Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding is one of the most acclaimed video games of all time, so it is no surprise that its sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, is one of the most anticipated new releases of 2025. At a panel at SXSW 2025, creator Hideo Kojima made several exciting announcements about the game.
The biggest announcement of the day was that we finally have a release date for the long-awaited Death Stranding 2: On the Beach: June 26. Although three months might seem like a long time away, it’s nothing compared to the years fans have been waiting since the first game’s release in 2019.
The highlight of the panel was a 10+ minute gameplay trailer that introduces audiences to the story, new world, and new characters of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Much is left ambiguous because, as is the case with the first game, it seems that the narrative of On the Beach is more free-flowing and less linear. Still, this sequel looks like a fascinating and radical different direction from the first game.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Trailer
Seeing the trailer on the massive screens of the Austin Convention Center was nothing short of a transcendental experience. As any sequel needs to be, it feels like Kojima went bigger and better for On the Beach, taking the gameplay mechanics and world-building that fans have come to love and dialing it up to 11, adding new landscapes, characters, and combat to the mix. In summary, it looks beautiful and epic — exactly what any gamer could want from a Death Stranding sequel.
The trailer ends with the new game’s tagline: “We should not have connected.” This tagline makes it clear that On the Beach is likely to be more cynical than its predecessor. Of course, a lot has happened in the past 5 years, so for Kojima’s perspective on the world to have shifted — even as drastically as this — is hardly surprising.
Breaking Down Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Indeed, the first Death Stranding was eerily prescient, being released only mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the panel, Kojima not only addressed this but also explained how Death Stranding 2 is a response to the emotions he felt during the pandemic — namely the isolation and loneliness that was felt by the whole world.
The Collector’s Edition release of the game will include a massive statue of the new character Magellan Man, who was one of the most exciting and intriguing aspects of the trailer. The team unveiled an actual retail model of the statue (not a prototype), and it looks gorgeously detailed in all the best ways.
After Kojima announced the details of the game, he brought out several of his key collaborators, including actors Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) and Troy Baker (The Last of Us) and composer Woodkid.
Reedus was a delight to watch on stage and is clearly passionate about his role as Sam Porter Bridges in the Death Stranding franchise. The first Death Stranding was Reedus’s first major foray into the video game medium as an actor (he says he was encouraged to take the role by none other than Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro, who also stars in the game), but the way he talks about his role in On the Beach makes it clear that he is becoming much more comfortable with his character as well as the video game medium as a whole.
On the villainous side of the game, Troy Baker is back as the fan-favorite character Higgs — and with an expanded role at that. Kojima and Baker acknowledged that they were blown away by the fan response to Higgs in the first game, not expecting him to become one of the biggest breakouts. The duo are excited to have players see the surprising new direction they have in store for Higgs.
Finally, the panel concluded with a discussion of the game’s music. Fans know the crucial role that music plays in building the first game’s atmosphere, and Kojima and composer Woodkid assure that the same will be the case for On the Beach. The trailer contains a glimpse of the soundtrack in the form of the lead single, “To the Wilder,” which was released online immediately after the panel.
Kojima also announced an upcoming orchestral concert tour, where the music from the Death Stranding games will be performed live in cities across the world. For fans of the franchise, this will certainly be an unmissable experience.
All this information — from the trailer to the information shared by the cast — makes us incredibly excited to see what Kojima has in store for us with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. And with only three months left to wait, we can’t wait to fire it up.
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