Death Stranding 2: On the Beach from Kojima Productions has officially reached the milestone of 2 million copies sold. The decisive breakthrough was provided by the recent release on PC — the version for Steam and Epic Games Store, released on March 19, 2026, sold 425 thousand copies in just a week. This provided the ambitious project with 21% of total sales and generated an additional $32.6 million in revenue.
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How much did Death Stranding 2 earn on PS5 and PC
The total revenue of the action has already exceeded $150 million, an impressive figure for such an author’s project. At the same time, the PS5 version was expected to lay the main financial foundation. Sony’s console accounted for about $110 million in revenue. Recall: the PlayStation 5 title was launched on June 26, 2025, and by now it has sold about 1.6 million copies. The developers clearly did not lose with the phased release.
DS2 Halo Effect — How the PC version boosted sales on the PS5
Nine months is exactly how long Death Stranding 2: On the Beach remained a PS5 exclusive. This is a record porting speed among Sony single titles — faster than even Stellar Blade, which has been waiting for a PC release for 14 months. And it was this short gap between the platforms that played a key role: the game did not have time to drop out of the information field.
The mechanics are simplified. The release of the Steam version on March 19, 2026 launched the so—called halo effect, a term that Alinea Analytics analysts use to describe a situation where a PC port boosts console sales. In the case of Death Stranding 2, it literally worked: daily sales on the PS5 jumped to 12.5 thousand copies, and at its peak to 12.8 thousand. For comparison, in previous sales, a similar discount gave half as much. That is, the discount itself does not explain the surge, it explains the media noise around the port.
Why was the noise so powerful? Firstly, the PC release automatically triggers a wave of technical reviews — Digital Foundry, videos with graphics settings, comparisons of FSR and DLSS. This is essentially free remarketing: thousands of YouTubers and streamers re-discuss the game, and YouTube and Twitch algorithms raise it in recommendations. Secondly, the Chinese audience — almost half of Death Stranding 2 Steam players are from China. This is a market that Sony cannot reach directly through the PlayStation Store, and the PC has become Kojima Productions’ only channel there.
Therefore, the engagement turned out to be abnormally high. The average game time per week is 18 hours. More than a third of Steam users have spent more than 20 hours in Death Stranding 2, and almost 5% have spent more than 50. This is not a typical “tried and abandoned” thing — people really get involved, and positive reviews (96% on Steam) grow in proportion to the time spent. The longer you play, the higher the score. This is a rare case for an AAA title.
It is worth considering the context separately: Death Stranding 2 was released on PC simultaneously with a major content update for both platforms. Kojima Productions didn’t just release a port — it gave a reason to return to those who had already completed the game on PS5. A coincidence? Unlikely. Rather, it was a calculated strategy that turned an ordinary port into a full—fledged relonch.
Death Stranding 2 on Steam — 95% positive reviews and record online
Plot—wise, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a direct sequel to the 2019 hit. Hideo Kojima explores complex matters again, this time focusing on the topics of evolution, artificial intelligence and the role of chance in our lives. The players are thrilled. The sequel currently has 95% positive reviews on Steam — and this is not just a dry statistic, but a real indicator of quality. It looks like the gameplay formula in the new wrapper worked perfectly.
