Next week, any Xbox One owner that wishes too, will be able to jump into Phantasy Star Online 2 with just announced the open beta.

This event will be the first time that PSO2 has been officially available for the masses to try here in the west. This highly popular action RPG has been around in Japan for eight years now, first releasing all the way back in 2012. (August 2011 even if you count Japan's own Open Alpha and Beta Tests). It wasn't until last month when us westerners finally got our first taste of the game with the Closed Beta. During which, servers were jampacked, so much so that the beta was graciously extended a day so that users could make up for the lost time.

PSO2 is a free-to-play title that puts players in the role of an agent of ARKS, a military, and an exploration group. After creating your character, you will hunt, craft, and explore your way around various environments and worlds. Looting as you go, constantly collecting new gear, spells, and various other goodies. It's an addictive gameplay loop that is easy to pick up and play for hours or come back now and then for quick gaming sessions.

The timeframe for how long this beta is supposed to last hasn't been announced yet, but hopefully, it is longer than the closed one was. They have promised that additional information is coming soon on the official PSO2 website, so I imagine we can expect that in the next day or two. SEGA hasn't revealed yet the final release date for the official launch here in the States yet.  PC players are still waiting for their own beta too, with no word on that either.

I will be curious to see how the servers hold up next week with the large influx on players. I'm expecting things to be pretty dicey they first day or two, and Friday night. Phantasy Star Online 2 was officially announced for the West on Xbox back at E3 2019, at Microsoft's Press Conference, with a Spring 2020 release planned.