Game Title: Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5 (June 26, 2025)
Trailers:
- Death Stranding 2 (Working Title) – TGA 2022 Teaser Trailer
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach – State of Play Announce Trailer
- DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH | Pre-Order Trailer
Developer: KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS
Reviews aggregates:
OpenCritic: 92 average – 96% recommend – 46 reviews
Metacritic: 91/100
Some Reviews:
Gaming Nexus – Jason Dailey – 10 / 10
Hideo Kojima once again proves to be a singular creative force in the video game industry, crafting a sequel in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach that is not just essential for fans of the first game, but an essential experience for all gamers.
Push Square – Liam Croft – 10 / 10
Death Stranding 2 isn’t the revolution that the first game was. Instead, it refines almost all aspects of the original to make an excellent, well-polished experience. On the Beach firmly establishes the Death Stranding universe and makes it a franchise in which I could see many more stories told (even if they’re not by Kojima himself). It might be Kojima’s most well-rounded title to date, and it shows that he’s still got the touch even as he enters his 60s. However, I give the game a 10 with the same caveats I mentioned in the intro. I love Kojima’s work and was already invested in the world of Death Stranding. If you bounced off the original game, Death Stranding 2 isn’t likely to reel you in. However, fans will find it a worthy sequel that’ll leave them begging for more.
Washington Post – Gene Park – 100 / 100
While I’m playing Death Stranding 2, I realize I am witnessing Kojima and his studio, Kojima Productions, at the peak of their powers.
VGC – Jordan Miller – 5 / 5
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an epic, big budget sequel to Kojima's controversial cult classic. It offers a better story, an excellent cast of characters, and beautiful world to reconnect. Death Stranding 2 feels like the product of everything that's happened to Kojima since he left Konami, and it's easily one of 2025's very best.Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an all-time great sequel and one of Hideo Kojima's best games. With a stunning world, greatly expanded gameplay and player choice, and one of Kojima’s most compelling casts and narratives, it significantly improves on the original in virtually every way
Dexerto – Brad Norton – 5 / 5
Death Stranding 2 is phenomenal. It’s among Kojima’s very best work not just for its narrative, but for the near-limitless variety in its gameplay opportunities. While it may very well end up being the final game in the series, at least with Kojima at the helm, we can only hope someone else picks up the mantle and continues to iterate on one of gaming’s most unique experiences. After all, why else would we have connected?
PlayStation LifeStyle – Jason Faulkner – 10 / 10
Death Stranding 2 isn’t the revolution that the first game was. Instead, it refines almost all aspects of the original to make an excellent, well-polished experience. On the Beach firmly establishes the Death Stranding universe and makes it a franchise in which I could see many more stories told (even if they’re not by Kojima himself). It might be Kojima’s most well-rounded title to date, and it shows that he’s still got the touch even as he enters his 60s. However, I give the game a 10 with the same caveats I mentioned in the intro. I love Kojima’s work and was already invested in the world of Death Stranding. If you bounced off the original game, Death Stranding 2 isn’t likely to reel you in. However, fans will find it a worthy sequel that’ll leave them begging for more.
TechRadar Gaming – Scott McCrae – 5 / 5
Death Stranding 2 is what a sequel should be. It meaningfully builds on the ideas found in the original while not losing sight of what made it so great in the first place. Kojima Productions is never a studio to play it safe, and doubling down on the brilliant traversal and asynchronous multiplayer focus is exactly the right move.
Radio Times – Alex Raisbeck – 5 / 5
Death Stranding is an outstanding work of art. A treatise on the nature of humanity from perhaps gaming's greatest auteur. This is not Sam Bridges's story, but the familiar tale of every person who has ever lived, and an experience that I will never forget.
PlayStation Universe – Joe Richards – 9.5 / 10.0
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is a triumph in what it sets out to achieve. This isn't a game interested in converting willing consumers into fans, it's a game that takes bold steps in order to succeed what came before it. If you needed proof that Hideo Kojima is still the titan of the industry that he's hailed as, this game is that proof. I was left truly speechless by the end, and I have a feeling that many others will too.
PSX Brasil – Bruno Henrique Vinhadel – 95 / 100
Technically flawless and visually stunning, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is an exceptional sequel and a clear evolution for a game that was already full of qualities. An even more engaging story with an improved narrative, as well as huge advances in its unique gameplay, are just some of the highlights of one of the best games of the year.
