The much-anticipated early access release time for Death Stranding 2 is nearly upon us, signalling the next chapter in Sam Porter Bridges' saga.

If you're ready to have your mind thoroughly boggled, then rejoice – Hideo Kojima has been diligently crafting the next instalment. The upcoming chapter in Sam Porter Bridges' tale is almost here, boasting even more peculiar characters and celebrity appearances than its predecessor could ever muster.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is on the brink of hitting the shelves. While the gaming world has been abuzz with the Nintendo Switch 2 launch library and a colossal new Fallout 76 fishing update, Kojima fans have had their sights set solely on the new continent-spanning delivery adventure, which promises to be even stranger than before.

What's particularly intriguing, however, is that players will now have early access to the game via its deluxe edition. This allows them to discover the destinies of their favourite characters ahead of time and guide Porter Bridges through the next chapter of his journey. To be fair, there's a good chance you might need the extra couple of days just to get to grips with Death Stranding's bizarre world again.

This couple of days of gameplay could potentially unleash a wave of spoilers onto the internet, and the only real way to avoid this is to dive in and unravel the mystery yourself. But when exactly does the Death Stranding 2 early access begin? Here's what you need to know.

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The Death Stranding 2 early access release time is midnight local time on Tuesday, 24 June, except for certain US territories. For American players, this midnight release applies to the East Coast, but it is available slightly earlier in other US areas, with the launch time being set at 9pm PDT / 11pm CDT on Monday, June 23, in those time zones.

The early access release of Death Stranding 2 has been eagerly awaited by many, and the continuation of Kojima's daring narrative is highly anticipated for good reason. Now, let's hope the walk isn't too long. Unless the walking is exactly why you're playing the game in the first place, in which case, we hope your legs don't start to hurt too soon.