Destiny 2 is a free-to-play online first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was originally released as a pay-to-play game in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. It became free-to-play, using the game as a service model, under the title New Light on October 1, 2019. The game was released on Stadia the following month and later on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms in December 2020. Activision published the game until December 31, 2018, when Bungie took over the publishing rights. Destiny 2 is the sequel to the 2014 game Destiny and its expansions.
Set in a "mythic science fiction" world, the game includes a multiplayer "shared-world" environment with elements from role-playing games. Activities in Destiny 2 are divided into player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types. In addition to story missions, PvE includes three-player "strikes" and dungeons, as well as six-player raids. A free roam patrol mode is available for each destination, featuring public events and activities not found in the original game. These activities focus on exploring destinations and interacting with non-player characters (NPCs); the original Destiny only had NPCs in social spaces. PvP includes objective-based modes and traditional deathmatch game types.
Players take the role of a Guardian, protectors of Earth's last safe city, who use a power called Light to defend humanity from alien races and fight the threat of the Darkness. Like the original Destiny, the game includes expansion packs that add new story content and features. Year One of Destiny 2 included two small expansions: Curse of Osiris (December 2017) and Warmind (May 2018). Year Two began with a larger expansion, Forsaken (September 2018), which changed gameplay and introduced a seasonal model with smaller content packs released throughout the year. Year Three began with Shadowkeep (October 2019), and starting with this expansion, each release is a standalone version, not requiring previous premium content. A free-to-play version called New Light was released alongside Shadowkeep, including access to the first two expansions. Seasonal passes became available for each season's content. While the main game is now free-to-play, other content requires purchase.
Year Four included the biggest changes to the game, with nearly half of the content from the first three years, including the original base campaign and earlier expansions, moved to what Bungie calls the Destiny Content Vault. Year Four began with the fifth expansion, Beyond Light (November 2020), which introduced the power of Darkness. Bungie described this expansion as the start of a new era for the franchise, followed by The Witch Queen (February 2022) and Lightfall (February 2023). A final chapter for Destiny's first saga, "The Light and Darkness Saga," was released in June 2024 as The Final Shape. This expansion changed the seasonal model, replacing four seasons with three large episodes while still using season passes.
The second saga, "The Fate Saga," began with The Edge of Fate (July 2025), marking Year Eight, called the "Year of Prophecy." This changed the content delivery model, with each year divided into two large seasons lasting several months. Each season begins with a mid-sized expansion, followed by a "major update" released midway through the season. Expansions require purchase, but major updates are free for all players. These expansions and updates still use season passes, now renamed as reward passes. The second expansion of Year Eight was Renegades (December 2025), heavily influenced by Star Wars through a collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. Expansions planned for Year Nine are Shattered Cycle and The Alchemist, originally scheduled for summer and winter 2026, but delayed due to the Renegades major update.
Upon release, Destiny 2 received mostly positive reviews from critics. Praise focused on improvements to the story, gameplay, visuals, exploration, multiplayer, and public events. Reviews were mixed on weapon recategorization, the Leviathan raid, and new modes. Destiny 2 was nominated for and won awards, such as at The Game Awards 2017 and Game Critics Awards.
Gameplay
Destiny 2 is a first-person shooter game that includes role-playing and online multiplayer features. Like the original Destiny, it allows players to team up with others through matchmaking. In the original game, players could only communicate with those matched by the game and had to use console messaging systems until in-game text chat was added later. Destiny 2 uses a better matchmaking system called "Guided Games," which helps players find clans needing extra members for raids. Activities in the game are split into player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) modes, similar to the original.
Players improve their characters, called Guardians, by earning experience points (EXP). When enough EXP is collected, the character levels up and gains better stats. Starting with the Shadowkeep expansion, the leveling system changed to a "season pass" system. Players use EXP to "rank up," earning rewards at each rank. Seasonal rewards end at level 100, but there is no maximum rank during a season. Quests, including main story quests, are tasks given by non-player characters (NPCs) that reward items and EXP. Completing main story quests advances the game’s overall story.
Destiny 2 has the same three character classes as the original: Warlock, Hunter, and Titan. Each class has unique upgrades, perks, and three sub-classes that let players customize their playstyle. After choosing a class, players pick a species: Human, Awoken (bluish-gray-skinned descendants of Humans), or Exo (humanoid machines). Species choices are cosmetic and do not affect gameplay. Players can create up to three characters, one for each class.
