Hideo Kojima has been hyping up his next project for months now, and at The Game Awards 2022, we finally got an answer — Death Stranding 2. Lots of Death Stranding fans were expecting a sequel to this controversial masterpiece, but we didn’t expect to get news so soon.
In true Kojima fashion, there wasn’t a simple title reveal, but an entire collection of scenes packed into a teaser trailer that is just as confusing as you might expect from the man who turned feces into a weapon. There are plenty of returning favorites (e.g., Norman Reedus), as well as new cast members brought into the fold (e.g., Elle Fanning).
Here’s everything we know so far about Death Stranding 2, from the release date and story to the gameplay and PC requirements.
Death Stranding 2 release date
Death Stranding 2 doesn’t have a release date yet, but we imagine that you’ll still have to wait for quite a bit. It seems unlikely to launch in 2023, so at a minimum, we’ll have to wait until 2024. If we think about the teaser and release time of the original Death Stranding, which was revealed in 2016 (but launched in 2019), we might have to wait until late 2025.
Death Stranding 2 will launch on PS5, but it’s still unclear if we’ll see a release for PC or Xbox Series X. The original landed on PC just eight months after release on PS4.
Death Stranding 2 story
I don’t think any of us can pretend to know what’s going on in a Hideo Kojima-written narrative until we’ve analyzed it a hundred times. However, from what we can gather (SPOILERS AHEAD for Death Stranding) it looks like the big villain in the entry is Higgs, as we can hear Troy Baker’s voice not only singing BB’s Theme, but also leading a new group of terrorists.
If you remember, Higgs has a score to settle with Sam, which might be why we see Fragile and Lou being hunted by unknown assailants in the trailer. If I had to guess, the narrative might be about rescuing Lou back from Higgs, as the trailer implies something happens to her. It’s possible that she might’ve even been killed, although that’s too depressing.
We also see a semi-aged Sam Porter Bridges, likely aged from Timefall as opposed to real time, since Lou doesn’t appear to be more than a year old. One of the more interesting things is that Fragile appears to have deaged from Timefall. It’s unclear if this is the Fragile that we know or if it’s a relative. Kojima did mess with a lot of twins and deaging tech in the original game, so neither would surprise me.
We haven’t seen the newest cast members to the franchise: Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna. I have an inkling that we might see Elle Fanning play an older Lou, which would be pretty darn cool, especially if she’s a playable character.
Death Stranding 2 gameplay
The biggest mystery of Death Stranding 2 is the gameplay. However, we do know we’ll be walking — you had to see that coming.
Thankfully, Kojima is known for reworking the gameplay between titles. The jump between Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 was practically unrecognizable. The best part is that the jump between Death Stranding and DS2 is also a console jump, so you best believe that Kojima is going to be pushing the PS5 to its limits.
As far as my hopes and dreams go, I’d like to see some more interesting biomes and creative exploration solutions that players can come up with. I also desperately want the shooting mechanics to be smoother. When you’re going up against enemies with two tons on your back, things get clunky.
Death Stranding 2 PC requirements
The question of Death Stranding 2 arriving on PC is more of a when than if. Let’s look to the original Death Stranding to get an idea of requirements.
The minimum specs for Death Stranding require you to have an Intel Core i5-3470 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 560 4GB GPU. The recommended specs include an Intel Core i7-3770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 590 GPU.
Considering that the best cheap gaming laptops can run laps around those specs, you might be good for Death Stranding 2 with an RTX 3060 GPU.
Outlook
I’m excited for Death Stranding 2. The narrative of the first installment was bat-shit crazy and heart-wrenching. I cried when the credits dropped. I am desperate to see where Kojima takes all of my favorite characters in the sequel. Unfortunately, we don’t know too much about DS2, and we probably won’t hear more officially for a year or more. You’ll just have to stay tuned for more info and updates.
