Editor’s note: A PC (Steam) copy of the game was provided by Sony PlayStation India for testing.
Originally launched as a PlayStation 5 exclusive in 2025, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is now making its way to PC in under a year. Developer Kojima Productions has once again collaborated with Nixxes Software—a studio known for delivering polished PC versions of titles like The Last of Us Part II Remastered and Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut—to handle the port.
Overview
The game follows Sam Porter, played by Norman Reedus, as he works to reconnect Australia to the Chiral Network in a world filled with environmental hazards and hostile threats. Players encounter dynamic systems like shifting weather, earthquakes, sandstorms, and supernatural Timefall, alongside combat scenarios involving both human and mechanical enemies. Gameplay allows for both direct combat and stealth-based approaches.
While the narrative and gameplay systems have already been widely discussed, this review focuses purely on how the PC version performs across various configurations.
System Requirements and Optimization
For a modern AAA title, the hardware demands are surprisingly reasonable. Achieving 4K at 60 FPS on “Very High” settings requires hardware like an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X or Intel Core i7-11700 paired with GPUs such as the Nvidia RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT.
At the lower end, a Ryzen 3 3100 or Intel Core i3-10100 with GPUs like the RTX 1660 or RX 5500 XT can still deliver 1080p at 30 FPS on low settings. This scalability suggests the game is well-optimized for a broad range of systems.
Test Setup
Performance testing was conducted on a mid-range AM4 system featuring a Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and an RTX 5060 Ti GPU, along with 32GB RAM and NVMe storage. Testing was done at 1080p resolution using the “Very High” preset, with V-Sync and dynamic resolution disabled. Performance metrics were captured using CapFrameX.
Native Performance and Frame Generation
Without upscaling (using DLSS in Native AA mode), the game delivered an average of 76.8 FPS. Frame pacing was stable, with minimal dips and no noticeable stuttering during gameplay.
Enabling 2x frame generation significantly increased average FPS to over 115, though it slightly reduced consistency in lower percentile frame rates. Overall, performance remained smooth and responsive.
DLSS 4 Performance
Using Nvidia DLSS, performance scaled well across presets:
- Quality, Balanced, and Performance modes all provided stable frame rates and good system utilization.
- Ultra Performance mode showed occasional CPU bottlenecks, limiting gains.
- Combining DLSS with frame generation pushed performance beyond 140 FPS in some modes.
DLSS Quality mode also delivered the best visual clarity, maintaining sharp textures and detail.
PICO Upscaling Performance
The game also includes PICO (Progressive Image Compositor), the same upscaling method used on PS5. While functional, it lagged behind DLSS in both performance and image quality.
During testing, switching between PICO presets caused multiple crashes, indicating potential stability issues. On average, PICO performed around 5% slower than DLSS and produced slightly softer visuals.
Support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution is limited to version 3.1, with no FSR 4 available at launch—something that may disappoint AMD users.
Final Verdict
The PC version of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a strong technical release. Performance is smooth across most configurations, particularly when using DLSS, and system requirements are relatively accessible for a game of this visual quality.
While PICO upscaling needs refinement and the absence of newer FSR support is noticeable, these issues don’t overshadow the overall experience. Thanks to the work of Nixxes Software, this is another well-executed PC port that should run reliably on a wide range of hardware.
