Sega announced today that Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to Steam on August 5.
For years, Phantasy Star Online has been exclusive to Japan. The online action role-playing game finally became available in the U.S. when an Xbox One version released here in April, followed by a Windows release in May. Now this Steam release makes PSO2 available through the most popular PC gaming store, which should help increase its number of U.S. players.
Last week, during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase, Sega revealed that a new version of Phantasy Star Online 2 in 2021. It’s called New Genesis, and it will be available for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. Sega says New Genesis that it will exist alongside the current PSO2, but it is neither a replacement or an expansion. New Genesis has a new graphics engine and open-world design, but the original PSO will coexist with it, and players can use the same account to move back and forth between PSO2 and New Genesis.
The Phantasy Star series started as one of the first traditional Japanese RPG franchises when it debuted in 1987. Since the release of Phantasy Star Online in 2000, the series has shifted to the online multiplayer realm.
