Our Death Stranding 2 guide hub has everything you need to know if you're ready to start becoming the perfect post-apocalyptic postman and occasional seaside holidaymaker. Now that it's out, we can confirm that Death Stranding 2 takes the energy of the first game and dials it up, with a greater emphasis on combat, feeling more powerful and increased travel by powerful vehicles and built-up infrastructure rather than stumbling over rocks. That being said, the spirit of the game remains much the same, wandering the world to connect and deliver between isolated settlements while an… eccentric narrative holds the experience together.
Below we've got a full hub of all the most essential guides for Death Stranding 2, explaining everything from the best guns to hidden secrets and guides to challenges missions, as well as info about the cast, story and more besides!
Death Stranding 2 news
- Death Stranding 2 technical director says that the jump from PS4 to PS5 "isn't so great," it's just "more efficient"
- Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
- Legendary Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa pens exclusive Death Stranding 2 art for the latest issue of Edge Magazine
- Death Stranding and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus doesn't think "anybody can understand" what's going on in Hideo Kojima's brain
- Hideo Kojima once considered he might only "have 10 years" left to create new things, and he's given his assistant "a USB stick with all my ideas" as a kind of "will"
- Hideo Kojima is still hung up on his ex, as Death Stranding 2 features a Metal Gear Solid doppelganger the director says is the spitting image of Solid Snake
- Hideo Kojima seems to be testing Death Stranding 2, but it's not going well: "I fell asleep twice while on a delivery and ran the vehicle into a cliff"
- Hideo Kojima shows 9 seconds of Death Stranding 2 title screen footage and warns that it's "very much temporary"
Death Stranding 2 basics, tips and gameplay essentials
If you want to start with the basics of DS2, we've got all the fundamentals of gameplay laid out below, including what essential mechanics do, how they serve the game, and what secret pieces of advice we wish we'd known before going in.
- How long is Death Stranding 2? If you want to know what's ahead of you in terms of time, investment and commitment, we've got how long it'll take for you to complete the game, including the difference in time between those who are just in it for the story, and those who are committed completionists.
- Death Stranding 2 tips: This is all the advice we wish we'd known before we started playing, not just reiterations of tutorials, but helpful tricks learned through experience and time in the game.
- Death Stranding 2 birthday: One of the first things you'll do in the game is enter your birthday, but what does that do? What's the point? And what happens when you log into the game during your birthday? We'll explain all that here.
- How to fast travel in Death Stranding 2: There are actually several fast travel systems in DS2, including Beach Jumps, moving your hub base, and using hot springs…? We'll explain them all and what the benefits and costs of each are here.
- Death Stranding 2 Likes: Social media is alive and well in the post-apocalyptic world, but what are all these likes actually doing for you, and what happens when you like somebody else's sign or buildings?
- Death Stranding 2 BTs: The ghostly horrors of Death Stranding 2 are called BTs, or "Beach Things", and there's several different types, all posing different risks and perils. I'll explain how to beat them all in the attached page and make you into a bonafide ghostbuster.
- Death Stranding 2 ending explained: If you've made it to the game's finale and need an explanation of what it all means, as well as the broader implications for the story or just a recap of events, all those can be found here.
Weapons, equipment, items and abilities
Now you know how to play Death Stranding 2, it's time to get yourself set up and equipped accordingly with the best gear, fighting skills and resources to draw upon.
- Best Death Stranding 2 weapons: Firearms are how you turn the tide against your foes in DS2, and we've got the best weapons and guns listed here, how you get them, as well as the best armaments for fighting BTs, humans and mechs alike!
- Death Stranding 2 vehicles: There are a few options for vehicles that players can use in On the Beach, including a speedy bike, a robust truck, and a complex monorail system. We've got them all listed here!
- Death Stranding 2 mine locations: Throughout the map are multiple mines you can use for farming resources of all types, but you need to find and set them up first. However, once you have, you can start extracting huge amounts of materials for building… well, whatever you want. We'll show you where to find all the mines here, as it's by far the quickest way to farm resources.
- Death Stranding 2 pizza martial arts: Yes, you read that right. Take the right choices and find the right locations, and you can unlock a hidden series of acrobatic karate moves themed around making pizza… and also around beating people up. If you want to know how, our guide will show you.
