28 Million Players in 7 Years: How Death Stranding Doubled Its Reach Through Multi-Platform Ports and Death Stranding 2
Seven years after the original game launched on PlayStation 4 on November 8, 2019, the Death Stranding franchise has officially crossed 28 million players worldwide. Shared by Kojima Productions on November 8, 2026 to mark Death Stranding Day ("7 years since BB was born"), the new milestone highlights how Hideo Kojima's divisive post-apocalyptic vision evolved into a multi-platform juggernaut.
From 5 Million Copies Sold to 28 Million Porters Across Every Ecosystem
As with previous studio updates, Kojima Productions tracks total cumulative players ("porters") across the franchise rather than standalone retail unit sales. The 28-million figure combines everyone who has played the original Death Stranding, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X|S, macOS, and iOS.
Looking back at the series' trajectory shows just how effectively platform expansion fueled its longevity. After passing 5 million copies sold across PS4 and PC in March 2021, the first game reached 10 million players in November 2022 following its inclusion in PC Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra, before climbing past 16 million in late 2023 alongside Epic Games Store giveaways. Once Kojima Productions secured full intellectual property ownership of the franchise and shadow-dropped Director's Cut on Xbox Series X|S and Apple devices in late 2024, the community hit 19 million players and crossed the 20-million mark in March 2025.
How Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Added 8 Million Players in 18 Months
The steepest surge arrived over the past year and a half, adding 8 million players between March 2025 and November 2026. The PlayStation 5 launch of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach in mid-2025, followed by its PC release in early 2026, brought millions of returning and first-time players back to Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) and Fragile (Léa Seydoux).
Climbing from 27 million players in July 2026 to 28 million this November, the franchise continues to draw steady newcomers through seasonal store discounts, including its headline spot in the 2026 PlayStation Store Black Friday sale. That massive installed audience now serves as the foundation for the studio's broader transmedia ambitions.
Check Availability for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on Amazon→
A24 Live-Action Film and Adult Animated Movie on the Horizon
With full control over the IP, Kojima Productions is currently expanding the universe across two distinct film projects. Indie powerhouse A24 is co-producing a live-action Death Stranding feature film written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig, A Quiet Place: Day One), crafted as an original story set within the world of the Beach rather than a direct retelling of Sam's game campaign. In parallel, screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski (Prisoners, Raised by Wolves) is penning a mature animated feature film in partnership with animation studio Line Mileage.
While those adaptations move through production, Kojima's Tokyo development teams remain focused on their next two original games, both of which recently took center stage during the Tokyo exhibition showcasing PHYSINT and OD: Knock.
My Perspective
Thinking back to the heated debates of November 2019 when critics dismissed Death Stranding as a niche "walking simulator," watching the series reach 28 million players seven years later underscores just how smartly Hideo Kojima played the long game. By reclaiming 100% ownership of the IP, putting the original on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and subscription tiers, and following it up with a technical showcase on the Decima Engine in On the Beach, I see an independent studio that pulled off the rarest feat in modern AAA development: building a wholly owned blockbuster universe from scratch.
Originally from Lyon, France, gaming journalist Bastien "Orion" relocated nearly a decade ago to Quebec City's Saint-Roch district, right in the heart of eastern Canada's development studio hub. Before crossing the Atlantic, he honed his versatile reporting style across classic French gaming web portals and specialist television outlets in the 2000s and 2010s, notably with JeuxVideo.fr and JeuxNews. Equally passionate about AAA blockbusters, North American studio culture, retro preservation, and community modding projects, he anchors Pro-Gamer's transatlantic desk and real-time coverage of US and Japanese industry announcements.
