Death Stranding 2, the latest release from famous avant-garde creator and industry luminary Hideo Kojima, is coming to PC on March 19, 2026. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, considering that the first Death Stranding migrated to PC post-launch as well, exhibiting a common PlayStation games practice that we may see less of moving forward.
Despite being timed exclusives for PlayStation, both Death Stranding games come from Kojima Productions, which operates independently of Sony. This is why the first Death Stranding has already made the leap to Xbox.
Already one of the most technologically impressive games in recent memory, Death Stranding 2 is expected to become an even greater tech powerhouse on the PC. Indeed, Guerilla Games’ Decima Engine, which Kojima Productions switched to from the Fox Engine after leaving Konami, has some major heft to it; the engine has proven exceptionally powerful and competent at creating lifelike visuals, as seen in pre-Death Stranding games like Horizon Zero Dawn, and with the higher power ceiling offered by high-end PCs, the first Death Stranding can look and run even better. The same will likely be the case with Death Stranding 2’s PC port, which brings along a few other worthwhile bells and whistles too.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach's PC-Specific Features
As one might expect, Death Stranding 2’s PC port will be compatible with leading upscaling programs, namely:
- NVIDIA DLSS 4
- AMD FSR 4
- Intel XeSS 2
Such upscaling software can sometimes be taken for granted, but it’s nevertheless nice to see a studio sticking to a software-agnostic approach. There are some instances where DLSS, XeSS, or FSR may be omitted due to strategic partnerships or other exigent factors, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here. With DLSS in particular occasionally outperforming the PS5 Pro’s proprietary PSSR software, Death Stranding 2 on PC may look and perform at a notably higher level, even on mid-spec kits.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Note: Death Stranding 2’s PC port will also include Decima’s proprietary Pico (Progressive Image Compositor) upscaler as an option.
Naturally, card-specific features will be available for Death Stranding 2 on PC as well. For instance, if you have an NVIDIA GPU, you can take advantage of NVIDIA Reflex and Frame Generation. Additionally, Death Stranding 2 will have ultrawide and super-ultrawide support, allowing players to experience the game’s stunning world like never before.
DualSense Support and Other Fun Things Coming to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Thankfully, players opting to play Death Stranding 2 on PC don't have to miss out on the game's most unique PS5 features. In particular, the PC version will feature full DualSense support, meaning that players can take advantage of all the aforementioned benefits while still experiencing the controller's best-in-class haptics, should they choose. Speaking of Sony products, players can get an exclusive PlayStation-themed outfit for Sam if they link their PSN account to the PC version of Death Stranding.
Personally, I'm especially interested to see if and how the modding scene develops around Death Stranding 2 on PC. The first game is certainly no Skyrim or Baldur's Gate 3 when it comes to mods, but there are a lot of fun reshaders, alternate weapons, cosmetics, and cheat engines to mess around with, adding interesting permutations to the vanilla, console experience of the game. Hopefully, we will see even more ambitious and creative mods for the sequel's PC release.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Recommended PC Specs
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Nixxes (a company that collaborated with Kojima Productions on the DS2 PC port) offered a look at what sorts of builds will work best for Death Stranding 2's PC version, sharing the following table:
|
Category |
Minimum |
Medium |
High (Recommended) |
Very High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graphics Preset |
Low |
Medium |
High |
Very High |
|
Avg Performance |
1080p @ 30 FPS |
1080p @ 60 FPS |
1440p @ 60 FPS |
4K @ 60 FPS |
|
GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB AMD Radeon RX 6600 |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 AMD Radeon RX 6800 |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT |
|
CPU |
Intel Core i3-10100 AMD Ryzen 3 3100 |
Intel Core i5-11400 AMD Ryzen 5 5600 |
Intel Core i7-11700 AMD Ryzen 7 5700X |
Intel Core i7-11700 AMD Ryzen 7 5700X |
|
RAM |
16GB |
16GB |
16GB |
16GB |
|
OS |
Windows 10/11 (Version 1909 or newer) |
Windows 10/11 (Version 1909 or newer) |
Windows 10/11 (Version 1909 or newer) |
Windows 10/11 (Version 1909 or newer) |
|
Storage |
150GB SSD |
150GB SSD |
150GB SSD |
150GB SSD |
Only time will truly tell how well-optimized Death Stranding 2: On the Beach's PC port actually is, but the recommended specs above aren't too demanding, which is a good sign. The first Death Stranding, brought over to PC in 2020, boasts stellar performance even on modest hardware, so history gives us even more reason to be confident about Death Stranding 2's PC prospects.
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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, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing, Kojima Productions
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.
- Prequel(s)
- Death Stranding
- Franchise
- Death Stranding
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- March 19, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- June 26, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Horror, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 35 hours
