The two Death Stranding games have been modest sellers since their launches, generating more sales than most AAA titles, but not on the same level as other console-defining experiences.

According to official numbers, the first game sold over five million copies. Sales stats relating to the sequel have never been shared, but analyst estimates suggested 1.4 million units were sold during its first few days on the market. In the years since their releases, these totals will have only gone up.

Now we have a new milestone, though, as revealed by Kojima Productions: the Death Stranding series has been played by over 28 million people.

In a social media post to celebrate the first game's seventh anniversary, Hideo Kojima posted a graphic confirming "28 million Porters worldwide". That is 28 million players, not 28 million sales. The image clarifies the total encompasses all console and PC versions of the two games, and anyone who has played them on a subscription service.

Of course, the first Death Stranding started out as a PS4 exclusive, but then made its way to PC less than a year after launch. A Director's Cut version for PS5 then arrived in September 2021, and then in 2024, the game really expanded its availability: it released on iOS, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Series X|S.

The first game is also available on PS Plus Extra, which will be one of the subscription services helping to boost the player numbers.

As for Death Stranding 2, it's just on PS5 and PC for now.

Two of the defining games for the PS4 and PS5 generations, I awarded a rare 10/10 score to both games upon their releases. For the first game, I said: "Death Stranding doesn’t raise the bar for any particular genre, it creates an entirely new one."

Kojima Productions expanded on that original idea with the sequel: "In what will prove to be one of the defining games of the PS5 generation, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a profound achievement of design, gameplay, narrative, and visuals. As all four meet in the middle, Kojima Productions has crafted a cinematic spectacle that flawlessly transitions between action and traversal, all wrapped up in the most absorbing of narratives."