Death Stranding 2 on the Beach PC Launch: Targets, Upscalers, 150 GB Install

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arrives on PC next month with surprisingly accessible targets, a modern upscaling stack, and a port handled by Nixxes — but there are important caveats for PC builders, drivers, and anyone hoping to run Kojima’s sandbox at ultra settings.

Background​

Kojima Productions confirmed that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will launch on PC on March 19, 2026, with pre-purchases already available through major storefronts.
The PC edition is being produced in collaboration with Nixxes Software, the studio Sony and other developers have leaned on repeatedly when bringing big PlayStation exclusives to Windows. Nixxes’ involvement has become shorthand for a careful, option-rich port, and the company’s name should give PC players reasonable expectations about controls, ultrawide support, and feature toggles.
What landed this week — beyond the release date — were the technical targets and system-tier guidance intended to help PC players decide whether their hardware will handle Kojima’s latest open world. The official PlayStation blog laid out the PC feature set (uncapped framerates, multiple upscalers and frame generation, ultrawide support, DualSense and KB+M controls), while outlets that republished the PlayStation post captured the developer-supplied tiered specs that map to 1080p/30, 1080p/60, 1440p/60 and 4K/60 targets.

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What the PC release promises — at a glance​

• Release date: March 19, 2026.
• Port developer: Nixxes Software (in partnership with Kojima Productions).
• Key PC features: uncapped framerates for gameplay, NVIDIA/AMD/Intel upscalers and frame generation, full keyboard and mouse support, DualSense integration, 21:9 and 32:9 ultrawide support (cutscenes and gameplay as noted), and 3D audio options.
• Storage headline: multiple outlets report a ~150 GB SSD install target for the PC port in its launch form; the PlayStation blog did not list an install size. Expect a large SSD footprint.

These are the marquee items that will matter to most PC players: compatibility with modern upscalers and frame-generation systems, ultrawide support, and the practical realities of disk space and uncapped performance.

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System requirements: the tiered targets explained​

The available developer guidance (reproduced by multiple outlets) groups performance targets into four tiers designed around common resolution/framerate goals. These tiers are intended as targets, not iron-clad guarantees; actual performance will depend on driver maturity, the final day-one build, background tasks, and whether you use upscaling/framegen. The tiers reported are:

Minimum — 1080p / 30 FPS / Low​

• GPU: GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 5500 XT
• CPU: Intel Core i3-10100 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100
• RAM: 16 GB
• OS: Windows 10/11 (Version 1909+)
• Storage: 150 GB SSD (reported).

Medium — 1080p / 60 FPS / Medium​

• GPU: RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600
• CPU: Intel Core i5-11400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600
• RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 150 GB SSD.

High (Recommended) — 1440p / 60 FPS / High​

• GPU: RTX 3070 or RX 6800
• CPU: Intel Core i7-11700 or Ryzen 7 5700X
• RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 150 GB SSD.

Very High — 4K / 60 FPS / Very High​

• GPU: RTX 4080 or RX 9070 XT (as cited by some outlets)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-11700 / Ryzen 7 5700X (oddly, same CPU list appears for Very High in the republished table)
• RAM: 16 GB (developer table lists 16 GB across tiers)
• Storage: 150 GB SSD.

A few important notes about the list above:

• Multiple outlets reproduced the exact table from the PlayStation Blog post or from developer communication; the PlayStation Blog itself outlined the PC feature set but did not include the full “four-tier” table in a machine-readable spec, which explains why outlets are quoting screenshots or republished images. That means discrepancies in transcription are possible.
• The uniform RAM figure (16 GB) across all tiers is noteworthy. Rather than pushing 24–32 GB for 4K/Very High as many modern AAA releases do, Kojima/Nixxes appear confident that 16 GB is enough for launch — though texture streaming, quality settings, and mods could change practical memory use during live play.
• The CPU choices skew toward mid‑to‑upper mainstream Intel and AMD parts from the previous CPU generation; paired with upscalers and framegen, this suggests that the port is engineered to make smart use of GPU-side features to reach higher apparent fidelity without forcing the highest core counts.

