Death Stranding 2 tech review: one of the best-looking games of this console generation

When it comes to Kojima Productions, the unexpected is almost expected. Their games may not resonate with everyone, but titles like Death Stranding explore concepts and ideas in ways that few big-budget games dare to attempt. KojiPro also tend to unerringly fuse striking art direction and top-tier technical execution.

Death Stranding 2 is no exception, building on its predecessor’s unconventional foundation to create something so compelling, the original almost feels like a proof-of-concept by comparison. I also think it’s one of the most visually impressive games of the current console generation, and benefits from being a straight PS5 release in a sea of cross-generation projects.

In this analysis, I’ll break it all down – from the environments and character rendering to visual effects, image quality and performance. I also have some thoughts on how the gameplay itself has evolved.

Crossing the vast expanse, one foot in front of the other, the world stretches out before you – the sky and land mingle at a distance as the sun arcs across the sky above. There are no other games that quite captures this specific feeling of existing alone in this vast space – it’s special and central to the very core of Death Stranding. The original game took players across an Icelandic-inspired take on a ruined US, while the sequel introduces players to Mexico and Australia. The mission to connect one another remains constant, but the experience as you journey through the game is greatly enhanced by increased variety and improved technology.

That technology is rooted in the Guerilla Games Decima Engine, which has been deftly utilised by KojiPro’s development team to create some truly outstanding dynamic landscapes. The leap here is perhaps not quite on the same level as we saw with the two Horizon games, but that’s only because the original Death Stranding set the bar so high. The first key improvement here stems from fine detail, with rock formations, vegetation and other natural elements holding up under closer scrutiny. The game opens in a gorgeous mountain range with a level of detail reminiscent of Epic’s Nanite virtualised geometry demos, without relying on such tech. The entire game is packed full of exceptionally fine detail, both near and far, building on the already great results in the first game.

The sky system also builds on the original’s ray marched volumetric system but allows more variety at a higher quality. Where the game really shines is in its more dynamic elements, with great expansions to lightning, weather and other environmental effects. There’s even a realistic time of day system, with smooth transitions between day and night and dynamic shadows based on the positioning of the sun.

The game’s approach to both direct and indirect lighting is visually striking – though, as always, not without its limitations. It seems to rely on a pre-calculated, probe-based global illumination system, with multiple lighting bakes corresponding to different times of day. This technique works by placing a grid of light probes throughout the environment – essentially sampling points that store indirect lighting information. These probes then inform how surfaces nearby are lit, allowing for reasonably realistic bounce lighting without the computational expense of real-time ray tracing. Despite that, the final image remains beautiful and coherent, especially when sunlight filters into interior spaces to produce an atmospheric glow.

What really adds to the game’s dynamic feel, however, is the sheer variety of weather effects and how they impact the environment in meaningful ways. As with the original, rain and tar continue to play a pivotal role. When caught in the Timefall, for instance, thick tar begins to seep up from the earth, enveloping the landscape in a convincing, eerie fashion. The way these phenomena integrate with gameplay is one of the game’s signature elements.

This time, water has also received a noticeable upgrade, comparable in quality to what we saw with Horizon: Forbidden West, albeit with added dynamism. A dry riverbed, for example, might suddenly transform into a raging torrent following a heavy downpour, with the rushing water using a robust foam simulation along with floating debris. It’s not just a visual effect either, as it directly feeds back into traversal and moment-to-moment gameplay. Surface reflections across water and metal use a blend of screen-space reflections (SSR) and heightfield raymarching, helping to reduce (though not eliminate) the typical disocclusion artefacts associated with SSR better than most titles.

On the topic of reflections, one standout moment involves a fireworks display surrounding the player. The spectacle itself is impressive, with a dense array of GPU-driven particles lighting up the sky, but what’s even more striking is that these particles are also reflected across nearby surfaces. This isn’t just standard SSR at play; the reflections appear to mirror the particle systems themselves, resulting in a remarkably consistent and immersive visual. And yes, all of this runs at a rock-solid 60fps.

The particle work overall is exceptional then. Rainfall, as in the original, is superbly handled – something you’d expect from a team with roots tracing back to Metal Gear Solid 2 and its iconic tanker chapter. Rain lashes the environment, droplets refract light as they strike the virtual lens, and when the action slows down – such as during hand-to-hand combat – these effects continue to animate realistically in slow motion. It’s a visual treat.

