New ‘Death Stranding 2’ Gameplay Trailer Reveals Natural Disasters, Intense Combat, and Kangaroos

Hideo Kojima just dropped the first Death Stranding 2 gameplay trailer, and it shows off many of the game’s new features. From vast deserts to snowy mountains, the sequel will have a variety of environments to explore. The three-minute DS2 clip also gave us our first look at its highly anticipated natural disasters and weather mechanics. Did I also mention the trailer has kangaroos?

‘Death Stranding 2’ Gameplay Trailer Shows Off New Features

With only a few weeks away from launch, Hideo Kojima released the new “Death Stranding 2: On The Beach – Explore. Connect. Survive” trailer on YouTube. The video gives an overview of the various environmental biomes that will be featured in the new Australia map. In the trailer, we see Sam traversing through treacherous arctic mountains, marshy jungles, and of course, massive deserts. DS2 now has real-time weather effects as well, and it looks absolutely beautiful.

However, the star of the show is the new natural disasters mechanic. In the trailer’s narration by Fragile, the character explains that an increase in timefall has caused the weather to become unstable. An example of this new feature shows Sam crossing a river, when suddenly, a massive flood starts surging through it. The trailer also shows off earthquakes, which throw the entire overworld into absolute chaos. Suffice it to say, if Sam Porter already had trouble dropping his packages in the original, Death Stranding 2 is going to make his life even more hellish.

The three-minute gameplay showcase also hints at voidouts returning as a mechanic. In the first game, these were more story-centric events. However, it was possible to trigger them in the game’s open world if you got caught by BTs. The Death Stranding 2 trailer warns that if people get swallowed up by spirits from the other side, they will “trigger a massive explosion.” So, it looks like we’ll be dealing with this horrifying feature again.

‘DS2’ Looks More Action-Packed

Another thing that really surprised me about the Death Stranding 2 gameplay trailer is just how action-packed it is. I know the first game had guns, hand-to-hand combat, stealth, and boss battles. But DS2 looks a lot more fluid in its combat, and battles look quicker-paced.

An example of this is a scene where Sam is driving in a vehicle, shooting up enemies Call of Duty style, before dramatically diving out of the car to beat up a foe. I even got hints of Metal Gear Solid V, as Death Stranding 2 will also feature long-ranged sniper weapons that help you take out enemy bases from the shadows.

Finally, we got a deeper look at the much-teased Death Stranding 2 photo mode. The ultra-realistic selfie mechanic was first announced at The Game Awards back in 2024. Well, it finally made its appearance in an official trailer, and it’s just as cool as it looked like it was going to be. Characters have unique expressions and behaviors, which make the photos look real. For those worried this will be the last DS2 media we receive before the game launches on June 26, it is not! Hideo Kojima has confirmed he is currently working on editing the final Death Stranding 2 trailer, which we should see very soon.