Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
News, coverage and analysis tracking Death Stranding 2: On the Beach across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Despite PS5 Hits, Sony Sinks to 21st in Metacritic's Publisher Rankings
Sony's average Metascore dropped significantly, placing them 21st in Metacritic's publisher rankings for 2025, a steep decline from fourth place in 2024. While games like Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei received high praise, the inclusion of Destiny 2 expansions and the underperforming Lost Soul Aside negatively impacted Sony's overall score. Square Enix took the top spot with an average Metascore of 84.
Hideo Kojima's Focus For Death Stranding 2 Was Ensuring Fans Enjoyed It 'All the Way to the End'
Hideo Kojima emphasized to his development team the importance of ensuring players enjoy Death Stranding 2: On the Beach throughout the entire experience. The focus was on delivering a consistently engaging journey from start to finish.
Death Stranding 2 dev says Hideo Kojima "wanted more people to enjoy" the sequel "all the way to the end" after complaints that the first game "might've been a little bit slow"
Hideo Kojima aimed to make Death Stranding 2: On the Beach more playable and enjoyable for players to complete, addressing feedback that the first game was too slow. While a co-composer suggested Kojima made the sequel weirder in response to positive early feedback, Kojima clarified that he focused on making the game "more playable" and "not digestible" so that it would remain with the player long after completion.
Metacritic's 2025 Rankings Show A Major Shift In Top Publishers
Metacritic's 2025 publisher rankings reveal significant shifts, with Square Enix topping the list followed by Gamirror Games and Capcom. Nintendo saw a notable rise, while Sony dropped from fourth to 21st place. The rankings are based on critical reviews, excluding sales and user scores, and consider factors like average Metascore and the percentage of good and bad reviews.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Director Wanted to Make Sure More Players Completed the Story
Hideo Kojima's primary goal for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was to ensure more players complete the story, addressing feedback that the original game's pacing was too slow. Lead level designer Hiraoki Yoshiike stated that the studio toned down worldbuilding elements to provide a clearer narrative path. Musician Yoann Lemoine also revealed that Kojima made significant script changes based on early playtesting results, aiming for a more polarizing emotional impact.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach makes an excellent delivery on PC
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has received an excellent PC port, featuring unlocked framerates, ultrawide support, and upscaling technology. The PC version also includes new gameplay additions like a harsher difficulty option, which enhances combat and environmental challenges. While the core gameplay loop remains similar to the first game, the PC port is considered a benchmark for future releases.
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New study confirms what most gamers already knew: ‘Post-game depression’ is a real thing
A new study from SWPS University in Poland confirms the existence of 'post-game depression' (P-GD), a feeling of emptiness after completing immersive games. Psychologist Kamil Janowicz described P-GD as a type of grief, noting that role-playing games, where players form strong bonds with characters, are most likely to induce this feeling. The study suggests that game developers should consider the psychological impact of gameplay on player well-being.
Sony Expected to Officially Confirm the End of First-Party PS5 Titles on PC – Rumor
Sony is reportedly planning to stop releasing major first-party single-player titles on PC, with an official confirmation expected soon. This rumor follows the PC release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and comes amid discussions about the performance of previous PC ports like Returnal and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. While some titles like Horizon Hunters Gathering will still launch on both PS5 and PC, Sony appears to be prioritizing console exclusivity for its major single-player games.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach feels great on the PC (but not so great on the Steam Deck)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach offers a visually stunning experience on PC, closely matching the PlayStation 5 version's fidelity. However, the PC port suffers from minor stutters and frame drops, which were absent in the original console release. Performance on the Steam Deck is significantly poor, with framerates inconsistently ranging between 15-25 FPS even with dedicated low-settings presets.
Crimson Desert Wrestling Moves Are The Cream Of The Crop
Crimson Desert offers a deep combat system with engaging mechanics, as highlighted in this review. The article also briefly mentions other upcoming titles like World of Warcraft, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and Pragmata, alongside guides for Crimson Desert's early game and skills.
Game Reviews
The Wand Report has published reviews for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on PC, Inky Blinky Bob, and Over The Top - WW1. The article provides critical assessments of these gaming titles.
As Sony Mulls Its PC Games Business, Death Stranding 2 Looks To Be A Hit
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has achieved strong concurrent player numbers on PC, surpassing the peaks of its predecessor and other PlayStation PC ports. This success comes as Sony reportedly reevaluates its PC games strategy, potentially shifting back towards console exclusives due to factors including Microsoft's upcoming Xbox console.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach PC Peaks at Nearly 56,000 Concurrent Steam Players
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has achieved a strong launch on PC, peaking at nearly 56,000 concurrent players on Steam, significantly outperforming the original game and its Director's Cut. The game also boasts an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' user review score. This success contrasts with other PlayStation Studios titles on PC, such as Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut and God of War, which had lower peak player counts.
Nvidia DLSS 5 Works Off 2D Frames and Motion Vectors, Artists Seemingly Can’t Make Big Model Changes
Nvidia has provided further details on its DLSS 5 technology, explaining that it operates by processing 2D frames and motion vectors to generate output frames. Company evangelist Jacob Freeman confirmed that the AI model is trained to understand scene semantics but clarified that the underlying geometry of game assets remains unchanged. While developers can control intensity, color grading, and masking, direct control over specific artistic alterations like character makeup is currently limited, leading to discussions about artistic control versus AI capabilities.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach PC Review – A Phenomenal Port
The PC port of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a phenomenal release, offering extensive graphical options and compatibility with upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR. The game runs smoothly on mid-range hardware, maintaining over 100 FPS at 1440p, and visually surpasses the PlayStation 5 version. While FSR 3 implementation can cause minor blurriness in foliage, the overall experience is enhanced by excellent controller support and additional PC-specific features like ultrawide support and VR training.
DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH is now available on PC
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been released on PC by KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, potentially as one of the last Sony PlayStation published titles for the platform. The PC version includes new features like 'to the wilder' mode, VR training, and enhanced graphical options such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, Intel XeSS, frame generation, and Ray Tracing. Initial testing on Linux with Proton has encountered freezing issues.
PC DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH Released
The PC version of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been released on the Epic Games Store and Steam. This marks the action-adventure sequel's availability on PC, in addition to its previously announced PlayStation 5 release.
Morning Multiplex
Several new game trailers have been released, including a developer diary for Aether & Iron showcasing characters Gia and Needles, an official cinematic announcement trailer for Cat Parents, and official character trailers for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH NOW AVAILABLE ON PC
KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and Nixxes Software have released Death Stranding 2: On the Beach for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The PC version features enhanced graphics options including ray tracing, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS support, along with uncapped frame rates and full DualSense controller integration. The game offers new tools, weapons, and vehicles for Sam Porter Bridges as he undertakes a new mission to connect Australia to the Chiral network.