Death Stranding 2 Update 1.3 Tested – Is the game faster now?

Tested – Does Death Stranding 2 run faster with update 1.3

Yesterday, Nixxes released update 1.3 for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’s PC version. This PC update promised PC optimisations and delivered Steam Deck verification for the game. So does the game run faster now? We’ve put that to the test.

While the largest performance gains will be seen when using Sniper Rifles (due to a scenario-specific bugfix), Nixxes has delivered several optimisations across the game. With our test today, we will see if these changes result in notable performance gains or if these changes are specific to the Steam Deck and other low-end devices.

DLSS Frame Pacing Improved

We have taken the time to retest Death Stranding 2: On the Beach with an Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics card. Specifically, we wanted to test two things. The first was to see whether general performance had improved. Second, we wanted to see if we experienced the same Frame Pacing issues when DLSS Frame Generation was used. We noted these in our original PC performance review for Death Stranding 2. Thankfully, we can now confirm that both are improved.

With our RTX 5080 at maxed-out settings, performance improved notably. The performance gains are small in our benchmark scene, but they are present. Furthermore, we can confirm that 1st percentile frametimes are now significantly improved when DLSS Frame Generation’s 3x and 4x modes are enabled. While 1st percentile frametimes remain lower than we’d like, it is clear that Nixxes has made progress here. Note how small the 1st percentile and 5th percentile framerates are when DLSS is disabled or in 2x mode. Note the large gap when 3x and 4x Frame Generation is enabled. While the gap has narrowed, the gap remains. Perhaps update 1.4 will fully address this issue.

Conclusion

It’s true. Update 1.3 has further optimised Death Stranding 2’s PC version. The game already ran well on most gaming PCs, but Nixxes has taken things one step further, which is always a welcome sight. For high-end PCs, the performance change is small. That said, for DLSS Frame Generation users, Death Stranding 2’s improved frame pacing is a big upgrade. Now the game runs much smoother with 3x and 4x frame generation. That said, this is an area that could be improved further.

While update 1.3 will deliver the largest changes to users of systems like Valve’s Steam Deck, there are improvements for everyone here. Props to Nixxes for improving what was already considered to be a solid PC release. I wonder if patch 1.4 will make things even faster?

You can join the discussion on Death Stranding 2’s update 1.3 on the OC3D Forums.