Skip to main content GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love Search GamesRadar+ View Profile Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 Tabletop Gaming Toys & Collectibles Retro Gamer Newsletters Total Film Gaming Magazines Why subscribe? Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99View Summer Game Fest New games for 2025 Upcoming Switch 2 games Switch 2 stock Recommended reading Action Games Hideo Kojima fans are discovering just how good Death Stranding 2 looks thanks to a generational Norman Reedus comparison Action Games Death Stranding 2's loading times are pretty much instant, adding another notch to the best-looking game on PS5 Action Games Hideo Kojima worried Death Stranding 2 was too likable, so hold his hand when you tell him it just beat the original game on Metacritic and zoomed up to a 90 score Open World Games Hideo Kojima says "I'm happy with the scores, thank you" as Death Stranding 2 settles at 90 on Metacritic, overcoming his fears that it might be too likable Open World Games Death Stranding 2 hands-on: An emphasis on combat and vehicles feels like an evolution of Metal Gear Solid 5, while continuing to push the first game's in-depth hiking physicality Action Games Death Stranding 2 technical director says that the jump from PS4 to PS5 "isn't so great," it's just "more efficient" Open World Games PS5 owners beware: Death Stranding 2 Quality Mode "is largely redundant on the Pro" Horizon Forbidden West Death Stranding 2 is pushing the Decima engine to new heights, and that's amazing news for Horizon Zero Dawn fans 2 July 2025 "Imagine what Horizon 3 is gonna look like" When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Sony) Death Stranding 2 is a graphical masterpiece and that's good news for Horizon Zero Dawn fans just as much as it is for Kojima stans. We shouted out the gorgeous world in our Death Stranding 2 review, and players have been noticing just how good Kojima Productions' take on Australia looks since launch last week. There's clearly some technical wizardry at play, but that's also got fans of a very different studio excited. Death Stranding 2 was built using the Decima engine, which Guerrilla Games, the developer of Horizon Zero Dawn, created. First used for Killzone: Shadow Fall, the engine hasn't been handed out very often since then - outside of Guerilla, who used it for Zero Dawn, Forbidden West, and a VR sports game, Decima has only been utilized by Supermassive Games for Until Dawn, and by Kojima Productions for the Death Stranding games. You may like Hideo Kojima fans are discovering just how good Death Stranding 2 looks thanks to a generational Norman Reedus comparison Death Stranding 2's loading times are pretty much instant, adding another notch to the best-looking game on PS5 Hideo Kojima worried Death Stranding 2 was too likable, so hold his hand when you tell him it just beat the original game on Metacritic and zoomed up to a 90 score Seeing the capabilities of the Decima Engine in Death Stranding 2 has me even more hyped for the next Horizon title on PS5. pic.twitter.com/Dfqn8SAenZJune 29, 2025 The Opening for Death Stranding 2 is so beautiful like HOLY **** !!!!And all of this is on the Decima Engine and on a Base PS5. You can only imagine what Horizon 3 is gonna look like in a few years. This is definitely my GOTY 💯#DeathStranding2 #PlayStation #PS5Share #DS2 pic.twitter.com/qKMKwbrmE6June 24, 2025 The Opening for Death Stranding 2 is so beautiful like HOLY **** !!!!And all of this is on the Decima Engine and on a Base PS5. You can only imagine what Horizon 3 is gonna look like in a few years. This is definitely my GOTY 💯#DeathStranding2 #PlayStation #PS5Share #DS2 pic.twitter.com/qKMKwbrmE6June 24, 2025 That means it's been a few years since we've really seen the engine in action. Its last outing was more than two years ago, when Decima got a chance to flex on the PS5-exclusive Horizon Forbidden West expansion, Burning Shores. Guerilla has long been known as a studio that pushes the graphical envelope, but it seems that Kojima Productions has spent the last two years working out how to get even more out of the Decima engine. That's excellent news for Aloy fans, however, as the progress that Kojima and co make on Decima is likely to be shared with Guerrilla. That's a detail that hasn't gone unacknowledged by fans, who have started discussing how the advancements being made in Death Stranding might manifest in the Horizon Forbidden West sequel that Guerrilla has been hinting at since 2022. Taking the five-year gap between the first two Horizon games, we might not see Horizon 3 until 2027, but if this is how far the Decima engine has come in the last two years, imagine how much further it might go in the next two. Hideo Kojima says "I'm happy with the scores, thank you" as Death Stranding 2 settles at 90 on Metacritic, overcoming his fears that it might be too likable. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more PS5 News Hideo Kojima PlayStation Social Links Navigation Managing Editor, News I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Hideo Kojima fans are discovering just how good Death Stranding 2 looks thanks to a generational Norman Reedus comparison Death Stranding 2's loading times are pretty much instant, adding another notch to the best-looking game on PS5 Hideo Kojima worried Death Stranding 2 was too likable, so hold his hand when you tell him it just beat the original game on Metacritic and zoomed up to a 90 score Hideo Kojima says "I'm happy with the scores, thank you" as Death Stranding 2 settles at 90 on Metacritic, overcoming his fears that it might be too likable Death Stranding 2 hands-on: An emphasis on combat and vehicles feels like an evolution of Metal Gear Solid 5, while continuing to push the first game's in-depth hiking physicality Death Stranding 2 technical director says that the jump from PS4 to PS5 "isn't so great," it's just "more efficient" Latest in Horizon Horizon Zero Dawn star Ashly Burch says she had no idea if she'd actually been cast as Aloy until she was suddenly in the recording booth: "It really hit me in that moment, like, oh this is a big deal" Horizon and The Last of Us 2 star says there's a risk game devs will say "let's just have AI" do voices for NPCs and minor characters: "We're gonna be losing out on our next generation of great performers" Horizon Zero Dawn star Ashly Burch responds to Sony's controversial AI Aloy by pushing for actor protections: "You have to compensate us fairly, and you have to tell us how you're using this AI" Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy is the star of Sony's leaked AI-powered character prototype, which allows users to ask questions to an unsettling, emotionless version of the protagonist In a rollercoaster week for Horizon Zero Dawn fans, its MMO is apparently not cancelled: "The 'H' that I mentioned has nothing to do with Horizon" Horizon Forbidden West is region-locked on PC 10 months after release for some reason, subjecting millions to Sony’s shenanigans Latest in News Anime streaming site Crunchyroll accidentally leaves ChatGPT listed in subtitles, months after streaming boss said the site is "not considering" using AI Nintendo Switch 2 could revolutionize Zelda technology: Tears of the Kingdom tinkerers confirm lasers are way deadlier now – "We always knew 60 fps would be insane, but I didn't expect it to be this insane" Ironheart fans claim it's "one of the best Marvel TV shows" as they call for a second season following its cliffhanger finale: "Don't leave these storylines to die" Squid Game season 3 might be controversial, but it's already made history for Netflix with a record-breaking premiere Ironheart gave us the Marvel villain everyone wanted, but his true form is hiding in the finale's best Easter egg Subnautica 2 fans worry the underwater survival game is "dead before arrival" following its studio's sudden leadership change: "I'm scared to know what this means for the future" GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse" Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic" Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat" FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special" Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" 28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy” Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation" From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu" Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date" Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling" Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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