Death Stranding 2 lands on PC as a near-flawless port by Nixxes
Summary
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arrives on PC as a highly polished port developed by Nixxes Software in partnership with Kojima Productions.
The port delivers strong performance across mid-range to high-end hardware, with broad upscaling support and extensive graphical options.
PC version includes exclusive content additions also being rolled out to PS5.
"Nixxes Software continues its great run by delivering another great PC port."
01
Port quality - Nixxes delivers another benchmark PC release
Nixxes Software, known for high-quality PlayStation PC ports, handled the conversion alongside Kojima Productions.
Previous Nixxes credits include The Last of Us Part II Remastered, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
The port supports all major upscaling technologies: Nvidia DLSS 4, AMD FSR 3.1, Intel XeSS, and Sony's own PICO upscaler.
Extensive graphical options cover volumetric lighting, terrain quality, translucency, reflections, texture quality, and ambient occlusion.
Full DualSense integration with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers is included.
Ultrawide 21:9 support extends into in-game cutscenes.
Steam Input works flawlessly for non-standard controllers, with keybinding changes routed through Steam rather than in-game menus.
02
Performance benchmarks - smooth across mid-range and high-end hardware
On an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Radeon RX 7800 XT at 1440p with maxed settings, the game held over 100 FPS consistently.
On an RTX 5060 Ti with Ryzen 5 5600X at 1080p Very High settings, Native AA delivered 76.8 avg FPS, 57.4 avg 0.1% lows.
DLSS 4 Quality mode reached 80.8 avg FPS; DLSS Balanced hit 87.1 avg FPS; DLSS Performance reached 89.5 avg FPS.
DLSS Performance + 2x Frame Generation peaked at 145.8 avg FPS; Ultra Performance + 2x Frame Generation reached 152.9 avg FPS.
DLSS Ultra Performance mode alone pushed the system close to CPU-bound territory, limiting gains at that specific preset.
PICO upscaler runs approximately 5.25% slower than DLSS equivalents and produces visibly less sharp image quality.
PICO Quality mode averaged 76.4 FPS; PICO Balanced 83.2 FPS; PICO Performance 84.3 FPS.
PICO testing encountered repeated crashes when switching between presets, flagged as a stability concern.
FSR support is limited to version 3.1 at launch, with no FSR 4 support, which reviewers noted as a gap for a AAA 2025 title.
Minimum spec targets 1080p at 30 FPS on Low settings with a Ryzen 3 3100 and GTX 1660.
Recommended spec for 4K at 60 FPS on Very High requires a Ryzen 7 5700X and RTX 4080 or RX 9070 XT.
03
Exclusive PC content - new modes and additions beyond the PS5 version
"Trapped in a Strange Realm" is a new VR training area built around Sam's battles with Neil, exclusive at PC launch.
"To the wilder" mode introduces a punishing challenge option designed to test porter skills under extreme conditions.
All new PC content additions are also being patched into the PS5 version simultaneously.
04
Game overview - DS2 builds meaningfully on its predecessor
The story follows Sam Bridges tasked with connecting Mexico, then Australia, to the Chiral Network.
New environmental hazards include earthquakes, sandstorms, wildfires, and avalanches layered over the day-night cycle.
Combat options expanded with non-lethal weapon loadouts and new stealth tools including decoy holograms and long-range gear.
New characters join the DHV Magellan base, with Dollman highlighted as a standout for comedic delivery and stylized animation.
"Death Stranding 2 offers a uniquely meditative experience for most of its runtime, punctuated by high-octane action."
05
Looking ahead - PC as a growing platform for PlayStation exclusives
The DS2 PC port reinforces Sony's continued strategy of bringing PlayStation exclusives to PC within a short window post-launch.
Nixxes Software's consistent output positions it as a critical studio in Sony's PC publishing pipeline.
Broader FSR 4 support and PICO stability fixes are expected areas for post-launch patch attention.
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