Hunters have access to the Solar-based "Gunslinger" sub-class from the original and the Void-based "Nightstalker" sub-class from the original’s The Taken King expansion, both with updated gameplay. Destiny 2 introduces the Arc-based "Arcstrider" sub-class, replacing the original’s "Bladedancer." Arcstrider’s super ability, "Arc Staff," uses an electrified staff and rapid movement. Forsaken added new supers for Hunters: "Blade Barrage" (flaming knives), "Spectral Blades" (Void daggers through walls), and "Whirlwind Guard" (blocking projectiles with the Arc Staff).
Warlocks retain the Void-based "Voidwalker" and Arc-based "Stormcaller" sub-classes from the original, with changes. Destiny 2 adds the Solar-based "Dawnblade" sub-class, replacing the original’s "Sunsinger." Dawnblade’s super, "Daybreak," creates Solar Light blades to strike enemies from the air. Forsaken introduced new supers: "Nova Warp" (Void explosions), "Chaos Reach" (Arc energy beam), and "Well of Radiance" (healing aura). However, "Well of Radiance" no longer provides an overshield in Lightfall.
Titans keep the Arc-based "Striker" and Solar-based "Sunbreaker" sub-classes from the original, with updates. Destiny 2 adds the Void-based "Sentinel" sub-class, replacing the original’s "Defender." Sentinel’s super, "Sentinel Shield," blocks enemy fire and can be used offensively. Forsaken added new supers: "Thundercrash" (air slam), "Burning Maul" (flaming hammer), and "Ward of Dawn" (protective barrier).
Beyond Light introduced a fourth sub-class, "Stasis," based on the Darkness power, unlike Solar, Arc, and Void, which are tied to the Light of the Traveler. Stasis is modular, allowing customization of grenade, melee, and protection abilities. Bungie plans future Darkness powers with similar modularity. The Void subclasses were updated in The Witch Queen expansion, with Solar and Arc reforms later. Lightfall added a new Darkness power, "Strand," which uses psychic abilities or grappling hooks.
As players complete activities like strikes, raids, and dungeons, they earn experience to increase their character’s "Power" level (previously called "Light" level). Initially, this was tracked through an EXP system, but since Shadowkeep, Power level is based on the average level of the character’s gear. Higher Power levels allow better equipment, improving damage and defense. Gear has "soft" and "hard" Power levels: soft levels can be reached through regular activities, while hard levels require challenging events like Nightfall strikes, dungeons, or raids. Gear can be upgraded using higher-level items through a process called "infusion," which costs in-game resources.
Weapons and armor were reorganized in Destiny 2. Original Primary, Special, and Heavy weapons are now categorized as Kinetic, Energy, and Power weapons. Kinetic weapons include non-elemental weapons, while Energy weapons use Light-based elemental damage (Arc, Solar, or Void). Darkness-based weapons are a new category.
Plot
One year after the SIVA Crisis, Cabal forces from the Red Legion attack the Last City by air, destroying the main part of the Tower, which is the Guardians' headquarters. The player's Guardian and their Ghost help the Vanguard attack the Red Legion's command ship. During the battle, the Guardian faces Dominus Ghaul, the Red Legion's leader. Ghaul's forces attach a device to the Traveler, a powerful being, and begin taking its energy, called the Light, which Guardians use. The Guardian loses their powers and is almost killed. After waking up two days later, the Guardian finds their Ghost, who can still heal them but can no longer bring them back to life. With help from Suraya Hawthorne, a human from the outskirts of the Last City, the Guardian finds a safe place called "the Farm" in the European Dead Zone (EDZ).
The Guardian follows a vision to find a piece of the Traveler hidden in a forest in the EDZ. The Ghost connects with the piece, restoring the Guardian's link to the Light. After restoring long-distance communication, Hawthorne receives a message from Commander Zavala, asking surviving Guardians to go to Saturn's moon Titan to prepare for a counterattack. Despite Hawthorne's concerns, the Guardian travels to Titan, which is overrun by Hive enemies. With help from Deputy Commander Sloane, the Guardian learns that the Red Legion was sent to the Milky Way two years earlier in response to a distress call from the Taken War. Ghaul has a powerful weapon called the Almighty, a space station that can destroy stars. Resistance against Cabal rule has caused entire star systems to be destroyed. The Almighty is near the Sun, breaking up the planet Mercury for fuel. Zavala sends the Guardian to find Ikora Rey and Cayde-6 to help retake the Last City. It is also revealed that Ghaul, with help from his mentor, the Consul, overthrew and exiled Emperor Calus, taking control of the Cabal. Ghaul has studied the Traveler to learn how to use the Light.