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The upscaling and frame-generation story: DLSS 4, FSR 4, XeSS 2, and FrameGen​

The PC edition will ship with support for the major upscaling ecosystems: NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS — including frame generation features where supported. The PlayStation blog explicitly called out NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel upscaler and framegen support, and outlets parsing the announcement highlighted the inclusion of DLSS 4, FSR 4, and XeSS 2 specifically.
Why this matters:

• Frame generation can boost perceived framerate by inserting synthetic frames, which is useful for players who want buttery-smooth movement at high refresh rates while keeping GPU load lower. On NVIDIA hardware, the latest FrameGen tech (e.g., DLSS Frame Generation available through recent RTX drivers) can add significant smoothness, but it also relies heavily on driver maturity and GPU firmware.
• Upscaling (DLSS/FSR/XeSS) remains the best lever for getting high resolution quality at acceptable performance. Because the developer targets are conservative on RAM and list mid-range CPUs for many tiers, using upscalers will be the practical route for players with RTX 30/40-series or modern AMD/Intel GPUs to reach 1440p and 4K targets.
• Implementation details matter. Whether NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 implementation includes multi-frame generation, the newest neural models, or optional settings exposed through the NVIDIA app can change outcomes significantly — and at launch those options often vary between games. Outlets noted that the DLSS 4 integration was confirmed in name but not fully explained in terms of which sub-features will be available day one. Treat claims about exact DLSS modes with caution until driver notes and patch logs appear.

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Storage and installation: plan for an SSD​

Multiple outlets report a significant SSD footprint for the PC port — around 150 GB — which is larger than the original Death Stranding Director’s Cut and considerably larger than many mid‑2020s AAA titles’ day-one installs. Several aggregation and hardware-news sites reproduced the 150 GB figure when summarizing the official PC guidance. If you’re still on a mechanical HDD or a small-capacity NVMe, this is a clear trigger to free up space or upgrade.
Practical tips:

• Use an NVMe SSD (or at minimum a modern SATA SSD) for both install and OS. Texture streaming and compression can force stutter if the game hits disk too often.
• If you have an M.2 slot and want the smoothest experience, prioritize installing the game there; some launch-day patches add additional assets that push sizes higher than pre-release figures.

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Ultrawide and cutscene support: better than console, with caveats​

The PC edition will feature broad ultrawide support: 21:9 for both gameplay and cutscenes (matching PS5’s 21:9 cutscene choice) and 32:9 super-ultrawide support for gameplay on PC. That is a welcome choice for many PC players who prize panoramic immersion. However, the PlayStation blog and storefront copy suggest cutscene handling varies with aspect ratio and platform, so expect some cinematic crops or letterboxing depending on your monitor and in‑game cinematic options.

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Controller, audio, and accessibility details​

DualSense integration is present on PC: haptics and adaptive triggers are supported via a wired DualSense connection, and keyboard/mouse control is fully supported with remappable bindings. The game also supports 3D audio formats (Dolby Access, DTS Sound Unbound, or Windows Sonic) for players with compatible hardware or headphones. These are the kinds of usability edge cases where a Nixxes port traditionally shines: multiple input schemas and thorough toggles.

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Why the requirements feel reasonable — and when they might not be​

On paper, some of the CPU/GPU pairings appear comfortable for modern rigs: 16 GB of RAM across the board and mid-range GPUs for 1080p/60 are achievable for many players. That modest-seeming baseline reflects two real design choices:

• The game leans on GPU-driven techniques (upscalers, framegen) to drive perceived resolution and smoothness rather than brute-forcing everything with native rasterization. That’s a pragmatic decision that benefits users who enable DLSS/FSR/XeSS.
• Nixxes has a track record of adding fine-grained graphic toggles — which means some players can get good results by tuning shadows, vegetation draw, and texture streaming without needing the highest GPUs.

However, there are counterpoints worth flagging:

• The uniform 16 GB memory target is optimistic for very high texture settings at 4K, VRAM and system memory pressure from background applications could push page file use, causing stutters. Consider 32 GB if you plan to run background capture/streaming tools or lots of Chrome tabs.
• The widely reported 150 GB install means more assets to stream; unless compression and streaming are aggressive, texture loads combined with slower SSDs can generate hitching.
• DLSS/FrameGen driver maturity at launch has historically mattered a great deal. Don’t expect flawless FrameGen performance across every card-model/driver combination on day one; manufacturer driver updates often land parallel to or after the game’s release to iron out artifacts.

