The impossible has happened: Phantasy Star Online 2 is actually getting a western release date in 2020

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Phantasy Star Online 2 is releasing on Xbox One as a free-to-play game in 2020

After seven long and painful years, Phantasy Star Online 2 is finally coming to the west. That's right! Many of us never truly believed that this day would come, but Sega has partnered up with Microsoft to bring the long-awaited MMORPG to Xbox One in 2020. This was all revealed as part of the Xbox E3 2019 press conference, which is undoubtedly the must-watch showcase for E3 2019. 

Phantasy Star is a series with a huge following in Asia, but it has struggled to obtain anything other than 'cult classic' status in the west. Despite launching on a number of platforms over the years, Phantasy Star Online 2 never left Japan. Fans were hopeful that PSO2 would finally come to the west following its announcement for Nintendo Switch in 2018... sadly, that never materialised. 

No, it has taken a collaboration between Sega and Microsoft to make this happen. Phantasy Star Online 2 will launch on Xbox One in 'Spring 2020' and it'll be free-to-play! While this sounds like fantastic news all around, Sega has thrown a bit of cold water on the news, with the publisher taking to Twitter to reveal that an EU release is not certain. 

Speaking personally here – as somebody that poured a truly horrible amount of time into Phantasy Star Universe on Xbox 360 – I'm crossing everything in the hope that Sega is able to bring Phantasy Star Online 2 to the UK and the rest of Europe. Then again, we have all waited for so long to play this game... I think I can hold on a little longer, if I really have to. 

For more from E3 2019, be sure to keep your eyes on GamesRadar and check out our E3 2019 games hub to see all the awesome titles announced this week. 

Josh West
Josh West
Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+

Josh West is Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 18 years of experience in both online and print journalism, and was awarded a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Josh has contributed to world-leading gaming, entertainment, tech, music, and comics brands, including games™, Edge, Retro Gamer, SFX, 3D Artist, Metal Hammer, and Newsarama. In addition, Josh has edited and written books for Hachette and Scholastic, and worked across the Future Games Show as an Assistant Producer. He specializes in video games and entertainment coverage, and has provided expert comment for outlets like the BBC and ITV. In his spare time, Josh likes to play FPS games and RPGs, practice the bass guitar, and reminisce about the film and TV sets he worked on as a child actor.