Does Death Stranding 2 have multiplayer or co-op? Answered

Fancy trying to connect post-apocalyptic Mexico and Australia alongside a buddy? We’re sorry to report that, much like the original, Death Stranding 2 is a purely single player game and there’s no co-op option on the cards. Or at least, not co-op or multiplayer as we’ve come to expect from most contemporary games.

You won’t, however, be completely alone as we’ll explain below, but it’s best to go in expecting a solo experience as that is predominantly what the sequel has to offer. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything we know about Death Stranding 2 On The Beach multiplayer and co-op.

Can you play Death Stranding 2 in co-op or multiplayer?

Death Stranding 2 features what Kojima Productions is calling asynchronous multiplayer very much in keeping with the Social Strand System in the original game. If you played the original you’ll be familiar with the concept where your constructions and actions across the map affect other players and vice-versa. For example, if you were to build a bridge across a stream it would then appear in the game instance of other players, allowing them to cross the water to make their journey easier.

As the official PlayStation Store page explains, “The iconic Social Strand System of Death Stranding returns to encourage asynchronous connection across the globe. Your actions in-game affect how other players interact with the world and vice-versa – so connect, collaborate, and help your fellow Porters on their journeys. Leave a Like on a useful bridge, donate resources to community projects, store fieldware in shared lockers and finish incomplete deliveries as you stumble upon dropped cargo. As you support other players on their journeys, your own reputation will grow, giving you access to valuable resources and new gear.”

As for traditional co-op where you play side-by-side in the same game instance as a friend, it isn’t present in Death Stranding 2. The game is designed from the ground up to be played by a single player. If the game does make its way over to PC as we expect it to, there’s a chance modders may piece together a makeshift co-op mode but that’s far off and far from guaranteed.

If you’re planning to pre-order the game, check out our breakdown of the bonuses included in each of the physical and digital editions of Death Stranding 2. Also have a peek at what to expect from the PS5 Pro Enhanced features coming to the game.