In 2015, a fire broke out in the CC Corporation headquarters, resulting in the loss of most of the data for “The World.” The company utilized a game system for a different game line they were developing to restore the data that was lost in the fire and introduced “The World R:2” a year later. However, players of the original “The World” were unable to migrate their character data to the new version and many rejected the “R:2.” But the game was accepted amongst new players and went onto sell 12 million copies worldwide. Although, they have yet to reach the peak of 20 million players that was boasted during the days of the original “The World,” the game took back the crown as the number one online game.

There are two new facilities that were added to “R:2”:

• Guilds: a group comprised of players. Once a guild is established, a private room known as @HOME is created for each guild. Guild members use the @HOME as their headquarters.
• Arena: located in the Warring City of Lumina Cloth, the arena consists of three palaces: Demon Palace, Holy Palace, and Sage Palace. Players fight in a three-on-three battle and hope to become Emperors of the designated palace.

Aside from the new facilities, players are also able to encounter other players out in the field. Some of these players, like the members of the Medic Union, are around to help you on your adventure. However, there are also PKs (Player Killers) who are preying on other players. You can help these players from the PKs and receive a reward if you are successful in helping them.

Like the original “The World,” players get to other areas and fields by using the Chaos Gate. There are also several special areas that are known as Lost Grounds. These areas are said to have been created during the era of Fragment, the game the original “The World” was based on. Some of these areas are the Hulle Granz Cathedral and the Arche Koeln Waterfall.

Chaos Gates are a type of a warp device that allows players to access various areas such as fields, dungeons, Lost Ground, and others.

Areas are created by combining three words known as "Area Words." Players can obtain Area Words from other players playing in "The World" or by checking on the forums. The more Area Words you have, the more flexibility you have in creating an area of your choice, so actively engaging with other players is of great benefit. The combination of these words determine the type of area, monster strength, and so on.

Information is listed in the Area Status window in the Area Word input screen, a sort of gyro looking device that shows your current stock of words. The Area Status window lists the various parameters created by the chosen Area Word. Additionally, there is a mark to the left of the Area Words in the Word Plate. This mark is a Server Symbol - it indicates which server you are currently in. If you are in a different server, you'll go to different areas even if it's the same Area Words.

.Hack//G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth is scheduled to ship on October 24th.