Sign-ups for the closed beta for Phantasy Star Online 2 are now live. The beta will only be hosted on Xbox One and, to participate, you need to be in the US or Canada.
To register for the closed beta, you need to own the Xbox Insider Hub app–so download it from the Xbox One Store if you haven’t already. Once the app is installed, open it, accept the terms of use if this is your first time using the Insider Hub, and then select “Insider Content” from the main dashboard. You’ll then see several category types. Under “Games,” select Phantasy Star Online 2. From there, you can join the sign-up list. The closed beta isn’t live yet, but you’ll receive a message through Xbox Live when it is. So be sure to remain online.
2012’s Phantasy Star Online 2 is the long-awaited sequel to 2000’s Phantasy Star Online, both published by Sega. Though the original game was quickly released to international audiences after its launch in Japan, its sequel did not–eventually, some fans began to believe it never would. So it was with great surprise that Microsoft, during its E3 2019 press conference, announced that the game was coming to North American audiences in early 2020.
A free-to-play action RPG, Phantasy Star Online 2 takes place in a fantasy setting of space exploration where you embark on missions to different planets to collect resources, save colonists, and battle powerful threats. In Phantasy Star Online 2, you start a new game by picking your in-game character’s gender, race, body and facial features, and class (of which there are nine). You can then tackle missions alone or with friends in online co-op (in either four-person assignments or 12-player multiparty areas). As you level up, you’ll be able to use more powerful weapons, firearms, and magical spells.
Phantasy Star Online 2 will release in North America on Xbox One and PC. In Japan, the game is already playable on PlayStation Vita, PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch–with no announced plans for an Xbox One port.
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