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Practical tuning and upgrade advice for Windows users​

If you’re deciding whether to upgrade before March 19, this short checklist targets real-world outcomes.

• Inventory: confirm you have at least 150 GB free on an SSD (NVMe preferred).
• RAM: upgrade to 32 GB if you multitask heavily (streaming, OBS, browser tabs). 16 GB is listed as the official figure, but modern workflows benefit from more headroom.
• GPU: if you own an RTX 30-series or newer, plan to enable DLSS (or native Nvidia upscaler) and test FrameGen only after the first driver updates are available. AMD and Intel upscalers will perform well on their ecosystems; test all options to find the best balance of quality and FPS.
• CPU: the midrange Intel/AMD chips listed in the developer table are acceptable for the stated targets — but if you also record or stream, a higher-core CPU will reduce encode/CPU contention.
• Drivers: install the latest GPU drivers (day-one drivers often include game-specific optimizations); keep an eye on hotfixes for frame generation and upscaler profiles.

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Critical analysis: strengths, trade-offs, and risks​

Strengths​

• Modern feature set at launch. Support for DLSS 4, FSR 4, and XeSS 2 plus frame generation puts Death Stranding 2 in the “PC-first friendly” camp by default. That’s a deliberate win for players who rely on these technologies to extract performance without sacrificing image quality.
• Nixxes’ involvement. Historically, Nixxes ports come with strong input options, comprehensive graphical toggles, and good ultrawide handling — which increases the chance the PC build will be polished.
• Reasonable baseline. The GPU/CPU pairings for each tier make the game accessible to a broad set of midrange rigs, especially if players use upscalers.

Trade-offs and concerns​

• Large disk footprint. A 150 GB install is non-trivial and increases the cost of entry for users on limited SSD space. It also raises the risk of texture streaming hiccups on slower drives.
• Uniform RAM spec. Listing 16 GB across the board suggests the game is optimized to fit typical midrange systems, but real-world scenarios (streaming, mods, background apps) may make that less adequate. Players with 16 GB should be ready to tweak settings or upgrade.
• Dependency on upscaler & driver maturity. The quality and stability of DLSS 4/FrameGen and other upscalers at launch will be shaped by GPU vendor drivers. Historically, early driver/game combinations can produce artifacts or suboptimal results until vendor hotfixes arrive. This makes day-one benchmarking and tuning essential.
• Inconsistent public documentation. While the PlayStation blog confirmed the launch and feature set, the precise tabulated specs are being republished by outlets and may be screenshots of developer materials rather than a canonical Steam-style support page. Expect small transcription discrepancies until an official support article or patch notes publish the final wording. The Steam product page initially lists system requirements as “TBD.” That uncertainty is normal pre-launch, but it means players should watch official storefronts for final clarifications.

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How this launch fits the broader trend of console-first PC ports​

Death Stranding 2’s PC rollout — less than a year after the PS5 launch — continues Sony and Kojima Productions’ recent practice of migrating high‑profile PS exclusives to PC within a relatively short window. This approach benefits players and Sony alike: studios get additional revenue and the PC community receives games with modern PC options at launch rather than waiting years. The technical choices here (broad upscaler support, ultrawide/cutscene handling, and Nixxes’ expertise) reflect a more mature, PC-aware launch strategy than many console-first ports from earlier console generations.

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Day-one expectations and what to do after launch​

• Expect a day-one patch and subsequent hotfixes that adjust performance presets and upscaler profiles. Driver updates for major GPU vendors commonly appear within the first 48–72 hours around AAA launches with FrameGen and DLSS claims.
• If you plan to stream or capture, test your encoder settings before streaming live: CPU overhead plus the game’s demands can reduce headroom for smooth recording. If you have an NVENC-capable GPU, use GPU-based encoding to minimize CPU contention.
• Try each upscaler and FrameGen mode side-by-side. Differences in aliasing, ghosting, and motion clarity are game- and scene-specific; the “best” setting on paper may not match your eye.

