Kojima is once again sending players on a journey to unite humanity with some of the strangest symbolism possible in a video game when Death Stranding 2: On the Beach releases next year. Just like the last title, DS2's news cycle has been consistently quiet, but some news has come out of the Tokyo Game Show held on the weekend of September 26. However, if fans are expecting some large-scale revelations about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, then they'll need to look elsewhere, as the biggest things revealed were the photo mode and an in-game performance players can find.
These features may be optional and keep invested players from seeing more important aspects of the sequel, but what was shown is rather impressive in terms of the PS5, and rather fun too, because characters seem to be very responsive whenever Sam takes out his camera. Even if Death Stranding 2 fans' theories won't be as prominent after these reveals, what was shown still serves an important purpose leading up to the game's release. It proves that players will have to exercise patience, as Kojima most likely wishes to play his cards close to his chest as long as he can with DS2's narrative twists.
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach - State of Play Announce Trailer
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.
Announcing Death Stranding 2's Photo Mode and Dance Performances Keeps Fans Invested Without Revealing Too Much
One important thing to note about Death Stranding 2's presence at the Tokyo Game Show is the fact that it was indeed for Tokyo Game Show attendees and Japanese audiences first. Most of the presentation dealt with comments and reveals from the Japanese voice actor cast, and the reveal of Death Stranding 2's Tomorrow and Rainy was due to the fact that Tomorrow's voice actress had yet to be revealed to players. Now, both Tomorrow and Dollman's Japanese voice actors have been announced with cutscenes that have been released in English to coincide with what Tokyo Game Show attendees got to see for the sake of fairness.
For Japanese players, the comments from the voice actors and the surprise appearance of Nicolas Winding Refn were rather exciting on their own. As Tokyo Game Show isn't exactly a worldwide stage, it makes sense as to why there weren't any massive details revealed at the event. As important as it is to show off Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and what players can expect from it, Kojima has always been rather secretive about important aspects of his games. Even with the original Death Stranding, not much of the actual plot in motion was given in advance. It could be argued that more of Death Stranding was revealed ahead of time, but mostly the bizarre concepts found in the Beach and the world that players would need to understand to explore.
Death Stranding 2 Likely Wants Fans to Connect the Pieces Offered Ahead of Launch
With Death Stranding 2, players understand the concepts of the Beach, the titular Death Stranding, as well as the characters and the emotional weight behind things such as Lou's death. Hideo Kojima has revealed different and more confusing pieces of DS2 likely to give information that will make players think ahead of time on one important aspect of Death Stranding as a whole: how do these pieces connect? How does the tar having proteins within it tie into Rainy's unborn child? What truths await Sam as he tries to bring more people into the Chiral Network outside of North America?
All of these things have a purpose, and Kojima likely wants them all to come together for fans when Death Stranding 2 arrives in 2025. In the meantime, it's rather smart to reveal optional features such as dance performances and photo mode - perfect for showing the power of the PS5, while also making sure fans sit on other big questions and think about them until the time is right for them to find the truth in the game itself.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
- Engine
- Decima
- Franchise
- Death Stranding
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
