Death Stranding 2: Leaked Footage Sparks Hype and Controversy Ahead of June 26 Release

The highly anticipated sequel to Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2, has been leaked online, with the first hour of gameplay surfacing on YouTube just days before its official release on June 26. The unofficial look at the game, which is set to debut as a PlayStation exclusive, is likely to be taken down due to copyright issues. The latest game from Hideo Kojima was originally announced two and a half years ago during the December 2022 edition of The Game Awards. The leak appears to have come from a retailer breaking the street date and shipping copies early, rather than a broken NDA. The leaked footage is heavy on cutscenes, consistent with Kojima’s signature style of gamemaking. Fans turning to the leak for an early preview of Death Stranding 2's story may need to turn on YouTube's auto-generated subtitles, as the recently shared footage was captured while playing a Spanish dub of the game. At the start of the leaked clip, the game notifies the player about a new update being available for download, suggesting that the author is playing a physical copy of Death Stranding 2 offline. The 1.003.000 update, which was released on June 20, may be the one referred to in the leaked footage. No official changelog detailing this update has yet been shared by Kojima Productions. Death Stranding 2 preloads have been live since June 17, with the initial version of the game weighing in at 91.476GB. The 1.003.000 update adds an additional 861.7MB but reportedly mostly replaces some of the game's existing files rather than adding to its installation size. Like its predecessor, Death Stranding 2 is set to debut as a PlayStation exclusive. Given that the original took just over eight months to reach PC, it is plausible that the sequel could follow a similar timeline, potentially launching on Steam and the Epic Games Store in early 2026. In addition to the leaked footage, Death Stranding 2 has been revealed to include a surprising melee weapon that has already been featured in some of the game's previous trailers. This addition to the game's arsenal is sure to add an exciting new element to the gameplay experience for fans of the series.