Settlements, delivery points and objectives
The biggest challenges in Death Stranding 2 tend to be based around finding optional bunkers and delivery points, which we've got listed below!
- Death Stranding 2 Bokka: Found in Mexico, this optional character can provide all kinds of new gear towards exploration and package delivery.
- Death Stranding 2 Artist: Further up in the Mexican mountains, the Artist helps you learn new ways to customize your gear and appearance, if you can get your climbing boots ready.
- Death Stranding 2 Lone Commander: Having made it to Australia, the Lone Commander is hidden behind a minefield of BTs, but if you can reach them, there's some powerful weapons ready and waiting.
- Death Stranding 2 Inventor: A recluse living on an island in the sea, the Inventor provides all kinds of fun tech – though they're not easy to reach or to unlock.
- How to kill the first Death Stranding 2 BT boss: Well, not every challenge is just finding new bunkers, is it? The first boss of the game is a huge step up in challenge, so we'll show you how to beat it and what you need to know.
Puzzles and choices
Death Stranding 2 has numerous puzzles and divergent choices, though ultimately this isn't a story that's going to split and change drastically depending on what you choose to do like it's an old Telltale game. Still, it's worth understanding what's being put in front of you, with them all laid out in chronological order below.
- Death Stranding 2 I won't do it choice: When first meeting Fragile, you're offered a job – but what happens if you say no? We'll explain the consequences of either accepting or declining that offer at the attached page.
- Death Stranding 2 Charlie's face choice: Charlie serves as a kind of representative avatar for a character who calls in from time to time, and when first met, you'll be able to choose a face and voice for them. Which is the right one?
- Death Stranding 2 Motherhood passcode: When first reaching The Motherhood bunker, a passcode is required to enter – but don't worry, it's actually one you have all the info to find out on you. We'll explain the solution to figuring out this puzzle so you can get inside.
- Rainy and Tomorrow's puzzles and questions: These two characters offer you various challenges, puzzles and tests throughout your time in the hub area, coming up with periodic challenges and choices for you. We've laid them all out below in the order you encounter them.
Death Stranding 2 platforms
Death Stranding 2 has been confirmed for PS5, and Kojima Productions is yet to reveal whether it will arrive on other platforms.
When Death Stranding launched in 2019, it did so as a PS4 exclusive. Publisher 505 Games later helped bring Death Stranding to PC in 2020, while Death Stranding: Director's Cut was later brought to PS5 and PC Game Pass. Were we to speculate for a second: It's highly likely that Death Stranding 2 is being developed as a long-time PS5 exclusive, given how heavily involved PlayStation Studios is with its production, but there is every chance that it will come to PC eventually – given how heavily Sony continues to invest in the space outside of the core PlayStation ecosystem.
For more information, we have a guide on whether you can expect to see Death Stranding 2 on PC and Xbox.
Death Stranding 2 engine
Death Stranding 2 will be powered by Decima, the proprietary game engine created by Guerrilla Games. The studio's engine is behind Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and the original Death Stranding, and has helped set new benchmarks for visual fidelity and the implementation of high-dynamic-range lighting on PS4 and PS5.
It has been confirmed that while Kojima Productions is leading development of Death Stranding 2, Guerrilla will support the studio for all things Decima. The Performance Capture seen in the Death Stranding 2 trailer was completed with assistance from the PlayStation Studios Visual Arts group, with the uncannily realistic digital humans powered by Epic Games' MetaHuman technology.
Death Stranding 2 cast
Hideo Kojima has announced the first run of actors set to form the Death Stranding 2 cast. As with the original game, Death Stranding 2 is packed with talent from across the video game and film industries.
While Kojima Productions is yet to unveil the full cast, we know that Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Troy Baker are returning following their first outing in 2019, while Elle Fanning (Super 8), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool 2), and director George Miller have also joined the cast.
