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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Current visual
Developer(s)Kojima Productions[a]
Publisher(s)Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director(s)Hideo Kojima
Producer(s)Hideo Kojima
Designer(s)Hideo Kojima
Artist(s)Yoji Shinkawa
Composer(s)Ludvig Forssell
Woodkid
EngineDecima
Platform(s)PlayStation 5
ReleaseJune 26, 2025
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is an upcoming 2025 action-adventure game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is the sequel to Death Stranding, and is written, produced, and directed by Hideo Kojima. It is also the second game of Kojima Productions as an independent entity and the studio's second collaboration with Sony. The title features the previous game's central characters, including Sam Porter Bridges, Fragile, and Higgs, reprised by Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, and Troy Baker, respectively. They are joined by a new cast consisting of Elle Fanning, Shioli Kutsuna, Luca Marinelli, Alastair Duncan, Alissa Jung and Debra Wilson, as well as special appearances from George Miller, Fatih Akin, and Nicolas Winding Refn, the latter reprising his role from the first game.

The game is set primarily in Australia, eleven months after the events of the first game, in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by otherworldly creatures. The player controls Sam Porter Bridges, a freelance porter, as he and his companions set out on an expedition across the Australian continent to connect isolated survivors and colonies to the wireless communications "chiral" network in order to save humanity from extinction.

Kojima began writing the game's sequel some time prior to 2020, but reworked his narrative from scratch to reflect the effect of COVID-19 on the worldwide population. After the story was completed, hints of Death Stranding being developed into a series by Kojima Productions had been insinuated, before the sequel game was confirmed as in development by Reedus in May 2022. The game was officially announced in December 2022 alongside confirmation of the new cast members. It is set to release for the PlayStation 5 on June 26, 2025.

Gameplay

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Similar to its predecessor, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a third-person action-adventure video game. The game was revealed to take place primarily in Mexico and Australia, both of which are large open worlds that can be freely explored by the player.[1][2] The core gameplay loop revolves around delivering packages to scattered survivors. Players need to navigate difficult terrain, while balancing the weight of the cargo on Sam's backpack. Players will unlock vehicles early into the game, which allows them to travel through the world quickly. Vehicles can be customized extensively. For instance, additional batteries can be installed to extend its use, while gun turrets can be added for defense.[3] The world is frequently ravaged by natural disasters such as earthquakes and sandstorms, which will affect the landscape and force players to pick alternate delivery routes.[4] Players are also involved in rebuilding destroyed infrastructure and reconstructing roads and bridges. Eventually, players can construct a monorail system connecting isolated colonies, allowing them to transport a large quantity of goods quickly.[3]

It has a greater focus on combat when compared to the first game. Players can choose to engage in direct combat against enemies, use stealth tactics, or avoid enemy encounters altogether by choosing to navigate rougher terrain.[5] Sam has a large arsenal of tools and gadgets that allow him to attract or divert enemy's attention. The game also features a dynamic day-night cycle which affects enemy behaviours.[6] As players progress, they will be able to unlock enhancements from the Automated Porter Assistant System, which serves as the game's skill tree. The skill tree is divided into three categories: combat, stealth, and serviceship, which focuses on Sam's ability to deliver packages. Sam's attributes will also gradually increase as players complete ordinary actions. For instance, the more packages Sam delivers, the better his delivery skills will become.[7]

Development and marketing

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In March 2020, Norman Reedus, who portrayed the main protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges, alluded to the possibility of continued collaboration with Hideo Kojima, who wrote, directed, produced and primarily designed the game.[8] The sequel was revealed to be in development in May 2022, when Reedus participated in an interview with the outlet Leo Edit to discuss his work on the game. In response, Kojima posted a series of photos on Twitter, cheekily depicting him punishing Reedus for confirming the game's existence.[9] In October, following a series of teasers shared by Kojima on social media, Elle Fanning was announced to join the cast for an upcoming Kojima Productions game.[10][11]

Kojima unveiled the game at The Game Awards 2022. He shared that he had written the game's original story sometime prior to 2020, but decided to rework the narrative when faced with new story concepts that reflected the impact of COVID-19 on the rest of the world.[12] The trailer additionally confirmed that Léa Seydoux and Troy Baker would reprise their roles as Fragile and Higgs from the first game, and that Fanning would appear in an undisclosed role. Shioli Kutsuna was also announced to have joined the cast.[13][14] Artist and mechanical designer Yoji Shinkawa and composer Ludvig Forssell were also confirmed to return to their respective roles from the first game.

