Hideo Kojima isn’t shy about his loves. The renowned game creator has described himself as “70% made of movies,” and it’s easy to see why. DEATH STRANDING: DIRECTOR’S CUT plays like a script from modern sci-fi flicks, from its robust worldbuilding and multi-layered plot to its haunting enemies and breakneck action.

Like any great cinematic experience, DEATH STRANDING is backed by a killer soundtrack. Whether scaling a snowy mountain, ziplining over a desolate quarry, or simply resting up at a safe house, the game has plenty of tunes to keep a lonely porter grounded—and players gripped.

There’s an astonishing breadth and depth of music to enjoy, from curated licensed tracks to haunting original tunes by composer Ludvig Forssell. It’s tough to pick a shortlist, but here are six essential tracks from DEATH STRANDING that’ll surely stir your heart.

Spoiler alert: While I won’t divulge major plot points, I’ll be exploring some important themes and gameplay beats. If you’re wary of spoilers, I recommend you complete DEATH STRANDING before reading.

1. “Don’t Be So Serious”

DEATH STRANDING opens with a monologue from protagonist Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus). Sam describes the Big Bang explosion that created the world and gave it life. Though benign at first, Sam’s sermon takes a chilling turn: “And then...came the next explosion.”

As his words fade, a montage sets the scene. A post-apocalyptic event known as the Death Stranding has fractured society and severed any semblance of community. Despite the haunting backdrop, the world maintains its majesty. The sky shimmers as clouds settle. Mountains pop with greenery. Hope has died, but the planet is very much alive.

Low Roar’s “Don’t Be So Serious” drives this point home. The song, which accompanies the opening montage, describes a divorce that the band’s late singer Ryan Karazija experienced during the songwriting process. Karazija sings:
 

“Wake
Heavy pulse
Bloody eyes
Sweaty clothes

New routine
That I’ve learned
To understand and know”

DEATH STRANDING may not be a story of divorce, but it’s certainly a story of separation. Sam has been cut off from the so-called Chiral Network, and isolation is his new normal. To rebuild the world, he must reestablish comms with his fellow citizens and mend the connections, or Strands, between them. 

“Don’t Be So Serious” is a somber track, yet one with profound beauty. Much like Sam’s journey, it gives reason to believe in tomorrow.

2. “Fragile”

The very first character Sam meets on his journey is Fragile. Voiced by Léa Seydoux, Fragile saves Sam from an encounter with a mysterious Beached Thing, or BT. After introducing herself, she offers Sam a job working for her private delivery firm, Fragile Express. 

Prior to the events of DEATH STRANDING, Fragile’s body was exposed to a massive dose of Timefall—rain that causes the body to rapidly age. She explains that business has been struggling, especially with her condition. Later on, she serves as a critical means of travel, helping Sam teleport from one safe house to another.

Despite her aged physique, she stresses to Sam, “I’m Fragile, but not that fragile.” She backs up that statement throughout DEATH STRANDING: DIRECTOR'S CUT, proving an essential ally, confidant, and friend to Sam as he works to bring the Chiral Network back online.

Her resilience is further underscored by her in-game theme, “Fragile.” Ludvig Forssell opens the piece with the somber sound of strings, only to replace them with a haunting synth sequence. Mid-track, the strings return, swelling and giving light to an otherwise dark track. Forssell ends the song on an upbeat motif, as if to signal Fragile’s unwavering spirit underneath the toil.

3. “Mules”

“Mules” plays whenever Sam comes into contact with enemy porters. These raiders, known colloquially as MULEs, are rogue delivery men who’ve been corrupted by a desire to steal and hoard material objects. Given DEATH STRANDING is all about delivering packages, MULEs become regular adversaries during your journey. 

While the idea of evil UPS drivers might not rattle your bones, make no mistake: The stakes are high. Accidentally kill a MULE, and you risk a Voidout that’ll cause the surrounding area to explode. Instead, you’ll have to sneak through the MULEs' lines, tranquilize them in combat, or evade capture. Easier said than done when you’re carrying kilos of precious cargo. 

