Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is now available on PS5, offering an expansive journey across Australia as Sam Porter Bridges works to connect another continent to the Chiral Network. But what’s the actual time commitment? Below, we share how long it took different IGN team members to complete the story and what activities they focused on during their playtime.
Simon Cardy - Senior Editor
I reached the conclusion of Death Stranding 2’s story after about 34 hours. I was so engrossed in its twisting narrative that I mostly stuck to the main missions, completing only a handful of optional objectives. Fortunately, this approach didn’t make the journey significantly harder—though side missions do reward you with useful gadgets, the sequel streamines much of the friction from the original, making your objectives more consistently achievable. Still, it’s far from a walk in the park: toward the end of the campaign, I encountered a few challenging combat scenarios and demanding long-distance deliveries that required real strategy.
Since then, I’ve put in another ten hours and successfully linked all of Australia and Mexico to the Chiral Network. Yet I’m still driven to raise every facility connection to a five-star rating. As someone who can’t leave a job half-done, I’ll soon be stepping back into Sam Porter Bridges’ boots to tackle every remaining engaging mission Death Stranding 2 has to offer.
Matt Kim - Senior Feature Editor
It took me roughly 38 hours to complete Death Stranding 2’s main story and see the credits roll. And no, half of that time wasn’t spent watching cutscenes. Hideo Kojima clearly aimed for more intentional pacing this time, trimming cinematic runtimes so players can focus on gameplay—and focus I did, sticking almost entirely to the main missions. I did finish a few side quests, which likely extended my playtime by a couple of hours, but there’s still plenty I missed. I’m excited to return and aim for something closer to 100% completion—maybe even go for the platinum trophy. Who knows?
How Does Death Stranding 2 Compare to Other Kojima Games?
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a lengthy, continent-spanning adventure, but how does it stack up against the original and Kojima’s earlier titles? We checked How Long to Beat to compare average main story completion times across the mainline Metal Gear Solid games and Sam’s first outing.
Metal Gear Solid - 11 ½ HoursMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - 13 hoursMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - 16 hoursMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - 18 ½ hoursMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain - 45 ½ hoursDeath Stranding - 40 ½ hoursDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach - 37 ⅔ hours (IGN average)Nick Limon - Executive Producer
I finished Death Stranding 2 after 41 hours. I took my time exploring every corner of Mexico and Australia, soaking in the scenery and ambient sounds while listening to my portable music player. Though I didn't fully reconnect all of Australia, I linked most of the region to the Chiral Network. Only a few outposts remain, which I plan to clear in the days ahead. Much of my playthrough involved boosting my rating with Preppers by using items and upgrades that matched my playstyle. Compared to the original, Death Stranding 2 offers far more tailored side content—at least based on my experience (I didn’t play much of the original’s Director’s Cut)—and I can’t wait to dive deeper. Keep on keeping on!
Will you be playing Death Stranding 2? Do you plan to take your time completing every side delivery, or are you here for the story and aiming to finish as quickly as possible? Let us know in the comments below!
