October through December. Episode 4 brings new story content, urgent quests, the Battle Arena, Ridroid Quest, crafting and a level 80 cap increase, Episode 5 beings new story content, urgent quests, the new Scion Class: Hero, Dark Blast and level 90 cap increase, with Episode 6 bringing new story content, new urgent quests, new Scion Class: Phantom, new Difficulty Mode: Ultra Hard, and a level 95 cap increase.

They do note at the end of their blog post “In these uncertain times, the release schedule is subject to change, but our goal is to reach parity with the Japanese servers eventually, with simultaneous releases moving forward to ensure that both services deliver the best experience possible to our players.” So be aware that while this is a schedule they would prefer to stick to, it is subject to change if issues arise.