Death Stranding 2 players are struggling to believe just how fast the game runs on PlayStation 5. The new and improved Decima Engine powers the title, and the Japanese studio has taken things so far that loading screens are practically extinct.

Death Stranding 2, the latest brainchild from Hideo Kojima, is on everyone’s lips—this time, though, it’s not the wild plot or enigmatic characters that have fans buzzing. While those elements certainly matter, what’s turning heads right now is the game’s technical wizardry. The visuals are already jaw-dropping thanks to the Decima Engine, but players can’t get over the fact that loading screens have basically disappeared: starting the game is so instantaneous that many describe it as almost “supernatural.”

Since its first reveal, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has grabbed attention with its visual flair and storytelling, but fans are now celebrating something much more mundane (yet miraculous): Kojima Productions has made load times vanish. Comments like “Kojima made a pact with the devil” or “don’t blink or you’ll miss it, literally” keep popping up on Twitter and Reddit, capturing both the shock and the awe of players everywhere.

What’s Behind Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’s Loading Magic?

The answer lies in the tech. Death Stranding 2 uses an upgraded Decima engine, crafted by Guerrilla Games—the same one powering Horizon Forbidden West. For this release, the engine’s been fine-tuned to work in perfect sync with the PS5’s lightning-fast SSD. That means even when you launch the game from the console’s home screen, the system’s already moving data in the background before you ever hit the main menu, slashing real load times down to fractions of a second.

The tech gurus at Digital Foundry have torn the system apart and confirm the performance is equally stellar on both the regular PS5 and the Pro. Loading a save or respawning after a death is basically instant, with loading screens so quick most players won’t even notice them. The game’s algorithms grab only the essentials, optimizing memory and slashing away any downtime.

This technical feat has made Death Stranding 2 a new gold standard for console efficiency, proving there’s still room to surprise gamers even in a generation that’s well underway. For comparison: Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2 have loading times of barely two seconds—almost instant when switching characters in the sequel—while Forza Horizon 5 takes just five seconds to fast travel, showing that smart SSD management can wow players game after game.

Source: GameStar