Summary
- Death Stranding 2's release date was decided "quite a while ago," no later than 2024.
- The decision on when to release the game was largely up to the publisher, Sony.
- As per usual, Death Stranding 2 needed to avoid clashing with any other major release from the same publisher.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach director Hideo Kojima opened up on the game's release date, which he says wasn't entirely his decision. The industry veteran explained the logic of the Death Stranding 2 release date during a recent interview, which also saw him share some other details about the upcoming title.
Kojima Productions' second sci-fi package delivery simulator starring Norman Reedus was officially announced in December 2022. About 16 months later, Death Stranding 2 received a concrete release date—June 26, 2025.
Death Stranding 2 Couldn't Have Picked a Better Release Date
Death Stranding 2 has officially revealed its release date, and it couldn't have been a better pick, as it will drive engagement and avoid the crowd.
Ahead of the game's debut, Kojima Productions founder Hideo Kojima discussed his upcoming title during a recent episode of the Japanese-language KOJI10 podcast. Among other things, the creative director revealed that the game's release date wasn't entirely—or even primarily—his decision. That's largely because as a PlayStation exclusive, Death Stranding 2 was carefully positioned to avoid Sony's other heavy-hitters slated for release in 2025. "We can't overlap with these other titles," Kojima said, as translated by IGN.
Death Stranding 2 Release Date Has Been Set in Stone Since at Least 2024
The industry veteran also confirmed that the publisher decided on the Death Stranding 2 release date "quite a while back." While he didn't elaborate on the matter, Kojima Productions and Sony ostensibly worked out the timing of the game's market debut no later than September 2024. At that time, Kojima appeared at the Tokyo Games Show during a 90-minute developer panel, where he revealed that the Death Stranding 2 release date had already been determined. The creative director cited "unforeseen circumstances" as the reason why the release date couldn't already be announced at the time. It was eventually confirmed in early March 2025, a week before Sony opened pre-orders for the game.
We can't overlap with these other titles.
While the decision on when to launch the game was largely up to the publisher, Kojima's recent comments suggest that the June 26 release date didn't come as a surprise to anyone at Kojima Productions. The game's approximate launch window was already worked out at the start of development, together with its budget, the creative director explained.
During the same interview, Kojima acknowledged that the holiday season is traditionally the most lucrative period of the year for new video game sales, as underlined by the fact that many of his prior games hit the market in either October or November. But that apparently wasn't an option this time around, possibly because Ghost of Yotei was later confirmed to be targeting an early October 2025 launch. While Death Stranding 2 will launch as a PS5 exclusive, the game is expected to eventually make its way to PC as well.
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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
