If you want to compare it to Hideo Kojima’s previous games, we’re looking at an adventure closer to Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain than the previous, shorter entries in the series to get through the critical path. Before any of that though, if you haven’t already, it’s worth reading our Death Stranding review to find out if the game sounds like your cup of tea at all. The lower end of this estimate is if you decide to focus purely on core story objectives, and lengthened if you really delve into side content - from optional Standard Orders, which see you take on additional deliveries, through to levelling up facilities or take the time to upgrade player structures in Death Stranding multiplayer. It’s also worth noting there is no point of no return to worry about as you play - both in terms of completing individual Episodes, and also once you finish the story. For example, though the game will regularly say you should complete any incomplete deliveries before you travel to a new region, it doesn’t mean you cannot go back and continue making deliveries at all. With fast travel you can easily return to previous areas, so if you want to pick up new Standard Orders, level up facilities and structures from earlier in the game, you can. In short, don’t feel like you have to 100% an area before moving on - you can always get round to it later! Tomorrow is in our hands - again! Learn about the Director’s Cut’s new features, including new story missions, a racing mode, Half-Life missions and how to transfer saves to PS5. Our main Death Stranding walkthrough outlines how to play through the story, including Episode 3 missions, the Small Thermonuclear Device and how to find a way to change Lockne’s mind As you play, you can find Memory Chip locations, learn how Death Stranding multiplayer works. It’s worth clarifying that not all Episodes are of equal length - for example, we estimate from the beginning to the end of Episode 3 is about one third of the game. This is partly because Episodes focus on different things, based on where the story is at, such as the Prologue and Episode 1, which compose mostly of cutscenes and only contain one playable story mission each. As well as this, there is an optional series of Orders set in the Ruined Factory as part of the Director’s Cut’s new missions. These are optional, have a more stealth flavour, and are worth at least starting to unlock some useful new items to take with you elsewhere - such as the Support Skeleton and Maser Gun.