IGN – Simon Cardy – 9 / 10
The original Death Stranding held promise: A complex, often confusing, but never contrived first draft. A reflective journey across a lost America, it established a world and its rules with a flourish, even if I found it stumbled along the path. But in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Australia plays host to an expanded vision and is a more accomplished achievement in nearly every facet. It removes almost all of the friction that weighed down its rookie effort, delighting with a truly unpredictable story full of intrigue and malleable stealth-action playgrounds hidden in its vast, hauntingly beautiful version of Australia. Yes, at times, it is unapologetically weird – but that isn't what defines it. It's an inventive journey packed full of both shock and awe, the sort of bold work that deserves to be encouraged. No, it isn't perfect, but it's incredibly exciting and original, never once straying from the path less trodden, and I love it all the more for it.
CGMagazine – Jordan Biordi – 9 / 10
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach consumed me. Not simply because I can easily get absorbed in slow, methodical gameplay, but because it is so well-developed as a game that it makes getting sucked into it incredibly effortless. It genuinely feels like the current best version of whatever these “Strand-type” games are meant to be, and if Kojima has hit his stride this early, I can’t wait to see what else is in store. If you weren’t the biggest fan of the first game, I almost guarantee Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will turn you into one.
Inverse – Trone Dowd – 9 / 10
Death Stranding 2 is another anomaly in the modern gaming landscape. It’s got a weird premise, a weird visual identity, and even weirder ideas for what a $70 game should be. And while this sequel largely iterates on the first game’s ideas to create something broader, it thankfully stays true to what made the original distinct. Sure, I wish Death Stranding 2 showed more than it tells. Kojima could benefit from emulating how concisely many of his director friends in Hollywood deliver their own stories. Or how to write natural dialogue more consistently. But the overall vision of Death Stranding 2 is so bold and uncompromising that it brute-forces its way through these shortcomings. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach may not be for everyone. But if it is for you, it's one of the most enjoyable games of 2025, a must-see follow-up that is more cohesive, refined, and fully developed than the first.
VideoGamer – Tom Bardwell – 9 / 10
Kojima’s ability to upend established AAA convention is admirable and despite the self-indulgence and the man’s swelling vanity (and appetite for space travel), Death Stranding 2 is a bold reminder of this. It’s a goofy spectacle, the folly of a man who has let it all go a bit to his head, utterly bizarre and enigmatically incoherent but nevertheless an earnest exploration of loss and connection. At any other studio, such a muzzily, decadent vision would have led to a quiet aside to tone it down or been simply shelved in favour of a safer bet. Thankfully, Kojima’s auteur status means he’s immune to this, free to fling about millions as he sees fit. Long may it continue.
GAMINGbible – Richard Lee Breslin – 9 / 10
Death Stranding is one of my favourite games of all time, and I’m equally as obsessed with its sequel. It’s not only one of the best-looking games I’ve ever seen with an endearing cast of characters and soundtrack, but once you look past much of its filler, its story is a message of beauty. Humanity cuts itself off from the world, too fearful to make a connection, but when they take a risk to let others in, there’s an unexpected comforting warmth. Something that, in one way or another, is a notion we can all resonate with. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach deserves to be in the Game of the Year conversation. It’s hands down one of my favourite games in recent years, and I can’t wait to see what Sam and friends deliver next.
TheGamer – Jade King – 9 / 10
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is a hard game to quantify, with Kojima Productions eager to question our expectations and hurl curveballs at every turn. At its heart, it’s an experience about delivering packages and forging connections across a post-apocalyptic world, but play it for just a few hours, and you’ll see it’s so much more than that. It’s a game defined by filling a nature reserve with teleporting emus as much as it is about a lonely man learning to accept help from the people who love him and avoid being consumed by grief whose sole purpose is to destroy him. It’s about human connection, losing loved ones, and stepping out into the wild regardless of the horrors that may await. Learning to go on that journey and accept a willingness to grow is half the battle, and after reaching the end of this ordeal, you’ll never be the same again. Keep on keeping on.
Worth Playing – Chris "Atom" DeAngelus – 9 / 10.0
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an improvement over Death Stranding in almost every way I can think of. It's larger, full of more things to do, and generally a more enjoyable experience. The plot is crazier than ever, which might be a plus or minus depending on your tastes, but if nothing else, it isn't boring. The only complaint I can think of is that the game is perhaps a touch too easy at times, and even that isn't a huge problem. If you liked the first game, it's very easy to imagine you liking the sequel. Just be prepared for things to be as unfathomably ridiculous as possible at every turn.
Kakuchopurei – Jonathan Toyad – 90 / 100
My 35+ hours with Death Stranding 2: On The Beach was laced with so many emotions and feelings: boredom, excitement, joy, confusion, and satisfaction. [Death Stranding 2] still has the trademarks of a Kojima-written narrative -"Muffin Man"-style dialogue, bats*** insane moments, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer storytelling with obvious symbolism. But that's what makes this sequel all the more endearing; you may cringe at some moments, but you won't be bored with the thread being spun here.
