Phantasy Star Online 2 beta coming on February 7 - here's how to sign up

The first North American Phantasy Star Online 2 beta will kick off on Friday, February 7, 2020, Sega announced today. The beta will run from 5pm PST / 8pm EST / 1pm GMT through 12am PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT on Sunday, February 9. While the full game will be available on Xbox One and PC (for Windows 10), this beta will only be on Xbox One. 

You can sign up for the closed beta through the Xbox Insider app. If you haven't already, download the app from the Microsoft Store. Open the app, find My Games & Apps, find Phantasy Star Online 2, and click Join like you would with any other game preview. Voila! You're all signed up. You'll get a notification when the beta is live. 

Any progress you make during the beta will carry over into the full game when it launches later this spring. Beta participation will also be rewarded with special log-in and completion bonuses. You'll get a Photon Halo B accessory and a free Beauty Salon pass just for logging in, and by completing in-game Urgent Quest events, you can earn multiple rewards. The Urgent Quests in question will appear at the following times:

February 7

8 - 8:30pm PST: Cradle of Darkness

10 - 10:30pm PST: Giant Automata: The Awakening

February 8

7 - 7:30am PST: Cradle of Darkness

1 - 1:30pm PST: Giant Automata: The Awakening

5 - 5:30pm PST: Cradle of Darkness

8:30 - 9pm PST: The Raging Obsidian Arm

9 - 9:30pm PST: Elder of the Unfathomable Abyss

Completing one Urgent Quest will get you a Photon Halo C and a 100% Triboost consumable. Two clears will get you a Photon Halo A and another Triboost. With three clears, you'll earn a Mag Dreamcast Evolution Device and another Triboost, and if you manage to clear four Urgent Quests, you'll receive a Coated Edge weapon skin and 10 more Triboosts. 

Finally, beta players will get to participate in a special in-game concert at 8pm PST on Saturday, February 8. Head to the Ship's Shopping Plaza for a performance and some more XP buffs. 

Here are the best upcoming Xbox One games for 2020 and beyond. 

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.