Read the full Death Stranding 2 cast list below:
- Norman Reedus as Sam Porter Bridges
- Lea Seydoux as Fragile
- Troy Baker as Higgs Monaghan
- Elle Fanning as Tomorrow
- Shioli Kutsuna as Rainy
- George Miller as Tarman
- Fatih Akin as Dollman
- Darren Jacobs as Heartman
- Alissa Jung as Lucy
- Luca Marinelli as Neil
Death Stranding 2 story
Death Stranding 2 is set 11 months after events of the first game, and Sam Bridges has been made redundant by the Automated Porter Assistance System. Set to follow Sam and his companions as they "set out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction", the pre-order trailer sets the scene for the adventure to come:
"Eleven months after the birth of the UCA, servers line the beach", reads the text that introduces the pre-order trailer. "Deliveries have been automated. A plate gate connects the continents. A new ship rides the tar currents. Currents that shake the earth. A mysterious faction spreads. Chiralium warps the environment. The unending sixth extinction".
The mention of Chiralium is notable since it directly connects to the beach, and is present throughout the atmosphere of the world - how or why it's warping the environment, though, is something we'll have to discover for ourselves - perhaps it connects to the theory that we may see alternate realities. There's certainly lots to unpack from the trailer, and we're curious to see how it'll all come together.
In an interview in issue 411 of Edge magazine, Kojima also spoke on the thematic direction of the Death Stranding series which will no doubt continue to factor into Death Stranding 2, explaining that while "the loss of my father was a major theme in the Metal Gear series", Death Stranding "looks in the other direction" by giving us the parent's perspective "looking towards the child".
Interestingly, prior to dropping more detailed trailers, Kojima revealed that the entire story that was initially put together had been scrapped after the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at The Game Awards 2022, the director and writer said this of the Death Stranding 2 story: "I had the story written before the pandemic. But after experiencing the pandemic, I just rewrote the whole story from scratch." Kojima then added this comment with a smile, speaking to his uncanny ability to predict events through games like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Death Stranding, "I also didn't want to predict any more futures, so I rewrote it."
Kojima also later spoke with Edge Magazine about how isolation pushed him towards games that "don't already exist in the world", and spoke about how it felt as though people were no longer connected - connection once again looks set to be a big theme in the upcoming sequel.
Death Stranding 2 gameplay
The official PlayStation store page for Death Stranding 2 shed light on a few details on what's in store for the sequel. Described as an "open-world action-adventure game" played from a third-person perspective, it's said that "the player must deliver cargo, overcome enemies both human and otherworldly" and "explore a post-apocalyptic world by foot and vehicle".
Not unlike the first game, Death Stranding 2 will also feature "asynchronous multiplayer", where the creations or actions of other players "will become visible and useable" to you once you've connected to areas of the map.
The above 10-minute pre-order trailer gave which debuted at SXSW gave us another extensive look at Death Stranding 2, which showed off some of the otherworldly enemies, means of traversal, and characters we'll be meeting in the sequel.
Speaking with Edge magazine in issue 411, lead level designer Hiroaki Yoshiike also shed more light on the combat of Death Stranding 2, sharing that Kojima wanted the sequel to have "a clearer focus on combat" by giving players a "range of approaches", including Metal Gear Solid-style stealth. Yoshiike goes on to add that we can expect to make use of three main approaches: "stealth, direct combat, or avoiding encounters entirely by navigating rougher terrains, and taking the road less travelled".
In the Edge interview, Kojima also drew parallels between Death Stranding 2 and James Cameron's alien sequel, since On the Beach is set to introduce battles "to give it this new dimension".
Kojima also compared Death Stranding 2 to the East India company, while explaining that the first game was more representative of the Silk Road era. Interestingly, in order to "conjure the era of the East India Company when resources could move freely around the world," Kojima also hinted that it will be "represented by the prevalence of weapons" in the sequel, which certainly marries with the more combat-focused direction.
In the Death Stranding 2 game premiere during summer Game Fest 2025, Kojima showcased a cutscene that takes place in the DHV Magellan, which is a futuristic airship you now have from the company Sam works for known as Drawbridge. Kojima explains that this becomes a home, and acts as a moveable base, before showing us the first five minutes of the game in action.
Kojima also spoke on Higgs played by Troy Baker, saying that while there is a battle against him in the first game, "this time, I'm going to make you battle 3x times more, and you're going to go, 'Higgs again?', but at the end, you might cry a bit". Sounds like there will be lots of twists and turns to come.
Here's why we hope that Death Stranding 2 is a smarter, leaner adventure than its predecessor – with a wider focus on exploration and social connection.