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Honesty check: what remains unverified​

A few items reported in the press deserve cautious labeling until official patch notes and storefront support pages publish final wording:

• The exact day-one inclusion and feature breakdown for the latest sub-modes of DLSS 4 (e.g., which neural or transformer models are available) was named but not fully explained in developer/press copies; expect follow-up technical notes.
• The 150 GB figure, while widely reported, did not appear in PlayStation’s initial blog post that listed features — it was circulated by outlets that captured developer-supplied tables and storefront screenshots; final install size can shift with last-minute compression or localization assets. Treat the storage figure as highly likely but potentially subject to small adjustments.
• The Steam product entry initially shows system requirement fields as “TBD,” which means the canonical, store-fronted minimum/recommended fields may be updated as the launch approaches or at release. Watch the store page for the final, authoritative numbers.

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Conclusion​

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’s PC debut packs the modern checklist most PC players expect: ultrawide support, uncapped framerates, DualSense and KB+M input, and a full slate of upscalers and frame-generation options. The system tiers published by outlets point to mid-range accessibility for 1080p play and a sensible pathway to 1440p and 4K via upscalers. That makes the PC version feel like a practical way to experience Kojima’s vision without needing the absolute latest silicon — provided players accept a large SSD install and the usual day‑one driver/patch dance.
If you’re preparing a PC for March 19:

• Reserve at least 150 GB on a fast SSD.
• Ensure your GPU drivers are current and be ready to test DLSS/FSR/XeSS and FrameGen modes to find the best balance between quality and performance.
• Consider upgrading to 32 GB of RAM only if you multitask heavily; 16 GB is the published baseline but may be tight in practical scenarios.

Kojima’s worlds reward patient exploration; on PC, that patience extends to tuning settings and driver updates. Expect an initial wave of optimization patches and vendor driver updates in the days after launch — and if history is any guide, Nixxes’ hand should make the eventual PC experience the definitive way to play for many porters who value options, ultrawide vistas, and high frame rates.

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Source: Eurogamer Here are the PC specs for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Source: EGW.News Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on PC Gets Official System Requirements

 

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Sony and Kojima Productions have finally given PC players the map: Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will arrive on Windows on March 19, and the team has published a full set of PC system requirements plus a detailed list of platform-specific features designed to make this Kojima spectacle run and look its best on a wide range of hardware.

Background / Overview​

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach launched as a PlayStation 5 exclusive and quickly became one of the most discussed single‑player releases of its generation, earning high critical marks and technical praise on console. The PC edition — developed in collaboration with Nixxes Software — brings that same cinematic ambition to PCs with a modern toolkit: ultrawide support, uncapped framerates, advanced upscaling and frame‑generation options from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, and a new PC‑friendly options set that includes a “Portable” preset aimed at handheld Windows devices.
The PC release is also being positioned as a bridge for existing PlayStation players: porters who connect their PlayStation account to the PC version will receive the PlayStation‑logo‑inspired Porter Suit: Link and Patch: Link as a cosmetic reward, matching the studio’s stated intent to reward players who follow the game across platforms.

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What Sony and Kojima have published: the official PC requirements​

PlayStation and Kojima Productions released a clear, four‑tier hardware table for Death Stranding 2 on PC. The headline points are compact and important:

• Storage: 150 GB on SSD (all presets).
• Memory: 16 GB RAM required across the board.
• Operating system: Windows 10 or Windows 11, Version 1909 or newer.
• Graphics presets: Low, Medium, High (recommended), and Very High — with target performance points of 1080p@30, 1080p@60, 1440p@60, and 4K@60 respectively.

Hardware callouts by preset (key GPUs and CPUs listed by the publisher):

• Minimum / Low (1080p @ 30 FPS)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB
• CPU: Intel Core i3‑10100 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100
• Medium (1080p @ 60 FPS)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB or AMD Radeon RX 6600
• CPU: Intel Core i5‑11400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600
• High / Recommended (1440p @ 60 FPS)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800
• CPU: Intel Core i7‑11700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• Very High (4K @ 60 FPS)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
• CPU: Intel Core i7‑11700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X

This official list gives PC owners a practical ladder: if you own a midrange GPU from the last two generations you should expect smooth 1440p gameplay at the recommended settings, while 4K60 on the Very High preset is firmly targeted at current high‑end silicon.

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Key PC features and what they mean for players​

PlayStation and Nixxes made a number of explicit feature commitments for the PC release. Here’s what they announced — and why it matters.