Eurogamer – Lewis Gordon – 4 / 5
For those who rolled their eyes at much of the first game, Death Stranding 2 will likely inspire a similar reaction. But there is no doubt that Kojima remains wide-eyed. This big, absurd game is, in many ways, the ultimate synthesis of the writer-director's idiosyncrasies and obsessions while containing, amid the noise, perhaps his clearest message yet. The world may be a mess but its problems cannot be solved alone by communicating over the internet – indeed, retreating into it. Go, step outside. Don't just touch grass; embrace another person.
GamesRadar – Oscar Taylor-Kent – 4 / 5
The greater emphasis on action and worldbuilding might move Death Stranding 2 away from the hiking focus I loved about the original but, as a Metal Gear Solid fan, this is a thrilling mix that helps this sequel stand apart rather than just reheating the same thing. Ultimately, I really love how worldbuilding has been expanded here, making Sam's adventure feel a lot more lively thanks to the Drawbridge crew. That's what I'll carry forward from this one – while wishing I had a real life Dollman to join me on my weekly shop. Hideo Kojima compared his approach to the sequel as going from Alien to Aliens – the same story in a different genre. I can feel that when I play it. But it does have me wondering – as the credits roll after a series of lengthy ending cutscenes that are so bizarre you wouldn't believe me even if I did spoil them – what will the Alien 3 of Death Stranding look like?
VG247 – Connor Makar – 4 / 5
Ultimately, playing through Death Stranding 2 was an emotional and utterly enjoyable experience, full of thrills and impossible to put down during its bigger moments. My only negative feeling towards it is also unfortunately a big one, that I wish Kojima Productions went further in evolving this sequel from the original. When the story goes to such an extent to explore new grounds, it's kind of a shame the gameplay feels the need to play it safe.
The Outerhaven Productions – Cody Perez – 3.5 / 5
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach continues the same gameplay from the original without any meaningful innovations or ideas. That said, the brilliant story and unparalleled music and performances make this worth a look.
TheSixthAxis – Tuffcub – 8 / 10
Despite repeating huge chunks of Death Stranding 1, almost beat for beat, Kojima pulls it out of the bag in the end. The core gameplay loop remains satisfying enough to get you through to the good stuff, but I can't help but feel disappointed just how similar this game is to its predecessor.
GameSpot – Diego Nicolás Argüello – 7 / 10
The first Death Stranding was eerily prescient. Releasing in 2019, it was impossible to divorce it from the COVID-19 pandemic that followed a year later, the parallels between preppers living in bunkers and people struggling to find ways to connect with others reflecting a period of quarantine and uncertainty about the future. By contrast, Death Stranding 2 is less precise and clear about what it wants to say; it seems committed to making you ponder many things at once, inviting different takeaways. Its story touches on topics like the increasing harms of climate change, how our everyday actions are being automated with each passing day, the damaging presence of guns, the clash between governments and privately owned entities, and the importance of helping others in any way we can. If the sequel is prescient of anything, it is that fixation on the past binds us to repeat history, no matter how much we try to pretend otherwise.
50 Comments
Looking forward to the PC release
My fantasy critic lineup likes this
We are so back BB!
This feels like a weird redemption for this franchise. When 1 released there was this weird hate train against it (not sure what the reviews were like back then) and so many tried to write it off so seeing this one recieve so much positivity just feels good.
Best Strand type game yet
Guess I need to finish the first game. Story was interesting and the general gameplay was chill but I hated bt encounters lol.
So far, it’s a two horse race for overall Game of the Year 2025 between CO Expedition 33 and Death Stranding 2 OTB. I reckon most will favor E33 atm.
Decima engine is incredible.
Kojimbo has done it again
I mean if u liked the first one, this sequel is pretty much the same with more refinement and expanded story, I myself had the first one on day one and enjoyed it twice as covid made us stay home, hope this one keeps the lonely feel to it while traversing the harsh lands I enjoyed that aspect of it so much
I expect to bounce off it harder than I did the first one.
The only review I care about is Dunky’s
Reviews look to be glowing once more. Definitely excited for a PC release then.
Some of these reviews feel copypasted…
[6/6 from Norway and the NRK’s (freelance) game critic](https://www.nrk.no/kultur/anmeldelse_-_death-stranding-2_-on-the-beach_-1.17457265):
>Hideo Kojima has made games for over 40 years now.