Beyond rain, other weather types also make a strong impression. Sandstorms, for example, generate a towering wall of particulate matter that engulfs the player. As you push through, you’re met with fierce winds and poor visibility. The effect combines volumetric rendering with billboarded sand particles, while Sam’s suit accumulates sand in real time. Cross a body of water afterward, and that sand is convincingly washed away. It’s more than just a visual flourish, as you can use these storms to evade pursuers, while the wind itself has physical presence, pushing Sam around and making traversal more difficult. You’ll also encounter fire-based effects paired with thick, volumetric smoke that fills the air with an oppressive, cinematic haze. The result is dramatic and deeply atmospheric.

Other environmental touches are equally noteworthy. The terrain deformation systems from Horizon appear to be in use here, allowing footprints to persist in sandy areas for extended periods, adding a grounded physicality to traversal. Lush environments, meanwhile, are packed with dense, detailed foliage that sways believably in the wind and reacts to Sam’s movements – though, as always, there are occasional limitations in interactivity, with Sam’s legs clipping right through smaller plants.

As stunning as these environments and their associated effects may be, there are some nitpicks I can level at the game as well, specifically when looking at mid-range terrain and foliage. First, the ambient occlusion system used produces obvious blotchiness around small plants when juxtaposed against the rocky terrain and reflections can produce slightly noisy artefacts as well. These are expectedly handled at a lower precision, likely for performance reasons, but the results can sometimes be slightly distracting.

More serious, however, is the mid-field level of detail systems in play. Near-field around directly around Sam sport exquisite detail, while the silhouette of distant scenery never fails to impress. If you look somewhere in the middle, however, you’ll spot the use of surprisingly low-res textures filling in the gaps around rock formations. It’s not something you’ll necessarily notice often during normal play, thankfully .

These are definitely nitpicks though, and the game’s overall depiction of scenery and natural phenomena remains top tier. These are some of the best virtual landscapes you’ll encounter in any game, in fact, with a level of variety that expands way beyond the first Death Stranding.

Death Stranding 2 places a renewed emphasis on storytelling, and in pursuit of that goal, Kojima Productions once again taps into its extensive Hollywood connections, assembling a cast of high-profile actors to bring its unconventional narrative to life. The original Death Stranding already featured some of the most impressive character modeling and animation of the previous console generation, so my expectations were high – but even then, the improvements on display here are surprising.

As you’d expect, character presentation is split between real-time in-game rendering and directed cutscenes, and for my money, Death Stranding 2 delivers some of the finest cinematic direction I’ve encountered in a game to date. Everything from careful pacing to the expert framing of each shot exudes confidence. Camera movement is smooth and purposeful, often paired with filmic bokeh depth-of-field effects that lend a striking sense of depth and focus.

The character models themselves are instrumental in selling this illusion. Skin shading has received a significant upgrade – sub-surface scattering is more nuanced, and pores, micro-details, and blemishes are rendered with extraordinary clarity. Eye rendering has also improved dramatically, bringing characters to life in a way that feels almost tangible. Hair rendering shows real progress here as well. Strands move believably, clump together naturally, and respond to lighting in a way that further grounds each character in the world.

Animation quality, both facial and full body, remains stellar. Every subtle expression, every blink, shift in gaze, or twitch of the lip – is captured with a remarkable degree of fidelity. These secondary animations make the characters feel alive. When you combine these elements, the results are magical.

Outside of these cinematic sequences, Death Stranding 2 is still a game, and character rendering during gameplay matters just as much. This is where Kojima Productions’ efforts become even more impressive. The team has clearly iterated on and refined the already exceptional real-time model and animation work established in the first title.

Let’s start with the level of detail. If you stop and zoom in on Sam, or any other major character, you’ll find an extraordinary amount of micro-detail across every surface. The texture resolution is impressively high, but it’s not just about sharpness. Look closer and you’ll see intricately sculpted fabric meshes, dirt and moisture accumulation across clothing, and even faint imperfections in the metal. This kind of layered detail isn’t just technically impressive, it adds believability, reinforcing the harshness of the world these characters inhabit.

