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And everything happening this week for Future Fest!

Hold on to your butts, because Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming sooner than you think. This weekend, Hideo Kojima was at SXSW to unveil the trailer for Death Stranding 2, which reveals the release date for the highly anticipated game. 

If you've been holding off on getting a PlayStation 5, you'll want to do so sometime this spring. Death Stranding 2 is a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Hard copies of the game will land in stores on June 26, 2025, however, if you order the Digital Deluxe Edition or the Collector's Edition, it will be available on June 24, 2025. The Digital Deluxe Edition costs $79.99 (in contrast to the $69.99 Standard Edition), while the Collector's Edition will set you back a cool $229.99. The Collector's Edition does come with a 15" Magellan Man statue, so there's that. You can check out the trailer for Death Stranding 2 below. 

There are some familiar faces in the Death Stranding 2 trailer. The Italian actor, Luca Marinelli, plays a new character named Neil. You may have seen Marinelli in the stellar adaptation of The Old Guard on Netflix. Like so many of Kojima's collaborators, Kojima has been a fan of Marinelli's work for some time now. The director likes to keep tabs on actors he finds compelling (just ask Hunter Schafer!). Of course, Norman Reedus is back as Sam for On the Beach. 

You can preorder Death Stranding 2: On the Beach beginning on March 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM. That's a week from now, which gives you plenty of time to decide whether or not you want that 15" Magellan Man in your life. 

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

• All upcoming games in 2025 and beyond
• Gamify My Life, our weekly gaming column designed
• Popverse Picks: The best Assassin's Creed protagonists
• How to play every GTA game in order
• Why the GTA 6 budget isn't as crazy as you think
• The Magic: The Gathering x Spider-Man crossover set wouldn't exist without the Spider-Verse

And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.