>He’s been there for nearly the whole evolution of the medium.
>The fact that he’s still in the driver’s seat and painting his insane, uncompromising visions on our screens in this way is both shocking and inspiring.
>«Death Stranding 2: On the Beach» is simply some of the most all consuming and gripping the game medium has to offer in 2025.
Kojima must be Jesus then.
I played the Directors Cut of the first game last month for the first time and now I have to wait for the next game on PC….
Sad times.
Delivering stuff was so oddly satisfying.
No brakes on Genius Kojumbo’s Wild Ride!
They’re trying to convince me this one has a good story and I am SKEPTICAL.
We’ll see. Liked the gameplay loop of the first game.
How would you rate it compared to MGS V?
I bought the previous game on day 1, and I still remain skeptical on this. I’ll hold out on it to see more user reviews.
The people that loved the first one are in for a great time by the looks of it. Although I’d say some of these reviews buy whatever Kojima is selling way too easy.
Keep on fuckin’ keeping on
“Hideo Kojima once again proves to be a singular creative force in the video game industry”
This is what’s really annoying about all the Kojima’s glazing and fanboyism with people acting as if he’s some messiah of gaming and the only guy that wants to make creative games and push the medium in new directions. It’s an especially weird thing to say in 2025 where we had what feels a mountain of great game releases.
Anyway game looks good but I doubt I’ll give it a shot after just trying for a second time to get into the first game and bouncing off after about ten hours. I just dislike a number of the mechanics and while the world/setting is pretty interesting, Kojima’s writing is generally… well I just don’t find him to be a pretty good writer lol. I wish someone was able to convince him that it’s the one thing he shouldn’t get involved with. Good music taste, though.
That GameSpot review was interesting. On one hand, DS2 being less boring than DS1 by having more action is a good way to help alleviate some of the gameplay loop woes the first game had. But at the same time, that’s sort of what made DS1 unique in the first place. Maybe it’s just an unfixable problem based on the core design of the game, but it is a little disappointing that it seemed like the only way to try and fix the issue was adding more combat that went against nearly everything DS1 told its players.
I don’t know why they are bothering with the text. Reviewers see Kojima and just start jerking themselves off.
I’m waiting for Jeff Gerstmann’s thoughts.
You’ve got “Push Square” and “Playstation Lifestyle” with the same quote.
. . .that said, interesting reviews. Not touching this until it releases on PC though given the shenanigans with the first game.
I had no idea this was already coming out
What I really want to know is if the music hits as hard as that Low Roar soundtrack from 1.
Thank god he changed the game, because it was too good.
Wait WTF it’s out???!!
I never finished 1 will I even have a chance understanding this
My profile pic will finally be relevant again for a second
The European press seems far less warm on it compared to the American press. Given the American press underrated the original, I’m thinking they’d be over-correcting by praising the sequel while Europe is more objective having rated more fairly the original.
Disappointed about the samey gameplay. The hiking sim stuff was so unique and wished they pushed it further
ds2?? dark souls 2??? they made another one??
I cannot fucking wait.
He’s only 61 years old. Aging is crazy because the older I get the younger everyone kinda seems? I remember being like 18 reading his wiki page getting sad thinking about him getting “old” at like 50 years old
My body is so fucking ready
One of the rare games where story intrigues me beyond anything I’ve ever seen, yet gameplay is so not my taste I refuse to put up with it.
Lore videos it is
[let me take you to the beach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJPiHcOO0Hc&list=RDQJPiHcOO0Hc&start_radio=1&pp=ygUiemFwcGEgbGV0IG1lIHRha2UgeW91IHRvIHRoZSBiZWFjaKAHAQ%3D%3D)
Will buy it on Xbox
OMG – I am 90% on the final line of DS1, right on time!
90 MC is a dangerous score for Kojima, DS1 had “only” 82 and already won the most goty awards in 2019 (not tga tho) even before Sekiro the tga goty, no chance DS2 with 90 MC is something like 95 for critics who love Kojima.
Can’t wait to get “Death Stranding 2 : On the Beach on the beach” posts on r/steamdeck
So it’s still a walking simulator. Swell 😑
Couldn’t get into the first. Probably could have given it a second chance but my save file was lost. Ik the story will be confusing outright, but any chance I can just jump into this one?
When is this coming out on PC?
A movie with a tacked on walking simulator? 10/10 from the access journalist!
Rank 45 on FBC:Firebreak, game is mid/moderate/mediocre; and so I’m ready to give a break, wait for some updates any content.
So, Death Stranding 2 then? PC when?
Anyone else notice the similarity between push squares review and playstation lifestyle?