Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Reviews

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an unforgettable adventure that I firmly believe sits as one of the greatest games ever created. With an emotional and thrilling narrative, a technically brilliant gameplay system that builds upon its predecessor, and a best-in-class soundtrack, Death Stranding 2 advances the industry forward and innovates. Hideo Kojima and the Kojima Productions team have created something truly remarkable that will be talked about for decades to come.

Hideo Kojima’s 2019 game Death Stranding is arguably one of the most divisive games in recent years. A game that bucked AAA trends and delivered something truly unique, and something that wasn’t for everyone at the same time. Some at WayTooManyGames absolutely loved the game (mostly just me), whilst others are mostly indifferent and just missing out on something different in a sea of clones.

It has been a little under six years since the original Death Stranding came out and much has changed since. We’ve seen the world go through political and economic turmoil, a pandemic, and so much more. Maybe that’s part of what makes Death Stranding 2: On the Beach so interesting in 2025. Where Kojima and his team once told us a story of connections in the original game, its sequel questions the dangers of those connections, exploring the pain they can cause us and even how they can be used to manipulate us. The story is an overflowing well of ups and downs, shaped by improved gameplay and compelling characters that take a long and sometimes awkward journey to a stunning conclusion.

And after all, shouldn’t we leave this world better than we found it?

The whole experience is equal parts relaxing and thrilling. Going on deliveries and taking in the beautiful environments along with your music player is captivating. The times when players have to fight are excellent because of the incredible controls. It seemed like a challenging task, but the work that Kojima Productions put into their sequel is something special. While topping the original is tough, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach makes it seem like an easy task.

Death Stranding 2 keeps the spirit of the original by continuing to be a game about deliveries. However, it threw away its soul by removing any and all friction involved in those deliveries. Instead of overcoming obstacles, the most direct path rarely has any, and the entire game is designed to allow you to ignore its core gameplay loop without engaging with what the game actually is. I can’t overstate just how disappointed I am with this sequel.

Sure, it gets weird—sometimes confusingly so—but Death Stranding 2 also delivers a gripping, thoughtful experience full of memorable moments, clever mechanics, and emotional highs. It's strange, beautiful, messy—and it's one of Kojima's best works yet, a truly worthy successor to the original.

2012’s Far Cry 3 is undoubtedly one of the most influential games of the HD era. It wasn’t the first open-world action game of course, but its enormous critical and commercial success quickly made it the blueprint for just about any and every such release that followed.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is Kojima's best work to date. It brings an engaging gameplay loop that encourages player experimentation at every turn. Furthermore, it shows the true power of the PS5, making it the best game of this console generation.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is a sequel that fulfils all the promises of the first game and smooths out the many rough edges the first entry suffered from.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a brilliant sequel, taking the best aspects of the original game and adding more gameplay variety, lots more entertaining tools to play with, and a new, more emotionally-driven story. Giving you lots of freedom with regards to how you complete your goals, Death Stranding 2 is worth considering even if, like me, you didn't rate the first game all that highly. It's overall a much more frictionless and enjoyable affair.

The game’s score accentuates these moments, composed once again by the talented Ludvig Forssell, utilizing the ultra-heartbreaking “BB’s Theme” from the original game at its most crucial points to drive me to tears. It helps to evoke some deeply personal feelings and emotions that not many other games have been able to.

As the auteur, Hideo Kojima is at his most unbridled, and as such, DS2 might not be for everyone. With nothing stopping his and his team’s creative vision and their cumulative experiences of game-making, it is one of the best open-world games I have ever had the pleasure of playing, and one that I will be sure to revisit often for the next few years. While the esoteric plot and Kojima’s frequent self-indulgent references and inserts might be distracting and immersion-breaking for some people, the gameplay, visuals, and ambience are its strongest aspects. DS2 is most certainly a GOTY contender, and is truly a work of art that must be experienced if you’re looking for an atmospheric game about traveling through breathtaking views.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach continues the story of Sam Bridges, living in isolation with a toddler version of his BB from the first game, Lou. Early on in Death Stranding 2, events are set in motion that force Sam back into the "porter" game, and he finds himself delivering packages to various communities across open world Mexico and Australia. Sam is recruited by his old friend Fragile and the two soon start building a crew of allies to travel across the world on a huge ship called the DHV Magellan. Going into too much detail would spoil the experience for players, but rest assured that Death Stranding 2's story is as strange as the previous game, but it's also far more entertaining.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is fixated on revisiting past ideas, which limits its impact to being a good but not great sequel

Where philosophy meets post-apocalypse, Kojima's dystopian odyssey redefines traversal and transforms combat, returning with purpose, power, and profound progression.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach takes everything you loved about the first game to the next level, but doesn't go out of its way to attract those who might have disliked it.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is one of those rare moments where a game takes itself seriously as a work of art. It’s beautiful, touching, joyful, and tragic all at once. While you’ll be spending most of its runtime just driving trucks around instead of contending with the terrain, it’s still incredibly fun to play and witness its very human story unfold.

Immensely self-assured in the quality of its foundation, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach masterfully iterates and refines, while introducing considered additions that complement the experience, not complicate it.

Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam—with companions by his side—sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies, obstacles and a haunting question: should we have connected? Step by step, legendary game creator Hideo Kojima changes the world once again. PS5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.

Death Stranding 2 is a massive achievement for Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions. It elevates nearly everything that made the original such a unique experience. It streamlines the majority of its systems to make them more palatable. It’s drop-dead gorgeous and introduces enough new mechanics to feel fresh while never alienating what makes the franchise so special. Death Stranding 2 is undoubtedly one of the best games of the year, and well worth the agonizing six-year wait. This is a game that will be in my rotation for hundreds of more hours. From start to finish, it blew me away. Keep on keeping on.

