Death Stranding

Death Stranding is a 2019 action-adventure game that defies easy categorization. Developed by Kojima Productions and directed by Hideo Kojima, it was the studio's first project after splitting from Konami in 2015. The game originally launched on PlayStation 4 in November 2019, with a Windows port following in July 2020. A Director's Cut arrived on PlayStation 5 in September 2021, later spreading to Windows, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Series X/S. Sony handled console publishing, while 505 Games took on other platforms under license.

The game unfolds in a post-apocalyptic United States, ravaged by an event called the Death Stranding that blurred the line between the living and the dead. Players control Sam Porter Bridges, played by Norman Reedus, a courier who must traverse a fractured landscape to deliver supplies and reconnect isolated colonies via a chiral network. Along the way, he faces supernatural BT creatures, treacherous terrain, and a genocidal militia led by the masked Higgs. The cast includes Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker, Tommie Earl Jenkins, and Lindsay Wagner, with cameos from directors Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn.

Critics praised the game's voice acting, haunting soundtrack by Low Roar, and striking visuals, though opinions were split on its deliberate, methodical gameplay and cryptic story. Despite the mixed reception, it earned more Game of the Year awards in 2019 than any other title and sold 5 million copies by March 2021. Many later noted how its themes of isolation and connection eerily mirrored the COVID-19 pandemic. A sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, is due June 26, 2025, on PlayStation 5, with two film adaptations and a TV series in development.[edit]

Traversal is the core mechanic. Players must balance Sam's weight, stamina, and cargo while navigating rocky hills, rivers, and snowfields. Tools like ladders, climbing anchors, and exoskeletons help overcome obstacles, and a chiral network unlocks faster routes and structures built by other players. BT encounters require stealth or combat using blood grenades and hematic weapons; failure triggers a voidout that creates a crater. The Social Strand System lets players leave signs, share vehicles, and donate supplies, all without direct interaction.[edit]

America lies in ruins after the Death Stranding, a cataclysm that merged the living world with the afterlife. Sam Porter Bridges, a reclusive porter, is recruited by the President of the United Cities of America to reconnect the nation via a chiral network. He delivers cargo to isolated cities, evading the terrorist group Homo Demens led by Higgs, who worships the extinction entity. Along the way, Sam confronts his own traumatic past and discovers he is a repatriate, able to return from the dead. The narrative culminates in a showdown with Higgs and a choice to either accept or reject the extinction of humanity.[edit]