The Guardian finds Cayde-6 on the planet Nessus, which has been almost completely changed by the Vex. With help from Failsafe, an AI from the crashed ship Exodus Black, the Guardian frees Cayde from a Vex trap and gets a teleporter to help retake the city. Cayde tells the Guardian to find Ikora on the Jovian moon Io, where the Traveler once tried to make the planet livable. Ikora and researcher Asher Mir guide the Guardian to find a Warmind, an ancient AI, for information about the Almighty. The Warmind reveals that destroying the Almighty would also destroy the Sun. The Vanguard meets at the Farm and decides the only way to save the Last City and the Traveler is to shut down the Almighty first. The Guardian boards the Almighty using a stolen Cabal ship and disables the weapon, signaling Zavala to begin the counterattack. During the battle, the Consul criticizes Ghaul for wanting to earn the Light instead of taking it by force. Ghaul refuses until the Consul kills the Speaker, whom Ghaul had captured to learn about the Traveler. Ghaul then claims the Light and kills the Consul in anger.
The Guardian returns to Earth to help in the counterattack and uses Cayde's Vex teleporter to infiltrate Ghaul's command ship alone to save the Traveler. Ghaul takes the Light and uses it against the Guardian, but the Guardian defeats Ghaul. Ghaul becomes a large, ghost-like figure and speaks directly to the Traveler. The Traveler wakes up, destroys the device taking its energy, and kills Ghaul. The Traveler sends a powerful shockwave through the solar system, restoring the Light to all Guardians and destroying the Red Legion's forces. The game ends with a voice from the Speaker, reminding everyone that the Light cannot be stopped. The Guardian and Ghost meet Zavala, Ikora, Cayde, and Hawthorne at an undamaged part of the Tower, where the Vanguard resumes their duties and Hawthorne takes a new role. In a post-credits scene, the shockwave from the Traveler spreads beyond the solar system, revealing a fleet of dark, pyramid-shaped ships in space.
After Ghaul's defeat, a large Cabal ship called the Leviathan appears above Nessus, which it begins to consume. The ship is controlled by Emperor Calus, who was exiled. Calus invites Guardians to complete challenges before facing him in a raid called "Leviathan." Guardians complete the challenges and fight a mechanical copy of Calus. They later learn they were fighting a fake, and the real Calus claims their understanding of the world is incorrect.
With the release of the free-to-play "New Light" version of Destiny 2 in October 2019, Bungie changed the game's beginning for new players. The first mission from the original Destiny was reintroduced as the starting mission. After completing this mission, players go to the Tower, meet NPCs, and begin the Destiny 2 campaign ("The Red War"), as well as other storylines. Returning players could play this mission by creating a new character.
In November 2020, with the "Beyond Light" expansion, the original Destiny 2 campaign and related content were removed from the game and placed in the Destiny Content Vault. Players can no longer access these missions, though Bungie may add them back in the future. The game explains this change by showing planets being taken over by the Darkness. A new player experience was introduced, guiding new players through the Cosmodrome and giving Guardians a more detailed origin story. A new NPC was added to help new players. Veteran players can complete this quest by visiting a kiosk in the Tower and H.E.L.M.
Like the original Destiny, the game begins with a cinematic showing a landing pod on Mars. Three astronauts explore Mars and find a large, glowing object in the sky. A narrator explains the history of the Traveler, the Darkness, and humanity's Golden Age before the first Collapse caused by the Darkness. The game starts with the Guardian's Ghost searching through the Cosmodrome in Old Russia until it finds and resurrects the player's Guardian. The Guardian has no memory of their past life before becoming a Guardian.
Development
In November 2014, two months after the original Destiny game was released, Activision's chief executive officer, Eric Hirshberg, mentioned that work on a sequel and future expansions had started. According to the original release schedule, Bungie and Activision planned to release new, physical copies of the next game every other year until 2019, with large downloadable expansions in between. Originally planned for September 2016, Bungie confirmed on February 11, 2016, that the full sequel would release in 2017. In February 2016, Christopher Schlerf, a video game writer who worked on Halo 4 and Mass Effect: Andromeda, joined Bungie. In December 2016, Bungie announced that Vicarious Visions would join the development team with Activision. Unlike the original, it was rumored that Destiny 2 would also release on Microsoft Windows, which was confirmed on March 30, 2017.
