Hideo Kojima doesn’t exactly do "normal." We already know this. If you played the first game, you spent eighty hours delivering packages in a post-apocalyptic version of Iceland while a fetus in a jar beeped at you. It was weird. It was polarizing. But as we look toward the sequel, everyone is asking about the Death Stranding 2 rating and what it actually tells us about the tonal shift coming in On the Beach.
Ratings are boring on paper. They’re just letters on a box. But for a Kojima production, the ESRB or PEGI stamp is basically a roadmap of how much "weird" we’re getting.
The first game landed a solid "M" for Mature. It had blood, gore, some light swearing, and a whole lot of Norman Reedus in a shower. Early indicators for the sequel suggest we aren’t straying from that path. If anything, the trailers we’ve seen—featuring a puppet that moves at a lower frame rate than the rest of the world and a villain playing a guitar that shoots electricity—suggest the "Mature" themes are getting a psychological upgrade.
What the ESRB tells us about the Death Stranding 2 rating
The ESRB hasn’t slapped the final sticker on the box yet because the game is still deep in the oven for a 2025 release. However, we can look at the patterns. Kojima Productions isn't known for pulling punches. When you see a character like Higgs (Troy Baker) returning with a mechanical sarangi and a mask that looks like it was pulled from a fever dream, you know the Death Stranding 2 rating is going to lean heavily into "Intense Violence" and "Blood."
Remember the "BB" concept? The bridge babies? That alone pushes the boundaries of what a "Teen" rating would allow. In the sequel, we’re seeing even more visceral imagery. There’s a scene in the trailer where a character literally pulls a physical thread out of their own body. That’s body horror. Pure and simple.
On the Beach seems to be doubling down on the "uncanny valley" discomfort.
The ESRB usually looks for specific triggers:
- Graphic violence (we've seen plenty of gunplay and melee already)
- Language (Kojima loves a well-placed "f-bomb" for dramatic effect)
- Nudity or sexual themes (the first game had plenty of "artistic" nudity in the private rooms)
- Use of drugs or alcohol (Sam Porter Bridges loves his Monster Energy—or whatever the new brand deal is)
Why the rating matters for the gameplay loop
It's not just about blood. The Death Stranding 2 rating also reflects the psychological weight of the story. Fragile, played by Léa Seydoux, looks like she’s been through the ringer. The trauma is visible. If the game gets a higher rating for "Suggestive Themes" or "Strong Language," it usually means Kojima is digging deeper into the philosophical weeds.
He’s exploring the idea of "connection" again, but this time, the question is: "Should we have connected?" That’s a darker, more mature premise than the first game’s "let’s save the world with mail delivery."
Honestly, if this game came out with a T for Teen rating, most fans would be worried. We want the grit. We want the weirdness that makes you uncomfortable.
Comparing the sequel to the original 2019 release
The original Death Stranding was rated M for "Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, and Strong Language." You can bet your last chiral crystal that the sequel will mirror this. But there’s a nuance here. The first game’s violence was often avoidable. You could play the whole thing non-lethally. In fact, the game punished you if you killed people because their bodies would go "necro" and cause a void-out.
In Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the combat looks significantly more kinetic.
We see Sam (Norman Reedus) using more advanced weaponry. The environments are more varied—moving from the grassy hills of the UCA to deserts and flooded ruins. More combat often leads to more specific descriptors in the Death Stranding 2 rating breakdown, such as "Blood and Gore" rather than just "Blood."
The "Puppet" factor and psychological horror
Let’s talk about that puppet. It hangs from Sam’s belt. It talks. It looks like a stop-motion nightmare. This kind of imagery often pushes a game toward a more mature audience not because it’s "gross," but because it’s psychologically unsettling.
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Kojima has been flirting with the horror genre since the P.T. days. While Death Stranding 2 isn't a pure horror game, it borrows heavily from the genre's aesthetic. The rating will likely reflect "Fear" in European PEGI territories, a descriptor used when a game contains elements that may be frightening to younger players.
How Sony’s publishing strategy affects the rating
Sony is the publisher. They know their audience. The "Prestige PlayStation Exclusive" usually targets the 18-35 demographic. Look at The Last of Us Part II or God of War Ragnarök. These aren't games that try to play it safe for the sake of a wider rating. They lean into the mature themes because that’s where the storytelling lives.
The Death Stranding 2 rating will likely be a badge of honor for the marketing team. It signals that this is a "serious" game for "serious" gamers.
Actually, it's kinda funny. People worry about ratings restricting sales, but for a game like this, a Mature rating is almost a requirement for the brand. You don't hire George Miller (the director of Mad Max) for a cameo if you’re trying to make a PG-13 experience. Miller’s presence alone suggests a level of cinematic intensity that demands a mature audience.
The global perspective on age ratings
It’s worth noting that the Death Stranding 2 rating will vary by country.
- In the US (ESRB): Likely M for Mature.
- In Europe (PEGI): Likely PEGI 18.
- In Japan (CERO): Likely CERO D or Z.
Japan is particularly strict about "dismemberment." If Sam starts chopping robots or monsters apart, the Japanese version might even be slightly censored compared to the Western release, which is something Kojima fans have seen before.
What you need to do before the game drops
Don't just wait for the box art to tell you what's inside. If you're sensitive to specific types of content, the Death Stranding 2 rating descriptors are your best friend.
- Watch the State of Play 2024 trailer again. Pay attention to the sound design during the combat scenes. The "squelch" of the hits is a dead giveaway for the violence rating.
- Check the ESRB website closer to late 2025. That’s when the full summary—the one that details exactly why a game got its rating—will go live. These summaries often contain minor spoilers about specific scenes, so read with caution.
- Finish the first game. Or at least watch a recap. The context of the "Director's Cut" content, particularly the Ruined Factory missions, sets the tone for the stealth and violence in the sequel.
The reality is that Hideo Kojima is making a game about the end of the world, the nature of death, and the complexity of human relationships. You can't tell that story effectively without some "Mature" content. Whether it's the blood on Sam’s face or the haunting silence of the Beach, the rating is just a reflection of the uncompromising vision behind the game.
Keep an eye on the official PlayStation blog updates. As we get closer to the launch, the final certification will be one of the last major milestones before the game goes gold.
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Expect a lot of "Intense Violence" and maybe a few more shower scenes. It’s Kojima, after all.
Actionable Next Steps
To stay ahead of the curve on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, you should focus on the official classification databases. The moment the game hits the Australian Classification Board or the Korean Ratings Board, we get the most detailed look at the content. These boards often leak the presence of "in-game purchases" or specific "horror elements" months before the US ESRB does. Bookmark the Australian Government's Classification page and search for "Death Stranding 2" once every few weeks starting in mid-2025. This is the most reliable way to get raw data before the marketing fluff takes over.