5 Best Video Games Like Death Stranding

After prolific video game creator Hideo Kojima split with Konami, the first game that he and his studio Kojima Production made was "Death Stranding." Originally released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, it is one of the most unique titles around, rethinking what's possible for a sci-fi adventure game. The entire "Death Stranding" story hinges on Sam Porter Bridges, a courier making deliveries to isolated communities across a post-apocalyptic Earth. Walking across sprawling landscapes, Sam navigates the terrain while contending with hazards and enemies.

Though "Death Stranding" and its 2025 sequel are among the most patently distinct games around, there are other titles that are at least spiritually similar. Plenty of games involve players traversing harsh sci-fi environments while trying to rebuild a sense of community and the characters' humanity. With that in mind, we're highlighting some of the greatest that get those themes down and are reminiscent of Kojima's singular game in their own way.

As far as sci-fi open-world exploration goes, the sheer scope doesn't get much bigger than "No Man's Sky." The 2016 game boasts a procedurally generated cosmos filled with countless planets for players to explore. Players can upgrade their gear through the resources they gather while either befriending or battling different extraterrestrials. The game has an overarching narrative of players investigating an entity known as the Atlas, but the real charm is exploring the sheer breadth of this cosmic setting.

After overcoming a controversial video game launch, "No Man's Sky" has begun to live up to the hype surrounding its scope. While the gameplay can become a bit monotonous, the exploration-heavy routine ultimately makes the experience endearing. That sense of sci-fi serenity is something the game has in common with "Death Stranding," at least in their quietest moments. A game that players can literally get lost in for untold amounts of time, "No Man's Sky's" boasts an unbeatable cosmic scale.

Another PlayStation 4 game pitting players on a vast open-world adventure following planetary sci-fi calamity is "Horizon Zero Dawn." The 2017 game takes place in a world where sentient machines turn hostile against humanity, causing civilization to regress into primitive tribalism. The game's protagonist, Aloy, sets out to learn about her past, braving a landscape where machines prowl the environment like wild animals. Aloy hunts, gathers, and crafts tools and weapons as she ventures closer to the uncomfortable truth about her origins.

Making a huge splash upon its debut, "Horizon Zero Dawn" sold 2.6 million copies in less than two weeks and stands as one of the best PS4 games ever. While more action-oriented than "Death Stranding," the 2017 game bears similarities with its open-world scope and harsh landscape. If the connections weren't clear enough already, "Horizon Zero Dawn" has an awesome "Death Stranding" Easter egg as a nod to the hype surrounding Kojima's project. A more pronounced survivalist take on the genre, "Horizon Zero Dawn" and its sequel are modern classics.

The 2019 PlayStation 4 game "Days Gone" takes a more survival horror approach to its open-world experience. The game is set in a world overwhelmed by zombie-like hordes, known in-universe as Freakers, triggering the collapse of modern civilization. The story centers on Deacon St. John, a biker searching for his long-lost wife amidst a violently mad world. In addition to foraging the ruins of society to stay alive, Deacon can clear out hordes of Freakers to more safely travel through certain regions.

"Days Gone" emphasizes that the player character is not the apex figure in this open-world but someone who can be easily overwhelmed. That adds a heightened sense of caution and strategy, especially when players stumble across a Freaker nest and incur the full might of the horde. This makes it arguably the most intense game on this list, demanding players to think quickly on their feet and use their environment tactically to survive. While it's unclear if "Days Gone" will get a sequel, the game has since been remastered for the PlayStation 5, making now the perfect time to revisit this taut tale.

So much of "Death Stranding" involves players transporting occasionally unwieldy cargo across treacherous terrain to make deliveries. That gameplay distinction is also a key component for the open-world driving game "SnowRunner," originally released in 2020. Using a variety of off-road vehicles, players make deliveries along with construction and repair work, across a frozen and rocky environment. Completing missions lets players upgrade and replace their vehicles as they take jobs all over the world.

"SnowRunner" amps up the visuals, making us stop and admire our surroundings in between missions. Despite its relatively simple premise, the game is one of the better driving simulators around, inviting players to think how to route each task. This adds a surprising amount of depth to the experience and keeps players coming back for more to find alternative routes. Another game all about traversing harsh terrain to make vital deliveries, "SnowRunner" definitely shouldn't be overlooked.

"Stray" is easily the most adorable game on this list, with players controlling a cat navigating an abandoned underground city. Accompanied by a robotic drone named B-12, the cat searches for a way back to the surface. This journey is made all the more dangerous by the presence of the Zurks, a monstrous bacteria that consumes both organic and robotic life. As the duo explore the ruins of this futuristic city, they discover what happened to humanity.

Upon its release in 2022, critics complimented "Stray" on the nuances of its feline protagonist and its sci-fi story. Like "Death Stranding," the game is all about the journey and what it says about humanity along the way. This is a game in a robotic dystopia for its primary setting rather than a sprawling landscape but no less beautiful in how it invites players into its environment. All-age friendly and with an emotional punch in its feline-led tale, "Stray" is an enjoyably cozy ride.