In Activision's 2016 earnings report, Hirshberg said the sequel was still "on track for release this fall [2017]." Activision stated the sequel would "broaden the franchise's global reach." Hirshberg added that players who had spent time in the original game would "love" the sequel, and those who had not played Destiny or had not played in a while would also enjoy it.
Bungie had said that players' characters and progress would carry over into future releases. However, this was only partially true. Characters and progress did carry over into Destiny's expansions, but for the sequel, only players' characters' physical appearance carried over if they had reached level 20 and completed the Black Garden quest in the original. Bungie explained that this decision allowed them to introduce major improvements for the sequel without being limited by the past. Veteran players in Destiny 2 received in-game emblems recognizing their achievements in the original game. Players' characters, progress, and items remain accessible in the original Destiny, which will stay online.
On March 23, 2017, a promotional poster for the sequel was leaked, revealing the game's name as Destiny 2 and a release date of September 8, 2017, with a public beta. The poster showed that Destiny 2 would have PlayStation exclusive content. On March 27, 2017, Bungie tweeted an image of Destiny 2, showing The Last City in smoke and flames with "Destiny" and a large "2" over the Traveler. This was followed by a teaser trailer narrated by Cayde-6, showing the Tower under attack by the Cabal, an enemy race from the original game. PlayStation's YouTube channel confirmed that the game would have timed exclusive content for PlayStation 4 until at least fall 2018. A full reveal trailer showed the three class Vanguards—Commander Zavala (Titan), Cayde-6 (Hunter), and Ikora Rey (Warlock)—rallying Guardians in the war-torn Tower. The Cabal are led by Ghaul, the commander of the Red Legion. The trailers confirmed that Lance Reddick, Nathan Fillion, and Gina Torres would reprise their roles as the Vanguards, and Nolan North would return as Ghost, the Guardian's AI companion. Bungie streamed gameplay of Destiny 2 on May 18. Other performers reprising roles included Bill Nighy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Peter Stormare, Lennie James, Claudia Black, and James Remar, along with new voices Frank Langella, Joy Osmanski, and H. Jon Benjamin. After Reddick's death in March 2023, his role as Commander Zavala was recast with Keith David starting in August 2023.
On May 19, 2017, Destiny 2 project lead Mark Noseworthy told IGN there were no plans for a Nintendo Switch version of the game. The Microsoft Windows version of Destiny 2 supports 4K resolution, uncapped frame rate, full mouse and keyboard support, text chat, adjustable field of view, and 21:9 monitor support. It was exclusive to Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net service at launch. The PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, updated versions of their consoles, supported 4K enhancements and HDR. However, console versions were locked at 30fps. Destiny 2's servers use a mix of dedicated servers and peer-to-peer networking, ensuring smoother gameplay. Lead engineer Matt Segur explained that all activities in Destiny 2 are hosted by servers, preventing host migration issues during raids or trials, unlike the original game.
Grimoire cards from the original game, which detailed the lore of the Destiny universe, were not included in Destiny 2. Instead, Bungie focused on in-game storytelling, which was criticized in the original game. Players can scan artifacts in Destiny 2 using Ghost to learn about the lore. Exotic and legendary gear also have lore tabs. At E3 2017, a new cinematic trailer narrated by Ghaul showed Bungie's focus on storytelling. The release date was moved up to September 6, 2017, with the Windows version launching on October 24. Beta access dates were also confirmed.
In the spring of 2025, after announcing a release date for the upcoming Marathon reboot, Bungie stated it would continue supporting Destiny 2 indefinitely.
The original score was composed by Michael Salvatori, Skye Lewin, C. Paul Johnson, Rotem Moav, and Peter Schlosser. Michael Sechrist also contributed to Destiny 2 and became more prominent in future DLCs like Witch Queen and Beyond Light. The composers aimed to "capture the somber spirit of a civilization facing tragedy" and "inspire bravery in heroes."
The original soundtrack received positive feedback, with fans praising it as epic and nostalgic.
In October 2023, composers Michael Salvatori and Michael Sechrist were laid off.
Release
Destiny 2 was released worldwide for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2017, and the Microsoft Windows version was released worldwide on October 24, 2017. The game had several editions, including a Collector's Edition, a Limited Edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition, and the standard base game. Like the original Destiny, the game included an Expansion Pass that gave players access to the first two expansions. Pre-orders for the game provided early access to the beta version and other in-game bonuses, such as early access to the exotic weapon "Coldheart." Pre-orders from GameStop included a Cayde-6 collectible figure. Other figures, like Lord Saladin, were released after the game launched on consoles. Due to an exclusivity agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation 4 version of Destiny 2 had timed-exclusive content until late 2018. This exclusive content ended with the release of the Shadowkeep expansion in October 2019.
