Death Stranding 2 is in development – that much, we know for certain. The first instalment is widely regarded as one of the best PS4 games to this day, and Kojima Productions confirmed that a sequel is in the works. Hideo Kojima revealed this at the Game Awards 2022, presenting our first look at the game as well as current cast details. The original Death Stranding was complex enough, so it's only natural that this trailer has left us with burning questions aplenty.
Projected for release in 2024/25, we know that won't be looking out for it as one of our top new games 2023. However, it's definitely one of our most anticipated upcoming PS5 games. PC users might be in luck, too, as it's not uncommon for PS5 exclusives to land on Steam or Epic Games platforms shortly after launch. Keep on reading to find everything there is to know about Death Stranding 2 so far, from details on the story and cast to fresh info on the engine powering such unbelievable visual fidelity.
Death Stranding 2 release date hasn't been confirmed
Kojima Productions is yet to confirm a Death Stranding 2 release date. The Game Awards 2022 teaser trailer set the tone for this new action-adventure game, but also made note that the name 'Death Stranding 2' is just a working title – so expect this game to be a little while off yet. That assumption is further supported by actor Norman Reedus, who spoke off-hand about Death Stranding 2 back in May of 2022, where he confirmed in an interview that "we just started the second one." All we're saying is, don't expect to see Death Stranding 2 before 2024, at the earliest.
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 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.
Death Stranding 2 trailer
Kojima Productions revealed the first Death Stranding 2 trailer at The Game Awards 2022. The four-minute long teaser trailer didn't show any direct gameplay, but it did give us a sense of how the world and characters have changed since Sam Porter Bridges removed his Cuff links and severed his connection with the Bridges corporation. Naturally, there's a lot to unpack in here, and Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima teases that "You've just seen the trailer and I've put a lot of things inside, so I want you to talk about it and find details in it."
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) and Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool 2) are joining the cast in unknown roles.
- Norman Reedus (Sam Porter Bridges)
- Lea Seydoux (Fragile)
- Troy Baker (Higgs Monaghan)
- Elle Fanning (TBC)
- Shioli Kutsuna (TBC)
Death Stranding 2 story
Should we have connected? That's the prevailing message of the first Death Stranding 2 trailer, and there's so many weird and wonderful things happening throughout its four-minute runtime that you'll twist your mind in knots trying to figure it all out. We see what appears to be an older Sam Porter, a fully-healed Fragile, and an extinction entity cult whose leader is wearing Amelie's necklace and haircut, and hiding their face with Higgs' signature death mask. There's mention of a new private corporation, APAC (Automated Public Assistance Company), more overt nautical themes, and a potential Fragile Express replacement called Drawbridge – which incorporates both a 'rope' and 'stick' motif. There's also very real indications that we'll be dealing with multiple alternate realities connected via the beach, with potential variants of Sam Porter, BB, Lou, Fragile, and others to contend with. Let's be honest, we'll be unpicking all of this for months (if not years) to come.
But here's something we do know with 100% certainty: Hideo Kojima scrapped the entire story 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."
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.
