Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is Kojima’s next big brainchild, dropping June 26, 2025, exclusively on PS5. So, you’re probably wondering what you can expect from it, will it be worth your time and money.
Recently, they released a pre-order trailer and people went bonkers about it. Some of them even go so far as to call it a game of the year and it hasn’t even come out yet. Kinda early to make such an assumption but also I can’t disagree with them. If any game has potential then that’s Death Stranding 2.
Now, we’re not going to dwell on whether it’s going to be GOTY but instead we’ll be going over all the new stuff, story continuation, and all improvements that you can expect to see in the second part.
Story
Warning: Spoilers for Death Stranding (the first part). If you haven’t played it yet, go do that and then come back to this page. Or, if you don’t care about spoilers, feel free to continue.
It’s been 11 months since Sam Bridges helped unite America under the UCA banner, and things should be looking up, right? Nope. Turns out, the world is still falling apart, and new threats are emerging. Sam, no longer with Bridges, is now working for Drawbridge, an organization that seems to be taking a different approach to survival.
We still don’t have a full understanding of what Drawbridge is, but their goal seems to go beyond just reconnecting cities. The trailers hint that the very nature of existence is at risk, and Sam’s role in this isn’t just about carrying cargo anymore—it’s about preventing something much worse than another Death Stranding.
Fragile is back, and this time, she’s leading the charge on a new mission. There seems to be more to that story but like everything else, I guess we’ll find out in June.
In a trailer we see the appearance of Tomorrow (Elle Fanning) — who is she? What’s her role in a story? Is she somehow connected to Higgs? Does that mean she’s a bad guy?
You see where I’m going with this? There are more questions than answers but one thing is for sure. She has an important role to play in a sequel.
And we got Higgs — now the guitar-strumming, chaos-loving villain from the first game — but he’s not exactly himself anymore. He’s got a creepy, cybernetic mask and an army of twisted, AI-driven robots at his command. These aren’t your typical MULEs or terrorists—these are inhuman, relentless, and tied to something deeper than just surviving in a wasteland.
Higgs was last seen being dragged into the Beach after his defeat in Death Stranding 1, so the big question is: Who brought him back, and why? More importantly, what has he become?
If the first game’s Beach was a ghostly limbo between life and death, this time it’s evolving into something more sinister. The trailers hint that the Beach is expanding—instead of just pulling in the dead, it’s starting to mess with the living, bending reality in ways that no one understands.
Sam’s journey isn’t just about fixing the UCA’s connections anymore—it’s about stopping the Beach from fully breaking through. And if that happens? The entire world could be swallowed into oblivion.
Death Stranding 2’s story seems to be a deeper dive into what the Beach actually is, why some people (like Sam, Fragile, Higgs, and Tomorrow?) are so connected to it, and whether it can be controlled—or if it’s already too late.
Bottom line: Sam’s not just a porter this time, he’s a soldier fighting against something far bigger than himself. What outcome can we expect? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Gameplay
If you thought the first game was just a “FedEx simulator,” guess what? It still is—but better. Traversal is still the core of the experience, but DS2 adds new tools, vehicles, and environments to keep things fresh (and terrifying).
Which means that terrain is going to be rougher, more unpredictable. Landslides, floods, and unstable ground mean you can’t just slap some ladders down and hope for the best. It’s going to require proper strategizing and thinking two steps ahead.
When it comes to the vehicles, it’s only logical that we get some new improved serious off-roading tech. We’ve seen some really cool vehicles featured in the trailer, will we be able to use all of them? I sure hope so.
With an introduction of new/more scary enemies, we’ll need better ways to deal with them. That’s why we can expect to see weapons and gadgets upgraded and most likely we’ll see some new additions in our arsenal.
All of that leads to Magelan Man, what is that even? I strongly believe that it will be the single coolest thing in the game. We’ll be able to integrate with those huge bosses and fight against other bosses. I don’t know how it works but I know it’s going to be sooooo awesome.
Cargo delivery and management will still play a role but we can assume that with new things introduced, it’s going to be slightly easier.
Player-built structures will likely return, but in what form? Bridges, roads, and safe houses are essential, but how they function might be different this time.
Will there be co-op elements? New ways to interact with other players? Kojima is teasing something, and it’s probably going to be weird/awesome.
Graphics and audio
Alright, let’s talk about graphics in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, because if there’s one thing you can count on with Kojima, it’s visuals so crisp they make you question reality.
Death Stranding 2 isn’t just visually impressive,it’s unsettling in the best way. Every detail feels handcrafted to immerse you, overwhelm you, and maybe even freak you out a little. Whether you’re staring at the world in awe or watching it collapse around you, one thing’s for sure: this game is gonna be a visual masterpiece.
Conclusion
It’s safe to say that we can expect a banger from the game. They took their time to make it properly, polished every detail and added a bunch of new interesting stuff. If it lives to the hype, I already know that I’ll be spending countless hours exploring every nook and corner.
Also I’ll make sure to keep this article updated and you can expect a full in-depth review once the game is out. Maybe I even magically can get my hands on a copy early, so I can check it out but chances for that are slim to none. Which is completely fine but a guy can hope.
I’ll also try to get my hands on the collector’s edition but I also believe it’s going to get sold out in a matter of seconds, which means my chances are slim. So I’m mentally prepared to get disappointed.