The animation work is great too – inverse kinematics are deployed once again to ensure that Sam’s foot placement generally matches the rocky terrain. It’s not perfect, and can sometimes appear slightly awkward, but the effect is generally a success. In certain scenes, Sam sports a lengthy coat with an excellent cloth simulation that behaves naturally as you navigate the world.

The combination of high-quality character rendering and dramatic environments creates a game that really shines.

While Death Stranding 2 is currently a PS5 exclusive, the game supports both the original console and the PS5 Pro. The fundamental experience is the same across both machines, including 60fps 30fps quality and 60fps performance modes, with the latter additionally offering a 120Hz output option to reduce input lag and widen the VRR window. However, you’re not likely to need that extra VRR range, given that performance appears perfect – both consoles lock to their target frame-rates across the board, with only some minor camera movement hiccups that don’t affect the actual frame-rate.

There are only minor differences in terms of image quality and graphics settings between the two machines, with the performance mode on PS5 using a 1440p internal resolution and slightly higher than this on PS5 Pro. On the base PS5, fine details often exhibit extra pixel break-up, while the Pro produces slightly cleaner results. You’ll also spot some additional distant detail on PS5 Pro, for a more refined presentation overall.

With the base PS5, there is a visible difference between quality and performance mode, to the point that some might prefer quality despite its frame-rate deficit, but in the case of PS5 Pro, the two modes look so similar that you should just use the 60fps mode.

Thankfully, both versions also feature lightning-fast loading times with virtually zero waiting. Moving from the load screen to a save game is nearly instant and you basically never actually encounter anything resembling a loading screen during the game- it’s seamless. Both versions also support HDR, but the game itself is limited in terms of what you can adjust, instead relying on the PS5’s system-level HDR adjustment. If you properly match this to your TV’s capabilities, the game does present a strong contrast between bright highlights and darker regions.

Overall, the PS5 Pro upgrade for Death Stranding 2 feels similar to that of Horizon: Forbidden West. It improves image quality and slightly alters detail levels, users of both machines will receive a great experience.

Beyond the game’s visuals and performance, the audio and gameplay are worth briefly touching on. For me, audio is as important as the visuals when it comes to creating a memorable gaming experience. The sound effects, voice acting and especially music all need to work in tandem to create something that truly draws you in. Death Stranding 2 is one of those games that so beautifully pulls this off that I find myself wanting to revisit scenes just to experience the soundscape once again.

The game’s introduction sequence pairs Minus Sixty One, a track by French artist Woodkid, with a moody credits sequence. This doesn’t just play in the background; it progresses based on your actions, gently looping sections to ensure the music fits what’s on-screen. This sort of attention to detail is something you can feel throughout the game, from the dark, electronic tracks played in cinematics and the subtle music and atmospheric rain during gameplay. This is one of the best-sounding games I’ve played in years, not just in terms of technical quality, but in terms of style and mood – a truly unique sound signature that blends a stunning original score with perfectly-selected licensed tracks. It’s a masterpiece of sound.

Beyond the technical details, I’m a big fan of the original game and how it changed the nature of what an open world can be. Death Stranding deprioritised waypoint-based events; in most games, action generally occurs once you reach marked areas, but this game inverts that, with most action happening between the objectives. Death Stranding 2 continues this tradition while massively expanding Sams’ arsenal and capabilities. Now, on the way to your next objective, instead of simply surviving the terrain, you will more often be facing off against foes.

For example, you might come across a border checkpoint or a mountain fortress patrolled by enemies, build a structure to survey the land, mark your foes then non-lethally eliminate them to progress. The action is reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid 5, with Death Stranding 2 almost representing a fusion between The Phantom Pain and the original Death Stranding. However, the core adventuring premise from the first game remains, of taking on a hostile landscape with unexpected dangers and using your wits to complete your deliveries, with highs and lows depending on your route and supplies.

There’s more variety, there’s more action, yet the game still offers that lonely tranquility that defines the game. The overall gameplay loop is a success, with more options, more ways to play and more varied scenarios to encounter. It’s everything you’d want in a sequel.

Ultimately, this is one of the most exciting releases thus far this console generation and a fantastic technical achievement that shows why the Decima engine is such a powerful tool and how talented Kojima Production’s team truly is.