Ludvig Forssell is a master of atmosphere, and his music fits DEATH STRANDING like a glove. “Mules” is a synth-heavy, bass-powered track that captures the adrenaline of a tense encounter. When six MULEs are on your tail and sirens are blaring for backup, you’ll need to act quickly or lose everything. 

Live or die, there’s no denying these encounters are great fun. As players, we owe a lot of that to Forssell’s musical genius.

4. “I’ll Keep Coming”

A Kojima game wouldn’t be complete without a big reveal, and DEATH STRANDING certainly delivers. After schlepping across the United Cities of America and delivering care packages in the name of unity, Sam finally reaches Amelie’s beach. There, he learns her real motivations—and the truth about the Death Stranding.

In the wake of their conversation, Sam is left to reflect on the beach as the game’s credits roll. His only companion is the Low Roar track “I’ll Keep Coming,” which talks of resilience in the face of loss or defeat. As players walk the beach and observe the crashing waves, the chorus croons:
 

“Soon I'll come around
Lost and never found

Waiting for my words
Seen but never heard

Buried underground
But I'll keep coming”

To say Sam’s journey has been arduous would be an understatement. It takes the average player about 40 to 60 hours to complete DEATH STRANDING: DIRECTOR'S CUT, not counting scores of additional deliveries and side excursions. By the time you walk this beach, you’ve earned those credits.

Yet, as the song suggests, Sam’s journey isn’t quite over. Hope persists, and there’s work to be done to undo the effects of the Death Stranding. Just as Karazija sings “I’ll keep coming,” Sam’ll keep fighting for a better world.

5. “BB’s Theme”

You can’t create a DEATH STRANDING playlist without its most pivotal piece. “BB’s Theme” plays during Episode 14 as Sam and Lou make their final delivery. Exiting Capital Knot City one last time, players must navigate to an incinerator within the mountains, not far from where Sam’s journey began.

Seems like a standard mission, at first. In classic Kojima fashion, however, there’s a catch: You must complete this trek without the help of your trusty in-game map. Thankfully, you’ve got hours of experience—and an entire community of fellow porters—to aid you in your journey.

As Sam and Lou approach the Capital Knot City outskirts, singer Jenny Plant delivers a soothing rendition of the lullaby that Mads Mikkelsen’s character, Cliff Unger, once sang to his own BB:
 

“See the sun set
The day is ending
Let that yawn out
There's no pretending

I will hold you
And protect you
So, let love warm you
'til the morning”

As Sam sprints over grasslands and clambers up a mountain en route to the incinerator, the music swells in dramatic fashion, culminating just as players arrive at their destination. It’s a bittersweet moment, as Sam completes his narrative journey—and players say goodbye to a world they’ve inhabited for countless hours.

6. “Death Stranding”

“Death Stranding” plays during the game’s second—and truly final—credit sequence. Performed by the Scottish band CHVRCHES, the titular track caps off an otherworldly adventure with an equally ethereal synth-pop ballad. 

Lead singer Lauren Mayberry paints a picture of a world at the “end of time.” In that world, people had everything, then lost everything. She sings:
 

“Let's draw a line in the sand, keep it straight and narrow
We had it all in our hands, we begged and then we borrowed
What will become of us all at the end of love
When we've stopped looking up?”

The imagery harks back to that moment Sam had on Amelie’s beach, contemplating the fleeting nature of life—and the ever-looming promise of death. In a possible nod to his story, “Death Stranding” calls for the need for closure and ponders what’ll happen “if we dare to dream / at the end of the scene.”

Anyone who’s played DEATH STRANDING: DIRECTOR'S CUT or previous Kojima games knows that the man loves his symbolism. This is a game that begs to be replayed and reinterpreted with fresh context, updated theories, and new epiphanies. 

For those who don’t have the time to reinvest, perhaps there’s closure in this: Sam’s story is truly what you make of it. Whether it delivered some sci-fi scares, helped you through the pandemic, or simply served as a scenic experience, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this game. Grab some cargo, listen to some tunes, and explore.

DEATH STRANDING: DIRECTOR'S CUT is available now on the Epic Games Store.