A busier, louder, and more emotionally resplendent take on this singular hiking sim.

Death Stranding 2 delivers stunning visuals, refined stealth-focused gameplay, and a richly detailed world brought to life by excellent audio and a memorable cast. It meaningfully evolves the original’s mechanics, though its unique style will still divide fans.

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. Oh, how I wish that notable quotable from Doc Emmett Brown held true in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Truth be told, in my sixty-some hours of playing, I perhaps spent most of those hours lugging massive quantities of metal and ceramics halfway across Australia, just to build out another mile-long section of tarmac to make my trip on Pickup Off-Roader. Sure, it’s a vehicle that should be used off roads, given the name, but the reward for fabricating a new stretch of highway is a smooth cruise past any pesky BTs or MULEs.

When the first Death Stranding launched, it divided gamers like few titles before it. Some called it a walking simulator, others praised it as revolutionary. Now, years later, Hideo Kojima returns with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, promising to address past criticisms while doubling down on what made the original special. Our review of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will cover everything from gameplay improvements to visual upgrades, helping you decide if Sam Porter Bridges’ latest adve...

From your first steps in Death Stranding 2, you know you’re in for something special. The sequel to Kojima’s 2019 game is an audiovisual spectacle throughout its 50+ hour story and endlessly replayable endgame.

Death Stranding 2 doesn't have to be perfect, but it is exceptional as a game and a sequel. It's hard for me to point out any real flaws. I played like a haunted person, looking forward to the next scenes. This is a complete experience - much bigger, better, more dynamic, much more interestingly conceived and varied compared to the previous installment.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach should have been called Death Stranding 2: Quality of Life, because that's what this game is. From top to bottom, Kojima Productions made so many improvements to the original, making a weird delivery-sim game that is quite relaxing. Those improvements may not be enough to attract people who avoided the original, yet the players coming back are going to find a sense of calmness that you could assume Kojima wanted to deliver with his game.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an all-time great sequel and one of Hideo Kojima's best games. With a stunning world, greatly expanded gameplay and player choice, and one of Kojima’s most compelling casts and narratives, it significantly improves on the original in virtually every way.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach builds on the foundations of the original, but adds whole new wings with a different vibe. This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse – but it well serves series fans like me. Charmingly bizarre with its worldbuilding and spectacle, there's still a real sense of community as you bring the world online with other players at your side.

Kojima Productions has proven it is good at sequels. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was an incredibly impactful game that remains my favorite from director Hideo Kojima and his team. As a result, I went into Death Stranding 2: On the Beach with high expectations. Continuing the story in this fascinating world while iterating on the delivery mechanics of the first game seemed like an inevitable recipe for success. Mechanically, the sequel is absolutely an upgrade over the first. Improved ...

It’s Kojima at his most Kojima, a visionary building a type of experience that only he can. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is an adventure worth taking.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a triumphant sequel that emphatically delivers on the promise of its original.

Kojima Productions' Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is very much its predecessor's sequel, being a direct continuation of the story and adapting its gameplay systems wholesale, but it does make an effort to improve on the novelty and excellence of Death Stranding. The bizarre, post-cataclysmic delivery game deconstructs some of the medium's most fundamental elements, making locomotion far more complicated than moving an analog stick, and centering its long-term conflict escalation around inventory management. Visionary writer and director Hideo Kojima's idiosyncrasies are here in force, resulting in a game so genuine and earnest that it's hard not to fall for its romanticism.

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Death Stranding 2: On The Beach takes its predecessor's foundation and builds a bigger, better game on top—keeping everything that worked, and improving what didn’t 10-fold.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a great example of a sequel that expands on the original without losing sight of it. The traversal is still the star of the show, while the action has been significantly improved without taking over the experience. While a conventional plot takes the back seat for a more character-driven story, the new cast of characters and a phenomenal final third act stick the landing with prime Hideo Kojima bombast.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is a triumph in what it sets out to achieve. This isn't a game interested in converting willing consumers into fans, it's a game that takes bold steps in order to succeed what came before it. If you needed proof that Hideo Kojima is still the titan of the industry that he's hailed as, this game is that proof. I was left truly speechless by the end, and I have a feeling that many others will too.

Death Stranding 2 manages the rare trick of being both desperately monotonous but profoundly engaging, banking towards one of these two poles depending on how much you’re willing to put in. It’s a game that demands that you meet it half-way and shed expectations, your pace dictated by your stomach for patience and perseverance. But if you do, it’s a wonderfully strange and roaring spectacle.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a bigger and bolder expansion that will once again split fans and critics. The improvements across the board are felt immediately, bringing about a significant amount of much-needed change to the formula.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is one of the greatest games of all time, blending freedom in its gameplay with a story and soundtrack that will be remembered for decades.

Hideo Kojima once again proves to be a singular creative force in the video game industry, crafting a sequel in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach that is not just essential for fans of the first game, but an essential experience for all gamers.

Death Stranding 2 is everything I could have hoped for in a follow-up to one of the most unique games of the last decade. More of its divisive mechanics, with expanded features, impressive visuals, and a story that keeps you guessing up until its very last moments. A gold-standard for sequels, and a narrative that’ll stick with you for better or for worse.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach unfolds with deliberate, slow grace. The opening moments depict Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) and his adoptive daughter, Lou, embarking on a reflective journey home, navigating a breathtakingly photorealistic landscape bathed in the golden hues of a setting sun. A gentle, melancholic song by Woodkid drifts across the scenery, perfectly underscoring the serenity of the moment as Sam engages in endearing conversation with Lou, her delighted giggles echoing across the landscape.