I still remember the first time I pressed Continue in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The screen went black for a heartbeat, and then Sam Porter Bridges was standing exactly where I had left him, with wind moving through the grass and a strange, quiet sky stretching over Australia. It felt less like loading a save and more like blinking. Since the game's early access launch on June 24, 2025, players have been posting clips of those near-instant transitions, and now, in 2026, the conversation has not really faded. If anything, it has become a benchmark.
I am not a technical expert. I am just a player who has spent years staring at loading bars, spinning icons, and tips that repeat before the actual game appears. That is why Death Stranding 2's load times hit me so hard. Hideo Kojima's strand-game sequel launched to stellar reviews, and many of those reviews celebrated its hauntingly beautiful post-apocalyptic take on Australia. The visuals are a showcase. But the speed is the magic trick. Pressing Continue from the main menu gives you a flash of black, then you are back. Loading another save while already in-game feels just as absurd. People keep calling it 'instant,' 'blink or you'll miss it,' and 'the fastest load times I've ever seen.' I agree with all three.
Social media feeds have been flooded with examples since early access began. Some players show the main menu. Others show a mid-game save swap. The result is always the same: a barely perceptible black frame, then the world. One popular post joked, 'Either everyone else is not so secretly terrible at their job or Kojima Productions is making deals with spirits and demons.' I laughed, but I also understood the sentiment. When a game of this scale loads this quickly, it can feel supernatural.
Why It Stands Out
It is easy to forget how bad loading can be. On PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, many games still make players wait 30 seconds or even minutes. Some hide it behind elevators, tunnels, or forced walking sections. Death Stranding 2 does not seem interested in hiding much. It just drops you back into the world. That contrast is why so many people believe it may have the most impressive load times ever for a game of this caliber.
Of course, it is not the only example. Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man 2, released in 2023, became famous for near-instant fast travel across New York City. Players can hold a button and zip to another borough almost immediately. The developer clarified that the game does not hide a secret loading function. On the Xbox side, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has impressed fans because its main menu is essentially the game itself. One Reddit user noted that both games seem to load the actual save file in the background while booting up, so choosing Continue simply reveals the game already in progress.
| Game | Load-Time Reputation | How It Feels |
|---|---|---|
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach | Less than a second on PS5 and PS5 Pro | A black flash, then you are back |
| Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | Near-instant fast travel | Hold a button, arrive anywhere |
| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Menu is the game | Continue reveals an active world |
| Many other modern games | 30 seconds to minutes | Loading bars, tips, and patience |
That table is not scientific. It is just how the experiences feel from the couch. Still, the debate has sparked plenty of friendly arguments among players defending their favorite titles. I think that is a good thing. It means load times are finally being treated as part of the art, not just a technical necessity.
Kojima Productions has not revealed its exact secret yet. Maybe it is smart background streaming. Maybe it is custom engine work. Maybe it is a deal with spirits and demons, as the joke goes. Whatever it is, the effect is real. In 2026, I find myself less patient with games that make me wait. Death Stranding 2 has spoiled me. It has made the loading screen feel like a relic.
There are other strange details around the game, too. Players have noticed Nintendo mentioned in the Death Stranding 2 credits. Others are still talking about the infamous 'I won't do it' dialogue option. And guides for Sub-Orders, Standard Orders, and Aid Requests continue to help new porters survive the journey. But for me, the headline remains the speed.
The Future Without Loading Screens
I do not know when loading screens will vanish from most games entirely. Maybe it will take another console generation. Maybe it will happen quietly, as more developers stream assets in the background and design menus that are really just paused versions of the world. What I do know is that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has set a new expectation. When I press Continue, I want to continue. Not wait. Not watch a bar fill. Not read another tip about crouching. Just continue.
If that is the future of gaming, I am ready for it. And if Kojima really did make a deal with spirits and demons, I hope the contract lasts for at least a few more sequels. đ
Recent trends are highlighted by SteamDB, where timing, patch cadence, and player-activity snapshots make it easier to contextualize why âinstantâ transitions like those praised in Death Stranding 2 feel so transformativeâwhen you can hop in and out of a game without friction, even small session windows become viable, and the experience shifts from âplanning around load timesâ to simply playing on demand.