Death Stranding 2 release countdown: Exact start time and date

During a recent presentation headed by Hideo Kojima, we got to see a 30-minute-long footage of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. If you’re a fan of the first game or want to jump into the sequel, here’s everything we know about the game’s release date.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach launches on June 26 this year. This was confirmed by Hideo Kojima himself on March 9, during an SXSW panel. The precise regional release times haven’t been confirmed yet, so the following countdown will target June 26 at midnight CST.

We’ll update the countdown with region-specific timings once they become available.

Will Death Stranding 2: On the Beach be a PlayStation 5 exclusive?

Yes, at least for the time being. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a PlayStation 5-only game on launch and is likely to remain so for a while. The first game did release on the PlayStation 4, but its updated version, the Director’s Cut, was the one that made its way to PC and PS5 and is considered the definitive edition of the game. The PS4 is old hardware and is unlikely to be able to support a game of this scale, meaning we’ll only see Sony launching it on its most modern system.

As for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on Xbox, this might be more of a possibility now than ever before. Both companies, and especially Microsoft, have re-evaluated their multi-platform strategies, deeming them much more profitable than permanent exclusivity.

Microsoft is moving some of its biggest franchises and games to Sony’s platforms, emphasizing availability over anything else, and Sony is likely to follow. We’ve seen the publisher port more and more of its games to PC with stellar success, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach probably won’t be an exclusive for very long.

Do I need to play Death Stranding before playing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach?

Yes, you probably should. Based on everything we saw so far, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach seems to be heavily based on the events that took place in Death Stranding, so it will be beneficial to know what happened. If you don’t have time to play the first game, we recommend you at least read the story synopsis or watch a few cutscenes on YouTube to get a basic idea.

Something to note from the trailers is that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be a lot less focused on delivering packages, so if that’s something that you didn’t like about the first game, maybe you’ll like the sequel a bit more.