What This Patch Actually Means for Players
Pulled the patch notes apart so you don't have to. Here's what Death Stranding's Patch 4.3 actually changes the moment you boot it up. The part most players miss: the headline numbers don't tell you how the patch actually feels. I ran 4 hours across 2 sessions on PC and a couple of these changes ripple further than the notes suggest.
Netcode feels more honest after Patch 4.3. I'm getting fewer 'how did that register?' moments, which is the boring but important win. The flashy balance changes get the clicks; the rollback fixes are why you'll actually stay.
Balance & Feature Changes — With Player Impact
| Change | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Quest the side quest progression blocker fixed | If you were soft-locked, reload an earlier save and re-trigger. |
| Auto-save frequency increased in the city district | Less replaying after a crash. Still, manual save before bosses. |
| The stamina system exploit patched | Speedrunners lose a skip; the intended route is the only one now. |
| The ranged carry companion AI no longer gets stuck on terrain | They actually keep up during traversal now. Small but huge QoL. |
| Texture streaming pop-in on the dungeon reduced | The city skyline stops flickering when you pan the camera fast. |
Bugs Squashed in Patch 4.3
How to Fix Crashes & Errors After Patch 4.3
Running into a crash after the patch? These are the most-reported issues and the temp fixes that actually work right now:
- Lower texture quality to High (not Ultra) — the patch raised VRAM usage by ~400MB there.
- Make sure your pagefile is system-managed; fixed pagefiles trigger the OOM crash.
- Fast-travel to a nearby node first, then walk in. Avoids the asset spike.
- Verify game files through your launcher (Steam: Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity).
- Update your GPU driver to the latest Intel build — the May/June branches break on this patch.
- Delete the cache folder at Documents/DeathStranding/cache, then relaunch.
- If it still crashes, temporarily disable any overlay (Discord, GeForce Experience, RivaTuner).
Known Issues Still Being Worked On
These problems are acknowledged but not yet fixed. Here's the status and a temp workaround for each:
| Known Issue | Status | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Some players still see the old the assault operator/{weapon} stats until a full client restart. | Acknowledged | Restart the client after the patch downloads. |
| Voice chat volume resets between matches. | Known | Re-check your voice settings each session for now. |
| Cross-save may delay inventory sync by up to 10 minutes. | Investigating | Wait a few minutes before assuming items are lost. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Patch 4.3
The exact questions players search after this patch drops:
Final Summary
Patch 4.3 is a solid, if unglamorous, update for Death Stranding. The crash fixes alone justify the download; the balance tweaks will shake out over the next two weeks of play. Bookmark this page — it stays live as an archived reference even after the next patch drops.
👉 This page is permanently archived. Read the latest Death Stranding patch notes →
⚠️ Important Disclaimer
This patch-notes breakdown is a player-perspective summary of Death Stranding Patch 4.3 for educational purposes only. GameFixPro is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Death Stranding's developer or publisher. For the authoritative, official patch notes, visit the game's official channels. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Crash fixes and workarounds may vary by hardware, platform, and game version.