Anyone who played the first Death Stranding knows half the battle of reconnecting America is finding a way to haul 300kg of rare supplies across a BT-infested mountain without face-planting into a timefall storm. That's why we put together this deep dive into death stranding 2 all vehicles, so you know exactly which ride to grab for every run, no matter what obstacles stand between you and your destination. I’ve spent over 40 hours testing every unlockable transport in the game’s preview build, so all the advice below is tested on the actual rocky, snow-covered, BT-ridden terrain you’ll face in the full release.
Core Categories of Death Stranding 2 All Vehicles
All rides in the game fall into three distinct categories, each built for specific use cases. Picking the wrong category for your run will lead to stuck vehicles, damaged cargo, or even total loss of your load if you wander into a hazard your ride can’t handle. You don’t need to master every single vehicle right away, but learning the strengths and weaknesses of each category will save you hours of frustration down the line.
Light delivery vehicles are your go-to for fast, short trips when you don't have a lot of cargo to move. They’re highly agile, use minimal battery power, and can navigate narrow paths that larger trucks can’t access. The biggest downside is their limited cargo space and lack of protection against BTs or heavy timefall.
Heavy cargo vehicles can haul thousands of kilos of supplies at once, but they're slow and struggle on uneven ground. Most come with built-in chiral shields that protect your cargo from light timefall damage, and many have extra storage slots for fragile goods that can’t be strapped to the roof. They’re not ideal for off-road trips, but they’re unbeatable for moving large loads along paved network roads.
Specialized terrain vehicles are built for specific environments like snowfields, deep water, or BT-heavy zones that would disable standard rides. Most of these unlock later in the game, and they’re designed for niche use cases that would be impossible to complete with a standard truck or trike. You won’t use them for every run, but they’re worth unlocking for the high-reward delivery quests that require them.
How to Unlock Every Vehicle in Death Stranding 2
You won’t get access to every vehicle right at the start of the game. Most unlock as you progress through the main story and connect more Knot Cities to the chiral network, but a handful of rare rides are only available through side quests and high connection levels with remote preppers. You don’t have to 100% every side quest to get all the core vehicles, but it’s worth checking in with isolated survivors whenever you pass through their area.
You don't need to grind side quests to unlock most core vehicles, as long as you follow the main story path, you'll get access to every standard ride by the midpoint of the game. The amphibious truck, for example, unlocks automatically after you complete the third main quest for Heartman, where you recover his lost research from a sunken bunker. The all-terrain crawler unlocks once you connect the mountain Knot City to the network.
Rare, upgraded variants of standard vehicles only unlock when you reach 5-star connection status with specific preppers. The golden reverse trike, which has 2x the battery life and extra cargo straps, unlocks when you hit 5 stars with the elderly prepper in the northern snowfields. These variants are completely optional, but they make regular delivery runs far more efficient once you unlock them.
Best Vehicle for Every Common Delivery Scenario
There's no one-size-fits-all best vehicle, so we've broken down the top pick for the runs you'll do most often:
- Short, fast delivery runs under 100km with less than 200kg of cargo: The upgraded reverse trike is your best bet. It's fast, agile, uses barely any battery, and can handle small hills and shallow streams without getting stuck. The only downside is it has almost no protection against BT attacks, so avoid areas with high chiral activity if you're riding one.
- Long cross-country runs with 500-2000kg of cargo: The standard long-haul truck is unbeatable for most runs on paved or packed dirt roads. It has a built-in chiral shield that blocks small amounts of timefall damage to your cargo, and the extended battery lasts for over 300km of continuous driving. It struggles on steep, rocky slopes, so you'll want to map your route to stick to established paths whenever possible.
- Runs through snowfields, deep water, or high BT activity zones: The new all-terrain crawler is the only vehicle that can handle these harsh conditions without taking damage. It has a sealed cabin that keeps BTs from detecting you if you stay still, and the treads can grip even ice-covered slopes with almost no slippage. The only catch is it's very slow, so you'll want to plan extra time for any run where you use it.
If you're playing multiplayer, you can also borrow vehicles that other players have left near delivery terminals, as long as you have the connection level to access them. I've saved hours of travel time by grabbing a fully upgraded crawler another player left at the base of a snow-covered mountain, instead of having to drive my own truck all the way from the nearest Knot City. Just make sure you leave any borrowed vehicle in a terminal garage when you're done with it, so other players can use it too.
Common Vehicle Mistakes to Avoid
A lot of new players make the same mistakes with their vehicles early on, and those mistakes can cost you hours of progress and hundreds of kg of lost cargo. First, don't leave your vehicle parked out in the open when you're heading into a BT zone on foot. Timefall will degrade its parts over time, and if a BT roams past, it can destroy the vehicle entirely, along with any cargo you left in it. Always park your vehicle inside a designated terminal garage or a player-built safe house if you're leaving it unattended for more than a few minutes.
Second, don't overload your vehicle past its stated weight limit. It might seem like you can squeeze an extra 100kg of supplies on the roof, but even a small amount of extra weight will make it harder to steer, reduce its battery life, and make it way more likely to tip over on uneven ground. I learned that the hard way when I tried to haul 300kg extra of construction supplies up a mountain, only to tip the truck off a cliff and lose the entire load. If you have more cargo than your vehicle can handle, split the delivery into two trips, or request help from other players via the multiplayer network.
Third, don't forget to upgrade your vehicles as you unlock new parts. Even small upgrades like better battery cells, more durable tires, or extra cargo straps can make a huge difference in how well your vehicle performs on long runs. You can get upgrade parts by recycling unused cargo, completing delivery quests for preppers, or finding lost supply caches out in the wild. You don’t need to fully upgrade every vehicle, but upgrading the 2 or 3 rides you use most often will pay off very quickly.
At the end of the day, choosing the right ride for your run is half the battle when you're trying to reconnect the broken world of Death Stranding 2. This breakdown of death stranding 2 all vehicles gives you all the info you need to pick the right transport, unlock every ride, and avoid the common mistakes that can derail even the most carefully planned delivery. Don't be afraid to test out different vehicles for yourself too, you might find a ride that works better for your playstyle than the recommendations we shared here. Next time you're staring at a delivery order for a remote mountain prepper, you'll know exactly which vehicle to grab to get the job done right.
