Should you complete Death Stranding 1 before starting Death Stranding 2?

Death Stranding 2 On the Beach is the new sequel to Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, released in 2019. This action-adventure game features Sam Porter (played by Norman Reedus) as he embarks on a new journey to connect Australia with the Chiral Network. This title definitely has more action than the prequel, along with many new enemy types to face and NPCs to interact with.

Since this game is a sequel, many players might wonder whether they must play the prequel first. It is important that you play Death Stranding 1 to understand the story and events of Death Stranding 2. If you play the sequel title as a standalone game, there's a lot you will miss and fail to correlate.

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We recommend playing Death Stranding 1 before Death Stranding 2

Higgs returns as the antagonist in this sequel (Image via Kojima Productions)

Yes, you should play Death Stranding 1 before Death Stranding 2. The primary reason is the sequel's entire premise is a continuation of the story started in the first game. Set 11 months after the events of Death Stranding 1, Sam must now travel to Australia to connect its post-apocalyptic survivors with the Chiral Network for instant data transmission and save them from extinction.

The familiar cast from Death Stranding 1 returns, with Sam and Fragile (portrayed by Norman Reedus and Lea Seydoux) playing the primary protagonists. Higgs (Troy Baker) returns as the antagonist, although Cliff (Mads Mikkelsen) remains permanently dead. Even the baby BB28/Lou plays a major role in this game.

With a multitude of returning characters who have complex backgrounds, knowing more about the backstory of these characters becomes important. As such, playing the first game will help you better understand their personalities, motivations, and roles in the sequel.

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Can you play Death Stranding 2 as a standalone title?

You can play the sequel as a new game, but we do not recommend it (Image via Kojima Productions)

You can play Death Stranding 2 as a standalone title, but you will fail to understand the entire picture every now and then. Although Kojima Productions has tried to make it a self-contained experience that new players can dive into and understand what’s happening, it is by no means the optimal experience.

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• DS2: All available platforms