Kojima Productions has introduced a surprising but welcome feature in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. If you are struggling with a boss, you can simply choose to skip the battle using a “Pretend You Won” option! No punishment, no shame, just progress. Here is everything you need to know about how it works.
How to Skip a Boss Fight in Death Stranding 2
If you die during a boss fight, you will end up on the death screen. On there, you will now see multiple options, and one of them is the “Pretend You Won“. At first, you might think: what do you mean pretend you won, what does it do?
Well, the answer is simple: you pretend you won. In other words, you skip the full boss fight and continue the story as if you had defeated it.
Keep in mind that this option is only available for major boss fights, not for regular enemies or small skirmishes like with Bandits.
What Happens When You Skip a Boss
If you pick “Pretend You Won,” here is what happens next:
- The game shows you a short slideshow with images and text explaining how the boss fight played out “as if” you won.
- You are dropped back into the game right at the end of the battle, during the boss’s death animation or final scene.
- The story continues normally, and you don’t need to replay the fight again unless you reload an earlier save.
You will also see the usual mission results screen, including the Likes you earned. However, there are a few differences compared to actually winning the fight.
Do You Miss Out on Anything If You Skip?
Not much! The “Pretend You Won” option is designed to respect your time and let you focus on what you enjoy most in the game.
Here is what changes:
- You still get Likes and mission completion credit.
- You may miss out on bonus Likes or some minor rewards tied to performance.
- You don’t get a full combat rank or evaluation for the fight.
- You might miss a small scene or two, but nothing critical to the story.
The game does not penalize you, and even Trophy progression appears unaffected, making this an accessible option for players chasing Platinum.
Should You Skip or Not
Boss fights in Death Stranding 2 are more about cinematic impact than deep combat. They often serve a narrative purpose, breaking up the story or emphasizing a moment in Sam’s journey. But mechanically, they are simple: big arena, a few enemy attacks, hit and dodge, repeat.
That’s why this feature is so clever. If you love the atmosphere and storytelling but find the battles frustrating, you can still enjoy the experience without getting stuck.
This is not the first time Kojima has done something like this either. In Metal Gear Solid V, players who failed often could use a “Chicken Hat” to make things easier. But Death Stranding 2 takes it further by just letting you move on.
You don’t have to prove anything to keep playing Death Stranding 2. If a boss fight is too frustrating or just not your thing, you can skip it and keep enjoying the story at your own pace, with no guilt and no real loss.
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