I've finally found the game my PS5 Pro deserves

I've been waiting for a killer game ever since the PS5 Pro was released at the tail end of last year – something that can go to justify the extra cost. In my review of the console, I suggested that you were investing in potential, even though it wasn't realised at the time.

Now it has been.

Like many, I was only mildly impressed with the initial batch of "PS5 Pro Enhanced" games, which showed some of the upgrades possible with the more capable hardware – but nothing was particularly ground-breaking.

We've either had slightly better graphics and/or frame rates, yet there hasn't been a game that I've wanted to play solely on PS5 Pro. Until now, that is.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is the game that has finally shown some of the untapped potential of the "most powerful console on the planet". And it's a bloody fine game, to boot.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach - Pre-Order Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube

Watch On

Owning a PS5 Pro and standard PS5, I've been in the privileged position of being able to compare the game running on each. And while it's still a magnificent experience on the older machine, it is, for me, the premiere showcase for why the Pro exists.

While odd and an acquired taste, the first Death Stranding was also a tech tour de force for PlayStation 4, and so too is the sequel for this generation. It looks absolutely stunning on whichever PS5 model you fancy playing it.

However, the PS5 Pro has the added bonus of a performance mode that runs at a solid 60fps without any noticeable drop in image quality over the the actual quality mode. The resolution dips a little in comparison, but you really can't tell.

And, as Digital Foundry reveals, it even supports 120Hz TVs (although not outputting 120fps). This allows for some wriggle room with VRR (variable refresh rate) enabled, although considering how flat the frame rate seems to be, that might not be necessary anyway.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – stunningly beautiful

This is all the icing on the cake for what is already a stunningly beautiful game. Character rendering in particular is so fine and granular that it allows you to see nuances in performances, especially in cut scenes.

And, while the first game was largely traversal over a massive collection of rock formations, there is much more variety this time around. You get dense undergrowth, sand storms, ruined buildings, and a greater diversity in surroundings. Everything looks pin sharp and almost photo-realistic, too.

It truly is a visual feast on PS5 and PS5 Pro, but the latter gives you even more detail at higher frame rates, and that's the key for me.

Remarkably, you also get superspeedy loading times, even with such densely packed scenery. It's magical.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – the game

As for the game itself, it will divide people in much the same way as the original, but I've found it to be more accessible and varied so far (I'm yet to finish the story, hence no final review).

I feels to me like a cross between the first Death Stranding and Kojima's last Meta Gear Solid, with more intuitive stealth and combat than before. Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of trudging across vast landscapes (in Mexico and Australia this time), but the sequel has more purpose and interactivity, There are more enemies, more missions and, well, just more of everything.

Construction also seems more purposeful this time, with watchtowers giving you an eagle-eye view of a mission so you can strategise before heading in, and the items you carry on your back seem to have extra worth.

Of course, the game can still be baffling at times, with Kojima's crazy creations occasionally putting the sigh into sci-fi. But with a stellar Hollywood cast filling most main character's shoes and the always excellent Norma Reedus again proving why he's the best grunter in the business, it is as enjoyable as it is mind-melting.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – best on PS5 Pro

The truth is, aside from the outstanding graphical presentation, the PS5 Pro needs games like this – ones that not only push technical barriers but conceptual ones too. It is strange and at times resistive, but also wholly rewarding. Heck, the entire games industry needs Kojima and his UPS simulators.

Life would be far less interesting without them. Death too, of course.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be available for PS5 and PS5 Pro from Thursday 26 June 2025.