• Ultrawide support (21:9 and 32:9): The game supports widescreen and super‑ultrawide displays. Crucially, the team said cutscenes were crafted to display correctly at 21:9, and gameplay will fill 32:9 displays. That’s not a token widescreen crop; it’s an effort to preserve cinematic framing on common ultrawide ratios.
• Uncapped framerates and DualSense + mouse/keyboard support: Expect standard PC controls and the option to run beyond console caps for higher refresh displays.
• Upscaling and Frame Generation from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel: The PC edition launches with support for NVIDIA DLSS 4, AMD FSR 4, and Intel XESS 2. PlayStation’s notes say both upscaling and frame‑generation options are available for all technologies, meaning PC players on any modern GPU vendor have access to quality upscaling and smoothing tools.
• Pico upscaler from Guerrilla (Decima engine): For the first time on PC the Pico “Progressive Image Compositor” upscaler — the same tech used on PS5 — will be an option. The publisher states Pico can be combined with other frame‑generation options and is compatible with all supported graphics cards.
• Performance options: Dynamic Resolution Scaling, native anti‑aliasing choices, and combinations of upscaling + frame generation let players tune fidelity vs performance.
• PlayStation account overlay and cross‑platform cosmetic reward: Signing in with a PlayStation account unlocks trophies, friends overlays and the Porter Suit: Link and Patch: Link cosmetic items for PC players who link their account.

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Breaking down the upscaling and frame‑generation stack​

Upscaling and frame generation are the headline technical story for modern PC ports. Death Stranding 2 comes to PC with three major upscalers and frame‑gen options: NVIDIA DLSS 4, AMD FSR 4 (and its frame‑generation partner), and Intel XeSS 2. It also adds Pico, a proprietary upscaler from Guerrilla for Decima‑engine titles.
Why this matters:

• Upscalers let you render at a lower internal resolution and scale to a higher display resolution with a quality‑preserving reconstruction step. That delivers huge FPS gains, especially at 4K.
• Frame generation inserts synthetic frames between rendered frames to increase output framerate (for example turning a rendered 60 FPS into an output of 120+ FPS). This can massively smooth perceived motion on high refresh monitors.

Practical tradeoffs and expectations:

• Image quality vs artifacts: Upscalers have matured; DLSS 4 and the latest generation upscalers deliver far better detail preservation and temporal stability than earlier versions. That said, frame generation can still introduce visual artifacts (blurring, ghosting, or instability) in complex scenes with foliage, water, or sudden camera movement. The amount and visibility of artifacts depends on the scene, the base render rate, and the generation mode (single‑frame vs multi‑frame generation).
• Latency: Frame generation can improve perceived smoothness while sometimes increasing input latency because the game is rendering fewer native frames per second and relying on AI to synthesize extras. In practice, highest‑quality, low‑artifact experiences with frame generation are usually achieved when the base render rate is already reasonably high (think 100–120 FPS before frame generation). Using frame generation with very low base render rates (e.g., native 30–40 FPS) tends to produce poorer results and noticeably rubbery responsiveness.
• Cross‑vendor availability: The developer notes indicate both upscaling and frame generation options will be available for NVIDIA, AMD and Intel, which reflects the industry trend of offering vendor‑native solutions so players are not locked to one GPU ecosystem.

Advice for players:

• Start by identifying your target: smoothness at high refresh vs fidelity at 4K.
• If you target 4K60, use an upscaler (DLSS/FSR/XeSS) in a high‑quality mode and leave frame generation off initially.
• If you have a high refresh monitor and wish to push to 120+ output FPS, experiment with a combination of a reasonable native render target (e.g., 70–120 FPS) with frame generation enabled; keep an eye on artifacts and adjust the base render resolution up if things look fuzzy.
• If input latency matters (competitive comfort, quick reflexes), be conservative with frame generation — measure feel rather than rely on framerate numbers alone.

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Pico: the PS5 upscaler arrives on PC — why it’s notable​

The inclusion of Pico — the Progressive Image Compositor developed by Guerrilla for the Decima engine — is a noteworthy addition. On PS5, Decima‑built titles used Pico to achieve a strong balance of image stability and performance for console hardware. Making Pico available on PC does two things:

• It gives PC players an option designed specifically for Decima content, which may yield a closer visual match to the PlayStation original.
• Because the publisher says Pico is compatible with all supported cards and can be combined with frame generation options, PC players get another, engine‑tuned quality profile beyond the usual vendor upscalers.

