The ultimate Death Stranding 2 guide to the post-apocalypse

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 review

You can read our full Death Stranding 2 review to see what we thought about Hideo Kojima's second go at a cargo delivery epic. This game takes a lot more cues from Metal Gear Solid compared to the first Death Stranding "for better and worse", but our reviewer really enjoyed the expanded worldbuilding, exploration, and sense of community that comes from online play and the Magellan crew.

Death Stranding 2 platforms and engine

Death Stranding 2 is a PS5-exclusive so you can currently only play the game on Sony's console. However, given the track record of the first game and its Director's Cut, we reckon that the chances of seeing Death Stranding 2 on PC and Xbox aren't as low as you might think, but be prepared to wait a long time.

The game is also powered by Decima, the proprietary game engine created by Guerrilla Games. Previously used for Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and the original Death Stranding, this engine helps these games run smoothly and look fantastic, provably across a range of hardware too. And if you're wondering how all the characters look so life-like, that's thanks to Epic Games' MetaHuman technology.

Death Stranding 2 story, cast, and ending

Death Stranding 2 carries on the story of the first game dragging Sam Porter Bridges into yet another continent-spanning, network-expanding, cargo-delivering journey. Do you need to play Death Stranding 1 before 2? It'll obviously help but it's not essential.

Set 11 months after the Death Stranding 1 ending, Sam lives a reclusive life in Mexico with Lou, no longer ferrying cargo as a porter partly due to the rise of the Automated Porter Assistance System.

Fragile then finds Sam and persuades him to join her new reconnection outfit, Drawbridge, convincing him to help her connect Mexico to the UCA's Chiral Network. However, after learning more about Drawbridge and the existence of a plate gate linking Mexico to Australia, it's clear that Sam's simple hike through Mexico is really a small part of a much larger effort, and there are plenty of threats to face down under with plenty of new and returning characters - we've explained who plays who in the Death Stranding 2 cast here.

It's a twisting and intriguing story that is also incredibly bizarre and confusing at times, particularly the closer you get to the end. If you need help understanding the conclusion or just want to know how this game wraps up, check out our Death Stranding 2 ending explained guide.

Death Stranding 2 basics, tips and gameplay essentials

If you want to start with the basics of DS2, we've got the fundamentals covered below to help you get off to a good start, including how essential mechanics work 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 explained 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.
• Death Stranding 2 Likes: Social media is alive and well in this 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 combat and weapons

Now that you know the basics of playing Death Stranding 2, it's time to get yourself set up and equipped accordingly with the best weapons to take on all manner of foes, but notably the horrifying Beached Things:

• 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 BTs: The ghostly horrors of Death Stranding 2 are called BTs, or "Beached Things", and there are several different types, all posing different risks and perils. We've explained how to beat them all in the linked article to make you into a bonafide ghostbuster.
• How to kill the first Death Stranding 2 BT boss: The first boss of the game found in Mexico is a huge step up in challenge compared to your first BT encounter, so we'll show you how to beat it and what you need to know.
• Death Stranding 2 pizza martial arts: Yes, you read that right. Make 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.

Death Stranding 2 exploration and vehicles

Death Stranding 2 unsurpsingly features a lot of walking, taking in the wilderness vistas as you deliver cargo to various people and places. However, wandering can be a real chore sometimes, particularly if you're hauling a lot in one go, but there are several forms of transport and travel that make deliveries much easier:

• 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!
• 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 settlements, delivery points, and key locations

The biggest challenges in Death Stranding 2 tend to be based around finding optional Prepper 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.
• Death Stranding 2 mine locations: You won't be delivering things to these mines, but you should certainly visit and spend resources to get them rebuilt. Doing so means you can extract and farm materials of all types granting you 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 choices and puzzles

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 platypus question
  • Death Stranding 2 block puzzle
  • Death Stranding 2 F1 fastest route puzzle
  • Death Stranding 2 Tomorrow's Nightmare choice

Death Stranding 2 is one of the biggest new games for 2025, but Kojima Productions also has even more in the oven, so look out for more on these upcoming Hideo Kojima games over the next few years.