Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (PC)

Essentially, the content of the game corresponds to that of the PlayStation 5 version, which was released exclusively for the console on 26 June 2025 – almost nine months ago. Once again, it is a crazy, bizarre, wild, idiosyncratic and, at times, ridiculous journey that explores themes of togetherness and loneliness. Above all, however, it is fascinating and, in places, moving. Often shot in a high-quality, cinematic style, it features an impressive cast including Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, Elle Fanning, Shioli Kutsuna, Troy Baker, Luca Marinelli, George Miller, Fatih Akin, Nicolas Winding Refn, Guillermo del Toro, Tommie Earl Jenkins and Alissa Jung. Hideo Kojima’s third-person, open-world adventure remains faithful to the core concepts of exploration, package delivery and rebuilding infrastructure within a highly mysterious setting. However, in terms of gameplay, there have been many improvements compared to its predecessor.

The sequel's storyline progresses much faster, providing players with access to new equipment, vehicles and constructions at an earlier stage. While the game world is ravaged by natural disasters, combat-oriented confrontations can be tackled in open combat, circumvented using stealth mechanics or avoided altogether by taking other routes. The chosen play style directly impacts Sam's abilities. There are more options to discover in the two open-world areas (Mexico and Australia), including more combat, better boss fights, more stealth options and a buildable monorail. In general, the game is faster paced.

However, the game has been criticised for being too easy, so a new update has been released to coincide with the PC launch. This update includes a new difficulty level called 'To the Wilder', which makes the fights more challenging and means that choosing the right equipment for each mission is more important. This free update is also available for the PlayStation 5. A new VR training mode called 'Trapped in a Strange Realm' has also been added, in which players can repeat boss fights to unlock new rewards such as bandanas. Photo mode has been expanded to include the Chiral Feline, and additional cut scenes that were originally omitted have been added, along with new nightmare sequences for Sam and new equipment. The PS5 version also supports a 21:9 aspect ratio.

The game, developed by Kojima Productions, was ported by Nixxes Software, who are Sony Interactive Entertainment's specialists in PC porting. The PC edition launches with support for Nvidia DLSS 4, AMD FSR 4, and Intel XESS 2, with both upscaling and frame generation options available for all technologies. Pico is introduced for the first time on PC as an option in the Upscale Settings menu. Developed by Guerrilla for the Decima engine, this "Progressive Image Compositor" is the same upscaling technology used for the game on console. Pico upscaling is compatible with all supported graphics cards and can be used alongside the various frame generation options offered in the game. All upscaling options can be used with Dynamic Resolution Scaling or an upscaling quality setting of choice to improve performance. Native anti-aliasing (AA) options are also available.

All cutscenes in Death Stranding 2 can be displayed in a 21:9 aspect ratio. Gameplay extends beyond this, providing a full-screen experience when using a 32:9 display. Additionally, players with high-end hardware can enable Ray Tracing for reflections and ambient occlusion. When enabled, ray-traced reflections are applied to surfaces such as water and tar, and ray-traced ambient occlusion applies ambient lighting effects to create more realistic shadows. This is the first time that a game based on the Decima Engine has supported ray tracing on PC.

The game features uncapped frame rates during gameplay and customisable graphical settings (including a preset for handheld gaming devices), as well as mouse and keyboard support with customisable keybind mapping, DualSense controller integration with haptic feedback and adaptive trigger functionality, and spatial sound support. So, how is the performance? Excellent, as expected from Nixxes. Players with a high-end computer will experience a visual feast on their screens.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was released on 19 March 2026 for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, in Standard (€79.99) and Digital Deluxe (€89.99) editions. It was released on the same day as the launch of Crimson Desert. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the game and several in-game items, such as patches and the [MZ] St. 1 machine gun (early unlock), as well as the Combat Skeleton: Gold, Boost Skeleton: Gold and Bokka Skeleton: Gold. Players who link their account to PlayStation (optional) will also receive unique design patches to customise their backpack, as well as an exclusive suit. PlayStation 5 players will receive additional connection bonuses via a game update on the day of the PC release.

Conclusion

Nixxes Software has once again delivered an exceptional PC port. Meanwhile, the game is classic Kojima: a unique, wild and even bizarre cinematic odyssey. This time, however, it has better pacing and gameplay.

Features

• An outstanding and feature-rich PC adaptation of the cinematic open-world adventure
• More gameplay options, better pacing, and a new difficulty setting
• A well-known and impressive cast

(Spoiler Alert in the following PC launch trailer)