Here’s what happened in the original Death Stranding in just 6 minutes

Hideo Kojima, famed creator of the Metal Gear franchise, is celebrated as an auteur in the gaming space, but his concepts are a little too far out, and fans sometimes struggle to keep up. Thankfully, PlayStation has released an official recap for Death Stranding ahead of the sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is expected to be released later this month.

The trailer showcases the story of Death Stranding thus far, beginning “before we connected,” which means the beginning of the first game. Death Stranding and its upcoming sequel, On the Beach, take place decades after a cataclysmic event known as the Death Stranding. This apocalyptic phenomenon messed up the connection between life and death and unleashed monstrous entities called Beached Things, whose presence triggers devastating “voidouts” — explosions with the force of nuclear blasts. In the aftermath, the world was left scarred and shrouded in a mysterious rain that rapidly ages everything it touches.

Like the original Death Stranding, On the Beach blends distinctive hiking-based gameplay with dense exposition, Yoji Shinkawa’s bold character designs, and a surreal sci-fi story about forging human connections in a bleak, isolated world where the boundary between life and death has collapsed.

According to Kojima, Death Stranding has amassed 19 million players since November 2024. It’s so popular that Michael Sarnoski, who helmed A Quiet Place: Day One and Pig, will direct the live-action adaptation of the Death Stranding franchise for A24.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to be released on June 26 for PlayStation 5.