{"id":76493,"date":"2026-08-30T04:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T08:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/?p=76493"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T02:48:22","slug":"death-stranding-2-windows-firewall-settings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/death-stranding-2-windows-firewall-settings\/","title":{"rendered":"List of Windows Security Firewall Settings to Allow Death Stranding 2 Through Safely"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your game crashes on launch. The startup logo freezes. Or the menu loads but then the screen goes black. You’ve checked system requirements, verified files, and updated drivers. Nothing works.<\/p>\n

Then you try one thing: adding Death Stranding 2<\/em> to the Windows Firewall exception list. Suddenly the game<\/a> boots.<\/p>\n

This isn’t rare. Windows Defender Firewall can block game executables \u2014 especially after a major update or on a fresh PC install. The firewall doesn’t care that the game is legit. It sees an unknown process trying to open a network connection and stops it. For a title like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach<\/em>, which relies on asynchronous online features (cargo sharing, bridge links, and chiral network interactions), blocking those connections can cause the game to hang or crash at startup.<\/p>\n

Below is a precise, step-by-step guide to configuring Windows Security<\/a> Firewall settings so Death Stranding 2<\/em> can communicate safely \u2014 without exposing your system to unnecessary risk.<\/p>\n

The Two Settings You Must Configure<\/h2>\n

Windows Defender Firewall has two separate toggles for each allowed app: Private<\/strong> and Public<\/strong>. You must check both.<\/p>\n

Private<\/strong> applies to home or work networks you trust.<\/p>\n

Public<\/strong> applies to networks like coffee shop Wi-Fi, hotel connections, or a school campus.<\/p>\n

If you leave Public<\/em> unchecked and launch the game while connected to a public network \u2014 say, at a Starbucks on Fifth Avenue \u2014 the firewall will silently drop the game\u2019s connection attempts. The game will either fail to load your save data online or freeze during the \u201csigning in to server\u201d phase.<\/p>\n

Death Stranding 2<\/em>‘s online features are asynchronous but still require a steady UDP handshake to Kojima Productions\u2019 servers. A blocked public profile kills that handshake.<\/p>\n

How to Check Both Boxes<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Type Windows Security<\/strong> into the Start menu. Press Enter.<\/li>\n
  2. Click Firewall & network protection<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  3. Click Allow an app through firewall<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  4. Click Change settings<\/strong> (requires administrator privileges \u2014 a UAC prompt will appear).<\/li>\n
  5. Scroll through the list. If you see Death Stranding 2<\/em> or DS2.exe<\/em>, check both the Private<\/strong> and Public<\/strong> columns.<\/li>\n
  6. If the game is not listed, click Allow another app<\/strong>, then Browse<\/strong>, and navigate to your installation folder. The default Steam path is usually C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonDeath Stranding 2<\/code>codecodecodecode. Select the executable (likely DS2.exe<\/code>codecodecodecode). Click Add<\/strong>, then check both boxes.<\/li>\n
  7. Click OK<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    After this, launch the game. If it loads without a crash, the firewall was the culprit.<\/p>\n

    When the Game Still Won\u2019t Launch After Adding the Rule<\/h2>\n

    Adding the executable doesn\u2019t always work on the first try. Two common failure scenarios:<\/p>\n

    Scenario A: The wrong executable is added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Death Stranding 2<\/em> may have a launcher executable (Launcher.exe<\/code>codecodecodecode) that spawns a separate game process. If you only added the launcher, the game process still gets blocked. To confirm: open Task Manager while the game attempts to start. Look for a process named DS2.exe<\/code>codecodecodecode or ds2_win64.exe<\/code>codecodecodecode. If it appears and then disappears within five seconds, the firewall likely killed it.<\/p>\n

    Fix: add both the launcher and the actual game executable. Check both in the firewall list.<\/p>\n

    Scenario B: A previous firewall rule is corrupted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If you previously allowed Death Stranding 2<\/em> but later uninstalled and reinstalled the game, the old rule might reference a now-deleted file path. Windows does not automatically update these paths. The result: the firewall ignores the rule and treats the new executable as unknown.<\/p>\n

    Fix: remove the old rule and add the new one. In the \u201cAllowed apps\u201d window, select the game entry, click Remove<\/strong>, then add it again using the current installation path.<\/p>\n

    Verifying the Rule Exists and Is Active<\/h2>\n

    You can confirm the firewall rule is correctly applied using the advanced management console. This is useful if the simple list doesn’t give you enough detail.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Press Win + R<\/strong>, type wf.msc<\/code>codecodecodecode, and hit Enter.<\/li>\n
    2. In Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security<\/strong>, click Inbound Rules<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    3. Look for a rule named something like Death Stranding 2 \u2013 DS2.exe<\/strong>. If it exists, double-click it.<\/li>\n
    4. On the General<\/strong> tab, ensure Enabled<\/strong> is set to Yes<\/strong> and Allow the connection<\/strong> is selected.<\/li>\n
    5. On the Profiles<\/strong> tab, confirm Private<\/strong> and Public<\/strong> are both checked.<\/li>\n
    6. On the Scope<\/strong> tab \u2014 this is critical \u2014 verify that Local IP address<\/strong> is set to Any IP address<\/strong> and Remote IP address<\/strong> is also Any IP address<\/strong>. Some users accidentally restrict remote IPs to a subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.0\/24), which blocks the game\u2019s connection to external servers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      If the rule is missing, you can create it manually: right-click Inbound Rules<\/strong>, choose New Rule<\/strong>, select Program<\/strong>, browse to the game\u2019s executable, select Allow the connection<\/strong>, and apply it to all profiles.<\/p>\n

      Disabling Antivirus Real-Time Protection \u2013 When It\u2019s Necessary<\/h2>\n

      The source material for this guide suggests turning off real-time protection in Windows Security as a troubleshooting step. This is not the same as disabling the firewall. Real-time protection is part of Virus & threat protection<\/strong> and can sometimes scan game files aggressively, causing delays or false positives that make the game appear unresponsive.<\/p>\n

      But do not leave it off. Re-enable it after testing. The specific procedure:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Open Windows Security.<\/li>\n
      2. Click Virus & threat protection<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      3. Under Virus & threat protection settings<\/strong>, click Manage settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      4. Toggle Real-time protection<\/strong> to Off<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If the game launches with real-time protection off but fails again when you turn it back on, you may need to add the game\u2019s installation folder as an exclusion:<\/p>\n