Pico’s real‑world effects will depend on how Nixxes tuned its parameters for PC hardware. It’s a promising tool in the toolbox, but players should test against DLSS/FSR/XeSS and choose what looks best for their rig.

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The hardware ladder: what you can expect in practice​

The official GPU list gives practical performance signposts. Interpreting those numbers for real rigs:

• Lower end (GTX 1660 / RX 5500 XT): Expect playable 1080p experiences with lowered detail and disabled advanced upscaling/frame‑gen. This tier meets minimums for those who want to experience the narrative without framerate demands.
• Mainstream (RTX 3060 / RX 6600): Solid 1080p60 performance at medium settings. With high‑efficiency upscalers, you may push to higher resolutions or smoother framerates, but ray tracing (if present) and very high settings will be limited.
• Recommended (RTX 3070 / RX 6800): This is the realistic sweet spot for balanced settings at 1440p60. Expect to use a quality upscaler for crisp visuals or push to higher framerates on 1440p with frame generation enabled if you have a high refresh monitor.
• High end (RTX 4080 / RX 9070 XT): Target for 4K60 Very High preset. Using DLSS 4 or equivalent upscalers, combined with frame generation as desired, will allow you to maximize visual fidelity while maintaining a stable output.

A couple of practical notes:

• The same CPU pairing (i7‑11700 / Ryzen 7 5700X) appears for both High and Very High, suggesting single‑threaded performance ceilings are less strict than GPU capability. Death Stranding 2’s CPU needs are moderate by modern open‑world standards but having a 6–8 core, modern CPU will reduce stuttering and feeding overhead to the GPU.
• VRAM matters. Modern 4K texture pools and temporally stable upscalers can be hungry for VRAM; the publisher’s Very High target lists GPUs with 10–16+ GB of VRAM. If you sit on the edge (e.g., 8–10 GB), expect either lower texture settings or extra compression artifacts.

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Storage and the SSD requirement: what to plan for​

The published requirement is explicit: 150 GB on SSD. That’s both a disk space and performance directive.

• The size means you should allocate at least 150 GB of dedicated SSD storage for the game, plus headroom for updates and OS swap. Modern SSDs, especially NVMe devices, will provide the best streaming performance and reduce texture pop‑in and stutter on initial load.
• While the publisher does not explicitly mandate a PCIe Gen4 NVMe drive, the game’s scale and high asset fidelity mean that NVMe (PCIe 3 or better) is preferable. On very large open worlds, a fast SSD reduces hitching during heavy streaming. If you use an older SATA SSD or HDD, expect longer load times and potential streaming artifacts.
• Some recent PC ports have demonstrated that how DirectStorage and GPU decompression are implemented can materially affect runtime performance. This is implementation sensitive and depends on both driver support and a studio’s tuning choices; it is a variable we’ll be watching closely at launch.

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Nixxes Software: why the port likely matters​

Nixxes Software — now part of PlayStation Studios — has become Sony’s go‑to team for PC ports of marquee consoles titles. Their track record includes several high‑profile ports and collaborations; they routinely deliver feature‑rich PC versions that add ultrawide support, upscalers and platform overlay features.

• Strengths: Nixxes brings experience shipping PlayStation-to‑PC ports and implementing vendor upscalers, controller + keyboard/mouse support, and robust graphics options. Their involvement is an encouraging sign that the port will be more than a basic console conversion.
• Caveats: Even high‑quality ports sometimes ship with rough edges (streaming, feature parity with console fidelity, or platform‑specific bugs). Historically, some ports have required post‑launch patches to reach parity with console fidelity or to optimize certain DirectStorage/RT/driver combinations. Expect Nixxes and Sony to release day‑one or early patches if needed.

