Review – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (PC)

The port of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has finally arrived on PC, less than 1 year after its launch on PlayStation 5. I don’t even need to comment on how incredible the game is, right? If you’re not up to date, read the . There you can check out the main features of this sequel, such as improvements in gameplay and whether or not the story can surpass the original game.

The PC version arrives as the technical and artistic consolidation of Hideo Kojima’s work, bringing not only graphical and performance improvements, but also reinforcing the qualities – and limitations – already present in the base game. If you haven’t played the first Death Stranding, it is possible to have fun with the story from the sequel onwards. The game offers a recap that, despite being well summarized, keeps you up to date with the main events.

The new graphical features of Death Stranding 2

At its core, Death Stranding 2 remains a deeply authorial game: a mix of contemplation, eccentric narrative and unique exploration mechanics. An adventure that moves through the contrasts of the narrative, promoting moments of silent solitude and absurd or highly cinematic scenes, creating an emotionally charged and, at times, deliberately strange experience.

The sequel improves the pacing compared to the first game, making progression more fluid and accessible, without abandoning its thematic density. Still, the excess of systems and symbolism can generate some frustration or a feeling of tiredness for some players. In fact, I’m still not a fan of the interface full of information, something that Kojima insists on repeating in his games since the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

The gameplay loop – centered on deliveries, planning and traversal – remains the same, but now with more tools, options and freedom. There is a clear evolution in the variety of approaches, allowing everything from strategic routes to more direct solutions with combat or vehicles. The asynchronous social system remains one of the strongest points, encouraging indirect collaboration between players and reinforcing the central theme of human connection in a fragmented world.

On the technical side, the PC version brings the following new features: support for ultrawide resolutions (21:9 and 32:9); DLSS, FSR and frame generation technologies; advanced graphics options including ray tracing; and unlocked frame rate. These elements significantly raise the visual level, making the game even more impressive than on PS5 Pro. In more robust setups, this is a cutting-edge technical experience.

Guaranteed performance

Of course, as well-made as this port is, you may experience occasional performance drops and random stutters, just like any other newer AAA game. However, it can be said that this adaptation for PC is one of the best ever made by Nixxes. The game has good scalability between different hardware configurations, allowing fine adjustments to balance performance and visual quality. Even more modest PCs can run the game without problems. On the Steam Deck, unlike the first Death Stranding, it’s difficult to maintain consistent performance.

In my private test, with a Ryzen 7 5700X processor and an Asus Dual RTX 4070 Super graphics card, at 1440p resolution and with everything at maximum, I obtained an average of 110-120 FPS with the upscale quality (DLSS) set to “Native Smoothing”. Switching to “Quality” the FPS rose to around 160 FPS, but in return the definition of some details such as vegetation worsened. And, for comparison purposes, without frame generation I was able to run the game stable at 70 FPS.

Narratively, Death Stranding 2 continues to explore themes of connection, loss, technology, and isolation. The game offers a more direct approach to telling its story, making it more accessible without losing depth. It even offers more pure action segments. At the same time, the work maintains its provocative and even chaotic tone, with moments that move between the emotional and the absurd – Hideo Kojima’s trademark.

More than a simple port, it is a version that reinforces the unique character of the game: ambitious, divisive and deeply human. For those who already enjoyed the series’ proposal, the PC offers the best possible showcase for this strange and fascinating experience, so you can start playing and not want to stop.