The PC version’s release clearly did not go as planned.
Gamers unexpectedly gained the ability to play Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on PC a couple of days ahead of its official launch date.
Sony had not offered “early access” as part of any premium edition purchase. It appears an error was made during the publication of the build intended for pre-loading.
Typically, such builds are encrypted and then decrypted on the release day via Steam. However, something evidently went wrong this time. The game lacks Denuvo protection, which allowed hackers to quickly bypass the standard DRM.
The full release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is officially anticipated on March 19th.