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Risks and unknowns to watch at launch​

No port is risk‑free. Here are the practical issues to watch for when the PC edition launches:

• Frame‑generation artifacts and feel: As with other titles using advanced frame generation, there will be configuration choices that trade responsiveness vs output framerate. Users sensitive to input latency should test carefully and not assume a higher displayed FPS translates to a faster feel.
• Driver and upscaler maturity: New versions of DLSS, FSR and XeSS continue to evolve; initial driver updates or engine patches often follow release to fix vendor‑specific issues, especially on older GPU generations.
• Streaming and loading behavior: The game’s SSD footprint implies extensive streaming. If DirectStorage or GPU decompression is used (a common optimization in recent ports), incorrect configuration can hurt some GPU/driver combos. The experience may vary by storage speed and driver maturity.
• Ray tracing and fidelity parity: Console and PC fidelity can differ in shader and RT implementation; PC options may differ from PS5’s most‑fidelity modes. Expect differences and for Nixxes to release fixes based on post‑launch feedback.

I flag any claim about “perfect parity with PS5 fidelity” as not yet verifiable until day‑one benchmarks and community testing are available. The official specification and feature list are reliable, but runtime behavior depends on hardware, drivers, and post‑launch patches.

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Practical setup checklist for prospective players​

If you plan to pick up Death Stranding 2 on PC, here’s a concise checklist to get the best experience:

• Ensure Windows 10/11 is updated to Version 1909 or newer and install the latest GPU drivers from your vendor.
• Reserve at least 200 GB free on an SSD (150 GB for the game, plus room for updates and virtual memory). NVMe is recommended if available.
• Decide your fidelity target: if you want 4K60 on Very High, use a GPU in the RTX 40 series / AMD 9000 series class; for 1440p60, a mid/high‑tier last‑gen card is fine.
• Update the GPU vendor apps (NVIDIA App, AMD drivers, Intel drivers) to get the most recent DLSS/FSR/XeSS models and fixes.
• Test upscaler + frame‑gen combos: start with high‑quality upscaler mode and frame generation off, then enable frame generation only after you confirm the base render framerate is high enough to avoid artifacts.
• Link your PlayStation account if you want the PlayStation Porter Suit: Link and Patch: Link cosmetic reward and trophy overlay features.

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Strategic outlook: Sony’s PC strategy and why this port matters​

This PC launch follows a steady trend: Sony is systematically bringing first‑party PlayStation experiences to PC to reach a larger audience and extend a game’s commercial life. For Kojima Productions and PlayStation, Death Stranding 2 is not just another port — it’s a technical showcase with a strong single‑player narrative that benefits from cinematic presentation on high‑end PC hardware.
For PC gamers, the release is significant because it arrives with a modern, cross‑vendor feature set (DLSS 4, FSR 4, XeSS 2, Pico upscaler) and ultrawide/cinematic support. Those features show Sony and Nixxes adapting to PC priorities: flexible fidelity/performance options and support for cutting‑edge upscalers that can make demanding titles more accessible on a wider array of hardware.
From a market standpoint, each port like this reinforces the economics of multiplatform releases: the initial console exclusive window protects first‑party sales, while later PC availability taps a second wave of customers without fragmenting console demand.

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Conclusion​

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach’s PC requirements and feature list present a clear, modern PC launch strategy: robust graphical presets, cross‑vendor upscalers and frame‑generation options, ultrawide support, and a generous SSD requirement to match the game’s cinematic scope. Nixxes’ involvement suggests the port will be feature‑rich and polished, but history teaches patience — expect day‑one tuning and driver interplay that may require quick patches.
For players, the path forward is straightforward: if you want the best visuals at 4K60, aim for high‑end silicon (RTX 4080 / RX 9070 XT class and an NVMe SSD). If you prioritize frame‑rate or play on ultrawide displays, test the combination of upscaler + frame generation to find the sweet spot between smoothness and visual fidelity. And if you already own the PS5 edition, linking your PlayStation account will net you the Porter Suit: Link and Patch: Link when you jump to PC.
March 19 will be the real test — that’s when the patch notes, community benchmarks, and first hands‑on PC impressions will confirm whether the promise of DLSS 4, FSR 4, XeSS 2 and Pico live up to the leap people hope for. Until then, the official system table gives a reliable roadmap: strong visuals, broad compatibility, and a modern PC feature set designed to let Porters experience Kojima’s vision on their own terms.

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Source: Final Weapon Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Reveals PC Requirements