During the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play, Kojima revealed in a 10-minute trailer new information about the game such as Fanning's character, special appearances by George Miller/Marty Rhone as Tarman[b] and Fatih Akin/Jonathan Roumie as Dollman,[b] as well as new gameplay.[15] Filming and motion capture were completed by May 2024, with Kojima adding that the game was in an "adjustment phase" that will take about a year to complete.[16]

The game's release date was officially announced with a trailer at SXSW on March 9, 2025. The trailer revealed the reprisal of Nicolas Winding Refn/Darren Jacobs as Heartman from the first game,[17][b] the new castings of Luca Marinelli as Neil,[18] Alissa Jung as Lucy, Alastair Duncan as The President, and Debra Wilson as Doctor, as well as Woodkid's role as co-composer of the game's soundtrack, his original song "To the Wilder" being featured in the trailer.[17] On May 29, 2025, Kojima Productions announced the appearance of Hololive virtual youtuber, Usada Pekora, as a cameo.[19]

Approximately half-way into development, Kojima decided to re-write the game's script in order to make it more polarising after it performed very well with test audiences.[20] Kojima explained to the game's co-composer Woodkid:

We have a problem. I’m going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something. If everyone likes it, it means it’s mainstream. It means it’s conventional. It means it’s already pre-digested for people to like it. And I don’t want that. I want people to end up liking things they didn’t like when they first encountered it, because that’s where you really end up loving something.[21]

On May 9, 2025, it was announced the game has gone gold, signifying that development has completed.[22] On June 8, 2025, the game held a premiere event at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles following Summer Game Fest, featuring a panel discussion, a live gameplay demo, and the announcement of Woodkid's soundtrack album.[23][24]

Music

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The game's soundtrack was composed by French singer-songwriter Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, the latter of whom previously composed the first game and worked on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Woodkid was approached to create original songs for the game, following the passing of Ryan Karazija of Low Roar, whose songs appear often in the first game.[25] The single "To The Wilder" was released alongside the pre-order trailer for the game on 9 March 2025.[26] Woodkid released his full soundtrack album for Death Stranding 2 in collaboration with Hideo Kojima on 13 June 2025.[27] The songs in Woodkid's album are procedural, and dynamically adapt to the player's actions in-game. The released album condenses the procedural tracks, usually a number of hours long, into a few minutes each.[28]

Woodkid for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Soundtrack album by
Woodkid
ReleasedJune 13, 2025
Length57:19
LabelMilan Records
Producer

All tracks are written by Woodkid unless otherwise noted.

Woodkid for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."To the Wilder" 4:39
2."Any Love of Any Kind (feat. Bryce Dessner)" 3:54
3."Black Drift"Charlie Trimbur, Tanguy Destable, Woodkid4:41
4."Story of Rainy" 3:59
5."Are You There" 3:30
6."Asphalt Maelstrom"Destable, Woodkid3:53
7."Fragile Things"Destable, Woodkid1:57
8."Quiet Strike"Trimbur, Destable, Woodkid2:04
9."Amekara Nijie" 1:13
10."Tmrrw"Destable, Woodkid3:44
11."Minus Sixty One"Allyson Ezell, Woodkid5:15
12."And Now the Bonus Tracks (feat. Hideo Kojima)" 0:19
13."To the Wilder (feat. Elle Fanning)" 4:39
14."Any Love of Any Kind (Choir Version)" 4:09
15."To the Wilder (Piano Version)" 4:44
16."To the Wilder (Instrumental)" 4:39
Total length:57:19

In addition to Woodkid's songs, the game's soundtrack will include songs from other artists including Low Roar, Silent Poets, Caroline Polachek, Magnolian, Hania Rani, Daichi Miura and more.[29][30][31]

Release

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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to release for the PlayStation 5 on June 26, 2025.[17] Special edition versions grant in-game and physical items, with pre-orders of these versions offer bonus digital items and early access to the game two days before its official release.[32]

Accolades

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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was nominated for the Most Wanted Game at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2023.[33] The game was nominated for the Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards 2024.[34]

Notes

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  1. ^ Additional work by Guerrilla Games
  2. ^ a b c Miller, Akin, and Refn provide the likenesses for Tarman, Dollman, and Heartman, respectively; Rhone, Roumie, and Jacobs serve as the respective vocal performers.

