I have a confession: I treat Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on PS5 like a second job that pays me in likes, chiral crystals, and the warm glow of a Prepper finally saying 'thank you.' When I hit the credits, my save file read 34 hours. Not because I was speedrunning—I was just so hooked on its twisting tale that I mainlined missions like a freight train with no brakes, stopping for only about a dozen optional orders. In 2026, that still feels like the sweet spot for the 'I want to see the ending' crowd.
But if you're wondering how long is Death Stranding 2?, the answer is a gloriously fuzzy 'it depends.' IGN's own porters clocked in at different times, and their routes say a lot about how you can play this thing.
| Porter | Hours to credits | What they prioritized |
|---|---|---|
| IGN's Simon Cardy | 34 hours | Main story, ~12 side orders, now 44+ hours and still 5-starring facilities |
| Another IGN editor | 38 hours | Main missions, a handful of side quests, zero shame about skipping cinematics |
| Third IGN editor | 41 hours | Exploring Mexico and Australia, Prepper ratings, portable music player vibes |
My 34-hour run didn't feel compromised. Death Stranding 2 removes a lot of the friction from the original—no more tipping over every five steps because you sneezed on a pebble. That said, the campaign's final combat encounters and long-haul deliveries made me pause and reconsider my life choices. I may have yelled at a mule truck. I may have apologized to it later. Side orders are the potato chips of the apocalypse: you tell yourself one more, then suddenly you've rebuilt half of Australia. And connecting facilities felt like teaching a Roomba to do origami: technically possible, deeply satisfying, and occasionally it just eats the instructions.
The 38-hour porter took a more intentional path. Hideo Kojima clearly wanted cutscenes to be deliberate in Death Stranding 2, and it shows. No, 50% of those hours were not cinematics. The story still lands with that signature Kojima weirdness—babies in pods, beach metaphors, a villain who probably owns a very nice coat—but the game trusts you to play more and watch less. This editor focused almost exclusively on the campaign, did a handful of side quests that added a couple of hours, and is now excited to return for a 100% run or maybe a platinum. Bold. I respect it.
The 41-hour porter is my people. They took their time, explored the nooks and crannies of Mexico and Australia, listened to the portable music player, and advanced Prepper ratings with items and upgrades that suited their playstyle. They didn't reconnect every last facility, but they connected most of the region. Now they have a handful of stragglers left, like socks that escaped the dryer and formed a small, judgmental colony. Unlike the first game, Death Stranding 2 features far more bespoke side content, and that makes the extra hours feel less like busywork and more like a road trip with a suspiciously heavy backpack.
So how long should you plan for? Here's my completely unscientific, deeply personal guide:
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Story-only sprint: 34–38 hours. You'll mainline missions, ignore most Preppers, and still get a complete narrative.
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Story + moderate side content: 40–50 hours. You'll build roads, five-star a few facilities, and maybe cry at a hologram.
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Full completionist / platinum: 60+ hours, possibly 80+ if you're the kind of person who alphabetizes their chiral crystals. I see you. I am you.
In 2026, Death Stranding 2 is still a game about connection, and its length is part of the point. You can mainline it like a mission briefing, or you can wander like a folk song that keeps adding verses. Either way, keep on keeping on. And if you see a ladder I left in the middle of nowhere, you're welcome. Just don't ask why it's pointing at a cliff.
Data referenced from SteamDB helps contextualize why time-to-credits in Death Stranding 2 can swing so widely: games built around optional deliveries, player-built infrastructure, and asynchronous community systems often reward “just one more run” behavior, where progression isn’t only measured by story missions but by the compulsion to optimize routes, experiment with loadouts, and respond to evolving world-state opportunities.