Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis arrives next week

Looking for a good place to start with decade-old MMO Phantasy Star Online 2? Next week may be the best shout, as massive standalone expansion New Genesis arrives with a complete overhaul to the game's look and feel.

One month after Sega gave a June release window to the kinda-sorta sequel, the publisher has since confirmed that you'll be able to explore New Genesis' wide open plains on June 9th.

PSO2 NEW GENESIS is launching on June 9th! 🎉💫✨PSO2:NGS will launch after the end of maintenance on June 9, 2021 (Wed). We will be holding campaigns to celebrate the launch. We hope you’re all looking forward to it too!https://t.co/pxqpPpSl2L #PSO2 #PSO2NGS pic.twitter.com/yQsnbdjqVTJune 1, 2021

Set 1,000 years after the current MMO, New Genesis is a complete reimagining—sporting more action-RPG style combat in a vast open world full of monsters to beat up. Taking place a millennium in the future doesn't mean you need to start afresh, mind.

PSO2 characters will be able to freely transfer between the base game and NG (though XP gain and certain currencies will be locked to each instance). NG also sports a much beefier character creator, though still retaining the '90s anime charm of PSO2's style.

PSO2:NG will launch after regular maintenance ends on June 9th, and will be available on Windows 10, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.