Death Stranding 2 is among the most exciting AAA games releasing next year, expected to follow in the footsteps of its experimental predecessor. While audiences can likely expect Death Stranding 2's gameplay systems, technical polish, and narrative to be iterative of what came before, knowing Hideo Kojima, the final product will almost certainly be chock-full of surprises.
Among the most engrossing parts of Death Stranding, to the point where the fanbase is still parsing through and analyzing it, is its lore. The game presents a multifaceted, surreal post-apocalyptic world unlike anything ever seen before in the gaming medium, characterized by ghostly figures and a complete recontextualizing of the concept of death. Part of what makes this world-building so intriguing and gratifying is how it informs the gameplay experience: Death Stranding utilizes its interactivity and "game-ness" to drive home its narrative, as key lore elements like timefall and voidouts become very real concerns for the player, not just the player-character. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will no doubt continue this gameplay-story connection, and there are a few conceivable ways it could elevate it.
Death Stranding 2 Showing Off its Photo Mode First Was the Perfect Move
Death Stranding 2 shows off its photo mode and how the characters react to it, alongside other features, and it says more than fans might think.
Voidouts Could Play a Bigger Role in Death Stranding 2
How Voidouts Feed Into Death Stranding's Gameplay Loop
Players can cause voidouts in Death Stranding, but they are far from a common occurrence. Since voidouts are a result of BT matter interacting with living, organic matter, they typically are triggered via one of two scenarios: a dead body spawns a BT that kills another human, or Sam gets eaten by a BT. The former scenario almost always results in an immediate game over, but the latter will create a massive crater in the overworld, though it can't actually be explored.
Voidout craters will eventually be restored by the effects of timefall.
While Death Stranding isn't always an easy game, it's not particularly hard to avoid these events of mass destruction. In fact, it's not uncommon for players to finish the entire main story without ever encountering one (save for a scripted voidout early in the game). It's remarkably easy to skirt around lethal combat, and death by a BT usually doesn't involve getting eaten. For how major a role voidouts play in the Death Stranding universe, actually encountering one is almost like an Easter egg.
How Death Stranding 2 Can Double Down On Voidouts
Given how much Death Stranding weaves its narrative into its gameplay systems, it would be great to see the sequel use voidouts to greater effect. It's not clear what changes have been made to Death Stranding 2's world, but assuming it follows the same rules as its predecessor, perhaps players could explore the craters left behind by voidouts. They could be populated by BTs or other hazards, making them a richer part of the gameplay experience. Maybe there could even be a way to repair the craters or leverage them to beneficial effect, feeding into the series' theme of rebuilding.
It could be impractical for the game to achieve this through totally emergent or integrated gameplay systems, as there would be the risk of essentially turning the entire world into a crater unless it did away with, say, voidouts caused by BTs killing NPCs, but there are still ways to make it work. For instance, there could be a few randomly placed voidout craters in the game's map which could be interacted with in real-time. The first Death Stranding is all about constant change, which can often come at the hands of the players thanks to its building systems, so it only makes sense to factor voidout craters into the mix, making them a more fundamental part of the sequel's gameplay.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes an emotionally charged evolution of this genre-defying experience.
In the expansive open world of DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, countless areas with vastly different terrains and environments are seamlessly connected, and the changing time, weather and nature itself provide a variety of landscapes and challenges.
There are various obstacles that will prevent Sam from completing his mission. Face them head-on, sneak around, or completely avoid dangerous areas. Choose your approach to any situation.
Eleven months after the events of the original DEATH STRANDING, rejoin Sam and his companions on a new journey to save humanity from extinction and discover the answer to this haunting question: Should we have connected?
Join Sam for the next chapter of his journey as he attempts to connect Australia to the Chiral Network. Navigate a living environment through day and night cycles, natural disasters – including earthquakes, sandstorms and forest fires – and Timefall, a rain that instantly ages everything it touches.
To traverse this dangerous landscape, you’ll need to build new types of infrastructure, master specialized equipment and confront (or evade) the otherworldly creatures that roam the fractured world.
Face enigmatic Mech soldiers, as-yet unseen BTs and new boss types that will push Sam to his limits. As you prepare for each journey, you’ll be able to fabricate weapons like machine guns, shotguns and grenade launchers to deal with threats. Or, choose to avoid confrontation altogether with stealth – using decoy holograms, silent takedowns and long-ranged gear.
Through APAS enhancements, Sam can learn new skills that will improve his odds of survival, like enhanced weapon fire-rates or reduced movement noise to help him stay hidden.
The iconic Social Strand System of DEATH STRANDING returns to encourage asynchronous connection across the globe. Your in-game actions affect how other players interact with the world and vice-versa – so connect, collaborate and help your fellow Porters on their journeys.
Leave a “Like” on a useful bridge, donate resources to community projects, store field ware in shared lockers and finish incomplete deliveries as you stumble upon dropped cargo from other Porters. As you support other players on their journeys, your own reputation will grow, giving you access to valuable resources and new gear.
- Engine
- Decima
- Franchise
- Death Stranding
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Horror, Open-World
