If you’ve played any Hideo Kojima game, you know the soundtrack is never just background filler. The first Death Stranding’s Low Roar-led tracklist became iconic for how it perfectly matched the quiet, lonely rhythm of trekking across a post-apocalyptic United States with a BB on your back, turning routine delivery runs into emotional, memorable moments. Now as the sequel nears launch, fans are already obsessing over every Death Stranding 2 song tease we’ve gotten from trailers, playtest leaks, and Kojima’s notoriously cryptic social media posts. This guide breaks down everything we know so far about confirmed tracks, hidden unlockables, and what makes the sequel’s audio design stand out from other open-world games.
Confirmed Death Stranding 2 Song Picks From Official Trailers
Kojima has never been shy about showing off his favorite artists ahead of a game’s launch, and the Death Stranding 2 marketing cycle has been no different. The first 2022 reveal trailer opened with a haunting, atmospheric collaboration between Low Roar and Hildur Guðnadóttir, a track Kojima confirmed was one of the last Low Roar frontman Ryan Karazija recorded before his passing in 2022. Kojima has repeatedly stated that Karazija’s work is central to the identity of the Death Stranding franchise, so fans can expect far more unreleased Low Roar tracks across the sequel’s full soundtrack.
The 2023 State of Play gameplay trailer featured a trippy, bass-heavy electronic track from Flying Lotus, who previously collaborated with Kojima on a small cameo role in the first Death Stranding. Flying Lotus has confirmed in recent interviews that he created three original tracks specifically for the sequel, each tailored to fit different biomes and story moments. Fans who listened closely to the latest gameplay snippets also spotted a 10-second snippit of an unreleased Bon Iver track playing during a cutscene where Sam meets a new nomad NPC, though that collaboration has not been officially announced yet.
Unlike most game soundtracks that license existing tracks, every confirmed Death Stranding 2 song so far was created specifically for the game. Kojima reportedly works with each artist for months, sharing early story drafts and gameplay footage to make sure every track aligns with the game’s core themes of connection, grief, and rebuilding after disaster.
How to Unlock Every Hidden Death Stranding 2 Song During Playthrough
The first Death Stranding let players unlock new tracks by connecting Knot Cities to the chiral network, and the sequel expands that system significantly, with nearly 40% of the full soundtrack locked behind optional content rather than main story progression. If you want to collect every track for your in-game music player, you’ll need to put time into side quests and network connection progress, not just rush through the main story. Based on official previews and playtest leaks, here are the confirmed unlock methods for three of the most anticipated hidden tracks:
- Connect 8+ new southern region Knot Cities to the chiral network to unlock the exclusive Low Roar posthumous track "Fading Shore", which plays automatically during your first trek across the volcanic crater zone to unlock the game’s second map region.
- Complete the optional multi-part side quest for returning character Mama to unlock a stripped-back acoustic version of the first game’s iconic "I'll Keep Coming" track, remixed specifically for the sequel to play during quiet, low-stakes delivery runs in peaceful biomes.
- Reach the maximum 5-star connection level with the new nomad NPC faction that roams the desert biome to unlock a secret Flying Lotus electronic track that only plays when you're driving a modified truck through the desert at night, with no active timefall or BT threats.
Don’t forget to check your in-game music tab regularly after completing big milestones, too. Many tracks unlock automatically without a pop-up notification, so you might miss that you’ve earned a new track if you don’t check in every few hours of play. Some tracks also only play in very specific contexts, so you might not hear them on regular runs even after you’ve unlocked them.
What Makes Death Stranding 2’s Soundtrack Stand Out From Other Games
Most open-world games use generic background loops that fade into the background so you don’t notice them, but Kojima’s team designed the Death Stranding 2 soundtrack to be an active part of your gameplay experience. The biggest change from the first game is that every track is synced to in-game weather, terrain, and even your current emotional state as Sam. If you get caught in a sudden timefall storm mid-delivery, the currently playing track will warp and distort to match the rising tension, rather than just cutting out abruptly to switch to a generic “danger” theme.
The sequel’s multiplayer features also tie into the soundtrack in a really clever way. If you walk past a structure built by another player, you’ll hear a quiet 2-second snippit of the track they’ve set as their favorite on their profile. It’s a small touch, but it fits perfectly with the game’s core theme of small, quiet connections between people spread across a broken world. You can also set your own favorite track to play for other players who find your bridges, rest stops, or other placed structures.
I still get chills thinking about the first time “Asylums for the Feeling” played in the first Death Stranding, when I finally reached a remote shelter after a 45-minute trek through BT-infested mountains. The sequel leans even harder into those intentional, emotional music moments, with specific tracks tied to almost every major story beat and optional side quest payoff. It’s the kind of soundtrack that sticks with you long after you turn the game off.
Fan Theories About Unannounced Death Stranding 2 Song Collaborations
Kojima loves posting cryptic photos with famous musicians on his Instagram and Twitter, so fans have spent the past two years compiling every possible hint about unannounced collaborations for the sequel. One of the most popular theories is that Phoebe Bridgers contributed an original track for the game, after Kojima posted multiple photos of them meeting at his studio in Tokyo in 2023. Bridgers has spoken publicly about being a fan of the first Death Stranding, so that collaboration feels very plausible.
Another popular rumor is that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross worked on several original score tracks for the game’s darker story beats. The pair have a long history of working on video game and film soundtracks, and Kojima has mentioned being a huge Nine Inch Nails fan in multiple interviews. There’s also a smaller group of fans who think Björk might have contributed a track, after Kojima posted a photo of himself attending her Tokyo show in 2024 with a copy of the Death Stranding 2 script in his bag.
Take all these rumors with a grain of salt, of course. Kojima loves trolling fans with red herrings on social media, and he’s been known to post photos with artists just because he’s a fan, not because they’re working on a project together. We’ll likely get confirmation of most of the full tracklist in the month leading up to the game’s launch, so keep an eye on official showcase events for new reveals.
At the end of the day, half the fun of playing a new Kojima game is discovering all the small, intentional details he’s packed into every part of the experience, and the Death Stranding 2 song lineup is no exception. Whether you’re a casual player who just likes having good background music while you make deliveries, or a super fan who wants to collect every single hidden track and unlock all the secret music Easter eggs, there’s something in the soundtrack for everyone. As more official details drop ahead of launch, we’ll update this guide with new track reveals and unlock methods so you don’t miss a single song.