References

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  1. ^ Williams, Leah J. (May 9, 2025). "Death Stranding 2 previews reveal Australian setting, and more of Dollman". GamesHub. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  2. ^ Barker, Sammy (May 8, 2025). "Round Up: Death Stranding 2 PS5 Previews Describe a Metal Gear Glow Up for Kojima Sequel". Push Square. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Stewart, Marcus (May 8, 2025). "Death Stranding 2 Lets You Create Monorails And Transport Animals". Game Informer. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  4. ^ Williams, Demi (May 9, 2025). "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will offer players 'more choice and freedom'". TechRadar. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  5. ^ Lewis, Catherine (May 16, 2025). "Hideo Kojima wanted Death Stranding 2 to have "a clearer focus on combat," giving players a "range of approaches" including Metal Gear Solid-style stealth". GamesRadar. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  6. ^ Stewart, Marcus (May 8, 2025). "Death Stranding 2's Improved Combat Channels Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain In The Best Way". Game Informer. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  7. ^ Stewart, Marcus (May 8, 2025). "Death Stranding 2's New Progression Systems Encourage Flexibility And Reward Every Approach". Game Informer. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  8. ^ Chalk, Andy (March 10, 2020). "Norman Reedus hints at more Death Stranding in the future". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Chalk, Andy; Bolding, Jonathan (May 20, 2022). "Norman Reedus confirms Death Stranding sequel, Kojima Responds". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Bailey, Kat (October 7, 2022). "Hideo Kojima's Next Game Casts Elle Fanning, as Confirmed by QR Code". IGN. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  11. ^ Barker, Sammy (October 7, 2022). "Hideo Kojima Confirms Elle Fanning for Next Project, Seems to Be Death Stranding 2". Push Square. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Lyles, Taylor (December 9, 2022). "Death Stranding Sequel Officially Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  13. ^ McWhertor, Michael (December 8, 2022). "Death Stranding 2 confirmed by Hideo Kojima at The Game Awards". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Makuch, Eddie; Bonthuys, Darryn (December 8, 2022). "Death Stranding 2 Officially Announced". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Smith, David (February 1, 2024). "Legendary Mad Max Director George Miller Is In Death Stranding 2". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Cryer, Hirun (May 20, 2024). "Death Stranding 2's filming and recording is complete, but now it's entering an "adjustment phase" that'll last for over a year". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Webster, Andrew; Davis, Wes (March 9, 2025). "Death Stranding 2 is coming on June 26th". The Verge. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  18. ^ Carter, Alex (March 10, 2025). "The Role of Luca Marinelli in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach". Gamer Violet.
  19. ^ Koepp, Brent (May 29, 2025). "'Death Stranding 2' Will Feature Hololive VTuber Usada Pekora, And Some Players Are Confused". VICE. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  20. ^ Cruz, Christopher (June 13, 2025). "Woodkid Says Hideo Kojima Changed 'Death Stranding 2' Because It Wasn't "Polarizing"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  21. ^ Blake, Vikki (June 17, 2025). "Hideo Kojima Made Significant Changes To Death Stranding 2 Because Playtesters Thought It Was 'Too Good'". IGN. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  22. ^ Romano, Sal (May 9, 2025). "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach goes gold". Gematsu. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  23. ^ Campione, Katie (June 9, 2025). "Hideo Kojima Previews 'Death Stranding 2: On The Beach' With Teasers, Live Gameplay Demo At LA Premiere Event Featuring Troy Baker, Shioli Kutsuna & Woodkid". Deadline. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  24. ^ Rouse, Isaac (June 9, 2025). "New Death Stranding 2 footage revealed at Summer Game Fest premiere". Polygon. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  25. ^ Fukuyama, Koji (May 8, 2025). "Hideo Kojima Talks Death Stranding 2: On the Beach: 'I'm Just Really Happy We Can Finish Making the Game'". IGN. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  26. ^ Shutler, Ali (March 10, 2025). "Woodkid releases 'Death Stranding 2' anthem 'To The Wilder'". NME. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  27. ^ "Woodkid for Death Stranding 2 On the Beach - 2LP Vinyl". IGN Store. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  28. ^ Pallav, Rishi (June 9, 2025). "How does procedural music work in Death Stranding 2?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  29. ^ Fukuyama, Koji (May 8, 2025). "小島秀夫監督インタビュー！孤立が深まる状況下で"つながりを問い直す"続編『DEATH STRANDING 2』はどのように構築されていったのか". IGN Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  30. ^ "SILENT POETSの7年ぶりアルバムに国内外ゲスト大勢参加、「デススト」提供曲を先行配信". JOYSOUND 音楽ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  31. ^ Shutler, Ali (May 12, 2025). "Caroline Polachek has written a new song for 'Death Stranding 2'". NME. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  32. ^ Reed, Chris (March 17, 2025). "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach — Here's What Comes in Each Edition". IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  33. ^ Loveridge, Sam (November 10, 2023). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  34. ^ Maas, Jennifer (November 18, 2024). "Game Awards Nominations 2024: Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Lead With 7 Nods Each". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
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