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A Death Stranding 2 fan has shared photos of what could be the real-life locale that inspired a key sequence from the game. Death Stranding 2 launched on PlayStation 5 as the latest game from renowned developer Hideo Kojima and his studio, Kojima Productions.
Death Stranding 2 is already proving to be a major success along the review circuit, becoming one of the most positively reviewed games of 2025 so far. The game expands the vision of Death Stranding and furthers its creators’ idiosyncratic tendencies, packed full of cinematic scenes and philosophical themes, as well as gameplay mechanics that combine an experimental sensibility with the polish of a top-tier triple-A production. Set eleven months after the original game, Death Stranding 2‘s narrative picks up on the story of Sam, with its initial chapters sending the skilled porter south from his home in the former United States and into Mexico.
One intrepid fan, who goes by PangTemujin on Reddit, seems to have found a place that might just have inspired those early Death Stranding 2 chapters. In a series of photos shared with the Death Stranding subreddit, PangTemujin showed off the landscape of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California. The photos show the arid terrain of the park, which bears a striking visual similarity to the opening mission of Death Stranding 2, where Sam must walk along a dry desert ridge and across a river to return home with his baby Lou.
Death Stranding 2 Fan Shows Off California Park That Might Have Inspired the Game
Though Death Stranding and its sequel are clearly fictional titles that take place in a game world that’s not strictly based on reality, the games manage to use their art direction to evoke some of the most beautiful locations in any open-world game. And where the first game took inspiration from the cold landscape of Iceland for its vision of the United States, there’s a chance that Kojima Productions looked to the badlands of the Colorado Desert (of which Anza-Borrego is a part) to inform its vision of Mexico in Death Stranding 2.
Fans were excited by PangTemujin’s photos, remarking on the similarities and the fact that one photo almost perfectly matches the angle of the Death Stranding 2 intro sequence, looking over the rain-eroded ridges of the desert. Other players made joking references to the game, warning PangTemujin and other potential Anza-Borrego visitors to watch out for flash floods, BT infestations, and to be on the lookout for golden Chiral Creatures.
Given that the game recently launched, it’s fun to see many players making new discoveries in Death Stranding 2 and make connections to its real-world inspirations. As the game gets into more players’ hands, other interesting discoveries are sure to emerge in the near future.
