Death Stranding 2 Gameplay Length Revealed

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is now available on PS5, offering an expansive journey across Australia as Sam Porter Bridges works to connect a new continent to the Chiral Network. But just how much time does it take to complete the story? Here, we’ll share the exact playtimes from different IGN team members and what they focused on during their journeys.

Simon Cardy - Senior Editor

I completed Death Stranding 2's main story in just over 34 hours. Immersed in its winding narrative, I primarily followed the core missions and completed only a small number of optional objectives. While engaging in side content can grant you helpful tools, the sequel significantly reduces the friction of the original, ensuring your path forward rarely becomes overly challenging. That's not to say it’s without difficulty, however, as some late-game combat encounters and demanding deliveries certainly made me stop and think.

Since completing the story, I’ve played for another ten hours, successfully linking all of Australia and Mexico to the Chiral Network. Yet, I still feel compelled to raise every facility connection to its five-star maximum. As someone who struggles to leave a task unfinished, I'll soon be stepping back into Sam Porter Bridges' boots to tackle every last delicious mission Death Stranding 2 has waiting for me.

Matt Kim - Senior Feature Editor

It took me roughly 38 hours to complete the main story of Death Stranding 2 and reach the credits. For those wondering, a significant portion of that time was not spent watching cutscenes. Hideo Kojima appears to have been more deliberate with his use of cinematics in this sequel, intentionally streamlining their length to let players focus more on the gameplay. And focus I did, dedicating almost all my time to primary campaign objectives. I did complete a few side quests, likely adding a couple of hours to my total playtime, but there's still so much content left untouched that I'm eager to jump back in to aim for something closer to a 100% completion. Maybe I'll even go for the platinum trophy—you never know.

Nick Limon - Executive Producer

My journey to the credits in Death Stranding 2 clocked in at 41 hours. I took a leisurely pace, exploring the tucked-away corners of Mexico and Australia, soaking in the sights and sounds while walking to my portable music player's soundtrack. Although I didn't reconnect all of Australia, I linked most of the region to the Chiral Network, with just a few straggling facilities remaining—a to-do list I plan to complete soon. Much of my playtime was dedicated to improving my reputation with Preppers, using items and upgrades that caught my interest and complemented my style. Compared to the first game, Death Stranding 2 features far more bespoke side content (at least from my experience, having not played much of the original's Director's Cut), and I'm eager to delve into it all. Keep on keeping on!

Will you be playing Death Stranding 2? Are you planning to take your time and complete every available side delivery, or are you here for the story and aiming to finish as quickly as possible? Let us know in the comments!