Summary
- Death Stranding 2 will bring back familiar faces, but expect more combat and action in this sequel compared to the original game.
- Speculations are swirling around potential appearances from big names like Nicholas Cage and Elle Fanning in Death Stranding 2.
- The game is set to release on PlayStation 5 in 2025 with timed exclusivity, but there's hope for PC gamers to eventually get their hands on it.
Whenever video game maestro Hideo Kojima announces a new project, the internet rumor mill spins into overdrive. It happened with the Metal Gear Solid games before his acrimonious split with Konami. It happened when he announced Death Stranding. And now, it's happening with its sequel, the aptly named Death Stranding 2.
Returning Characters Confirmed for Death Stranding 2
The Death Stranding sequel will see many familiar faces make a return. Here's who players can expect to see.
Very little concrete info on the game, expected sometime during 2025, has been shown, but Kojima loves to tease his fans. The man is driving everyone crazy with hints that are leading to major speculation. If half of these theories pan out to be true, Death Stranding 2 is looking like an exciting step up from the original.
8 Nicholas Cage In Death Stranding 2
Just A Tour Or Something More?
In July 2023, Nick Cage made his first appearance in a video game when he appeared as himself in Dead by Daylight as a playable character. Around the same time, Kojima posted a picture of himself posing with the actor beside a Death Stranding statue at his Japan-based studio.
Death Stranding 2's Emphasis on Combat Is a Game-Changer
Unlike the first game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach seems to have a stronger emphasis on combat, which potentially changes the game entirely.
Cage was reportedly just touring the studio, but was it really a hint that he'll be appearing in Death Stranding 2? As theories go, it's not that far out there. Kojima has a habit of hiring big names for his games, and Cage's exuberant acting style would fit right in with Kojima's unique approach to storytelling. Some fans have speculated that Nicholas Cage could be playing a secondary villain alongside Troy Baker's Higgs in the sequel.
7 Elle Fanning Is Playing An Adult Lou
A New Character Or An Old Friend?
In February 2024, Kojima Productions released a State of Play trailer full of tantalizing clues. Towards the end of this trailer, American film and TV actress Elle Fanning is seen in a room with Sam, Fragile, and a doctor, who are all examining the body of a deceased woman found inside a chrysalis.
The scene offers several hints as to how the two women might be connected. Ever since Fanning's role was announced, fans have speculated that she is playing an adult Lou (Sam's baby companion from the first game). Kojima is on record as saying he's a massive fan of the actress and would have had to rework the game considerably if she had declined her mystery role. This suggests Fanning's character will play a large part in the game's plot.
6 Death Stranding 2 Will Have Timed Exclusivity
It'll Come To PC, At Some Point
It's been confirmed that fans can expect Death Stranding 2 to be released on PlayStation 5 at some point during 2025. Unfortunately, no other platforms have been announced, implying the game will be a PlayStation exclusive, at least for a while.
There is hope, however, that the game will eventually come to PC. The original game launched as an exclusive for the PS4 on November 8, 2019, and PC on March 30, 2022. The game even appeared on PC Game Pass. This all means there's a good chance PC gamers will eventually get to play Death Stranding 2, they may just be waiting a while.
5 The Gameplay Will Be More Action-Orientated
No Longer Just A Walking Simulator
Combat wasn't a major part of the original Death Stranding. Instead, the gameplay focused mainly on traversal mechanics and stealth, emphasizing a more pacifist approach. There was combat, especially against BTs, it just wasn't the game's bread and butter. Some critics even dubbed the original a "walking simulator."
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Scenes from the sequel's State of Play trailer, however, have fans speculating that this time around there will be a much bigger emphasis on combat. In the trailer, Sam is seen walking into a room with plenty of weapons (compared to the original's meager 4 weapon types). Later on, he's shown firing at a group of NPCs, while dialog from Higgs implies this time Sam is going to need to use force to complete his mission.
4 Is Sam Going To The Moon?
The Final Frontier
A big part of the original Death Stranding was taking Sam from Point A to Point B. In fact, that was pretty much the whole game. Well, some fans think that in the second game Sam will be going much further than ever before.
A piece of text at the end of the game's trailer thanks NASA for a "CGI Moon Kit." This has led some internet sleuths to conclude that the game's protagonist will be heading to the moon in the sequel. It might sound like a stretch, but going above and beyond expectations is just the kind of thing Kojima is famous for. Plus, his company's mascot is a spaceman...
3 Higgs Will Be A Playable Character
Higgs Has Had A Glow Up
Higgs was one of the most memorable characters in Death Stranding, which is saying something. For the sequel, he seems to have gone through a bit of a design change, sporting a much more aggressive look and wielding some fancy new abilities. He's giving off major cyborg ninja vibes from Metal Gear Solid.
Death Stranding 2 Could Be Hiding a Surprise for Antagonist Higgs
The portrayal of the newly revived Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach appears to be hinting at a heel turn coming from the antagonist.
This has led some fans to deduce that this time Higgs will be playable. It's just the kind of twist Kojima is famous for - players controlled Raiden, not Snake, for much of Metal Gear Solid 2, and Metal Gear Solid 5's rug pull is infamous. Maybe players can look forward to playing as Higgs during the game's more action-orientated sections.
2 New Settings And A Massive Open World
New Lands To Explore
We already know, thanks to Kojima, that Death Standing 2 will feature a new setting. He's already confirmed that the game won't be set in North America, and the images released so far seem to confirm this. We've seen a very Icelandic-like setting, as well as a red desert, vast canyons, and even snow-capped mountains.
More excitingly, it looks like we can look forward to traveling through large cities. Death Stranding 2 could be about to give gamers one of the biggest open-world maps yet. If that isn't enough, images suggest players will be spending more time indoors. Players spent a lot more time inside in Death Stranding's Directors Cut and trailers for the new game show Fragile sneaking through corridors and vents, indicative of MGS-style stealth gameplay.
1 Expect The Unexpected
Not Just Bigger And Better
So far, everything we've seen of Death Stranding 2 suggests it'll be bigger and better than the original - more guns, more action, a bigger map, an even more convoluted story, etc. It's all very exciting. The trailers and press releases have also done a good job of confirming, and denying, many of the theories that have been circulating the internet since the game's announcement way back in 2022.
However, this doesn't mean Kojima doesn't have any more tricks left up his sleeve. The opposite is likely true. He's not a developer known for just doing "bigger and better," he excels at surprising fans. Until players get their hands on the game in 2025, they really can't know what to expect. That's just part of waiting for a Kojima Productions game; there's always another twist coming.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
- June 26, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
