Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to continue the story of Sam Porter Bridges that players experienced in the original Death Stranding. With the UCA having been connected, Sam is now tasked with venturing into new territory as he tries to save humanity from extinction. With the world teeming with unique terminology, bizarre characters, and the original game's narrative having plenty of confusing twists and turns, there's a lot for newcomers to try and absorb. As such, some players may be wondering if they need to play Death Stranding 1 before playing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Death Stranding 2 FAQ (Preload, Install Size, Cast List & More)
Ahead of Hideo Kojima's latest release, here's everything you need to know about Death Stranding 2.
Should You Play Death Stranding 1 Before Playing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach?
It's Best Advised That You Do
The short answer is yes, players should work their way through Death Stranding 1 before starting their adventure with Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding 2. This is because of how complicated the narrative of the world can be for newcomers. There's a lot of terminology in the game that is unique to the world, and so while there is an in-game glossary of the various terminology that will come up in conversational cutscenes in the game, there's still a good chance that some of the nuances of the world will be lost on players who haven't already been immersed in world of Death Stranding from playing the original game.
That being said, if players don't want to play the original game, Death Stranding 2 does have plenty of onboarding features to help newcomers get up to speed with the game's world. As previously mentioned, there's a glossary that allows players to get a deeper understanding of the world by looking up some of the unique words and terminology used by the cast of characters in the game.
The glossary feature can be pulled up at any time during normal gameplay from the menu.
Death Stranding 2 also features a story recap of the original game which can be accessed from the main menu. While a useful resource, it's currently unclear whether this will just be a remix of the cutscenes from the original Death Stranding, or whether there will be a voiceover from an actor of one of the main characters who will more thoroughly explain to players what they're seeing. However, if it is the same as the 'The Story So Far' video that PlayStation has shared on its official YouTube account, it does have a voiceover that explains the main storybeats a little more thoroughly. You can see this story summary below, and also read our Death Stranding story summary and recap for a further breakdown.
While both the glossary and the story recaps are really useful resources that will help newcomers get acquainted with the world of Death Stranding without having to play the original game, they will still lack some of the contextual understanding that those who played the original game would have. Kojima is known for creating complex narratives with deep thematics, and it seems clear that this will continue in Death Stranding 2. As such, I'd recommend playing the first game if players want to get the most out of their experience with its sequel.
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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
