Phantasy Star Online
Ranked 7 of 15 MMORPGs by recommenders
People recommend it for its grinding, playing with friends and nostalgic soundtrack; the main caveat is that getting online on Dreamcast is a hassle.
People recommend it for its grinding, playing with friends and nostalgic soundtrack; the main caveat is that getting online on Dreamcast is a hassle.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 79%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Nostalgic Dreamcast playing memories
“I loved PSO on the Dreamcast, sank alot of hours into that game back then”
Comment from 15 Feb 2026 in “Hideki Sato, designer of all Sega's consoles, has died” “fantastic online game, it's one of those blasts of sheer nostalgia”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “I spent so much time playing PSO on the DC.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” - Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews”
Fun community and friends
“Gameplay was amazing, story and graphics were great, the community was really fun.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “the simple joy of grinding away at monsters and hanging out with friends”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “I still play PSO weekly online with a small guild of friends.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” Enjoyable monster grinding formula
“the simple joy of grinding away at monsters and hanging out with friends”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “it had a good grind formula”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” GameCube version preferred
“I personally enjoyed the game cube version”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “The DC PSO is a fantastic game”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Dreamcast online access is hassle
“I do have an account for the DC servers too but I wouldn't recommend them.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “The DC takes too much hassle to get online for the value”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews”
Other MMORPGs people recommend
The four most recommended other MMORPGs, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World of Warcraft | 67 | 65 | 51% | 12 | 20 yrs5 owners | — |
| EVE Online | 52 | 23 | 69% | 11 | 11 yrs7 owners | Approved |
| Ultima Online | 44 | 5 | 90% | 9 | — | Approved |
| RuneScape | 35 | 18 | 66% | 8 | 20 yrs3 owners | — |
| Phantasy Star OnlineThis page | 11 | 3 | 79% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
18 of the 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Phantasy Star Online was fantastic.”
“I do have an account for the DC servers too but I wouldn't recommend them.”
“the simple joy of grinding away at monsters and hanging out with friends”
“The vibey, synth-heavy soundtrack and diverse biomes”
“I personally enjoyed the game cube version”
“I spent so much time playing PSO on the DC.”
“the GameCube version of PSO is better”
“The DC PSO is a fantastic game”
“I never got into Phantasy Star Online”
“The game basically had zero story, and that's why.”
“my main love of the franchise is still Phantasy Star Online 1”
“The DC takes too much hassle to get online for the value”
“I put alot of time into that one, once an English patch became available on Schtserv.”
“Gameplay was amazing, story and graphics were great, the community was really fun.”
“fantastic online game, it's one of those blasts of sheer nostalgia”
“I still play PSO weekly online with a small guild of friends.”
“it had a good grind formula”
“I loved PSO on the Dreamcast, sank alot of hours into that game back then”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.