Death Stranding 2: On the Beach hits PlayStation 5 on June 26, 2025, with a PC version likely dropping around February 2026, following the first game’s pattern. Here’s the scoop on what’s coming, based on everything we know so far.
Release Date and Platforms
The game launches June 26, 2025, but if you snag the Digital Deluxe or Collector’s Edition, you can play early starting June 24 at midnight local time. It’s exclusive to PS5 at launch, with a PC release expected later, like the eight-month gap for the original on PS4 to PC. No word yet on Xbox or other platforms.
Preloading starts June 17, 2025, at midnight, with a file size around 92.8 GB, though patches might change that slightly.
Story and Setting
Set eleven months after the first game, Death Stranding 2 follows Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) on a mission to save humanity from extinction in a world wrecked by Beached Things (BTs). It’s all about human connection and the downsides of being too linked up, set in new locations like Mexico and Australia.
Hideo Kojima rewrote the story post-COVID to reflect themes of isolation and unity, with the Bridges group replaced by a new crew called Drawbridge. Returning characters include Sam, Fragile (Léa Seydoux), Higgs (Troy Baker), Deadman (Guillermo del Toro), and Heartman (Nicolas Winding Refn).
New faces are Tomorrow (Elle Fanning), Rainy (Shioli Kutsuna), Neil (Luca Marinelli), Lucy (Alissa Jung), Doctor (Debra Wilson), Tarman (George Miller), Dollman (Fatih Akin/Jonathan Roumie), and a cameo by Lee Dong-seok (Don Lee). Fans think Neil looks like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, but Kojima says he’s not.
Gameplay
This action-adventure keeps the “strand-type” gameplay, mixing exploration, deliveries, and social elements, but leans harder into action to counter the first game’s “walking simulator” rep. You’ll explore open-world Mexico and Australia, with the DHV Magellan airship as your mobile base.
New features include better combat, new weapons, vehicles like motor unicycles, and a day/night cycle, plus stealthy Metal Gear Solid-style moments. Four difficulty modes—Story, Casual, Normal, Brutal—let you play your way, and easy mode skips tough boss fights. The Social Strand System is back, letting players team up indirectly for encounters. Press played 30 hours, covering about 40% of the story, so it’s a meaty game with faster, more dynamic gameplay.
Editions and Pre-Order Details
Pre-orders open March 17, 2025, at 10:00 AM local time. The Standard Edition ($69.99 USD) gets you the game and bonuses like a custom Quokka hologram and three exoskeletons. The Digital Deluxe Edition ($79.99 USD) adds digital extras like exoskeletons and patches, plus 48-hour early access.
The Collector’s Edition ($229.99 USD) includes physical goodies (details still coming), early access, and digital bonuses, but it’s limited through PlayStation Direct and select retailers. A limited-edition PS5 controller drops with the game—check pre-order links for more.
Trailers and Events
The game first teased at TGA 2022, then got a big reveal at State of Play 2024 with a 10-minute trailer showing new characters and gameplay. At SXSW 2025 on March 9, a pre-order trailer confirmed the release date, introduced new cast members, and featured Woodkid’s “To the Wilder.”
On June 8, 2025, Geoff Keighley hosts a premiere at LA’s Orpheum Theatre with live gameplay and a panel featuring Kojima, Elle Fanning, Troy Baker, Shioli Kutsuna, and Woodkid, streamed on YouTube. It kicks off a Death Stranding 2 World Tour running through November 2025. Reviews drop June 23, 2025, at 5:00 AM PT.
Soundtrack
Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, who worked on Metal Gear Solid V and the first Death Stranding, handle the music. Woodkid’s “To the Wilder” debuted in the pre-order trailer, and the full soundtrack dropped June 13, 2025. A “Strands of Harmony” orchestral concert tour starts November 8, 2025, at the Sydney Opera House, hitting 19 cities worldwide.
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