The Collector's Edition of Destiny 2 included the base game in a SteelBook case, the Expansion Pass, a themed backpack, a "Frontier Kit" with a solar panel USB charger, paracord, and a solar blanket, a 15" laptop/tablet sleeve, a Cabal-themed collector's box with various items, and premium digital content. The Limited Edition, sold only through GameStop, included the same physical and digital items as the Collector's Edition but without the backpack, "Frontier Kit," and laptop/tablet sleeve. The Digital Deluxe Edition included all of the premium digital content. A limited-time PlayStation 4 bundle also included a glacier white PlayStation 4 Pro, Destiny 2, the Expansion Pass, and premium digital content.
The Windows version was initially distributed only through Blizzard Battle.net, making it the first non-Blizzard Entertainment title on the platform. In January 2019, Bungie and Activision ended their publishing agreement, and Bungie became the publisher for the PC version. The Windows version remained on Battle.net for several months but moved to Steam after the Shadowkeep expansion released in October 2019. Later, in August 2022, Destiny 2 was added to the Epic Games Store as part of Bungie's plans to expand the game to new platforms after being acquired by Sony.
With the release of the Shadowkeep expansion in October 2019, Bungie changed how the game was monetized. The goal was to let players play with friends across different platforms, so they introduced cross-saving, allowing characters to transfer between platforms. Bungie also partnered with Google to offer Destiny 2 on Stadia, a new game streaming service. At the same time, the base game, the Leviathan raid, and many player-versus-player modes became free in the "New Light" version. Players could still purchase content like Forsaken and Shadowkeep separately. Shadowkeep and future expansions are standalone experiences that do not require previous expansions. A battle pass system was also introduced, offering rewards such as weapons, cosmetics, and in-game items for completing activities. One tier of rewards is free for all players, while the second tier requires purchasing the season pass. Both New Light and Shadowkeep were released after Bungie regained publishing rights from Activision.
In June 2020, Bungie announced plans to retire some less-used content into a "Destiny Content Vault" (DCV) to manage the game's growing size. The game client had reached about 115 GB, making it too large and difficult to manage. However, Bungie said they would occasionally bring back some areas and activities, including updated versions from the original Destiny. For example, the Leviathan area returned in "Season of the Haunted" with The Witch Queen expansion. Bungie stated that using the DCV was an alternative to creating a new Destiny 3 game. By August 2022, Bungie said they had improved the game's technology and would no longer vault expansion content.
Bungie confirmed that Earth's Cosmodrome patrol location and strikes would return during seasons 12 and 13, and the original game's Vault of Glass raid would return in Season 14. Bungie also announced plans for at least two more years of content, including the Beyond Light expansion (released November 10, 2020), followed by The Witch Queen (delayed to early 2022) and Lightfall (delayed to early 2023). Bungie stated they did not want to create a Destiny 3 game at the time and instead focused on expanding Destiny 2. A final chapter, The Final Shape, concluded the first saga of Destiny, called the "Light and Darkness Saga," before starting a new saga for the franchise.
In May 2020, Bungie confirmed that Destiny 2 would be released for next-generation consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with native 4K resolution at 60fps. The Xbox Series S would run at 1080p resolution. Cross-play support was available between PlayStation 4 and 5 at launch and across all platforms starting with Season 15 in 2021. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were released on December 8, 2020. Players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One could update their versions for free and transfer content to newer consoles using Microsoft's "Smart Delivery" program. Field of view customization was also added.
In early 2021, Bungie announced plans to expand the Destiny brand beyond video games, creating a "Destiny Universe." Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy were named executive creative director and vice president, respectively, of Bungie's new Destiny Universe division, while Justin Truman became general manager for Destiny 2.
Before the console release, Bungie said they had already begun working on post-release content. Their goal was to provide content faster than the original Destiny, which had been criticized for not having enough content after launch and between expansions. One of their solutions was to introduce Adventures and Lost Sectors.
Reception
Destiny 2 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects and summarizes game reviews. Some reviewers called the game "Destiny 1.5" because it shares many similarities with the original Destiny. However, reviewers praised the improvements made compared to the first game.
Gameplay was highly praised. Chris Carter of Destructoid said the game "nails" the most important aspects of gameplay. Matt Miller of Game Informer noted that the game features "remarkably taut FPS gunplay" combined with "seemingly magical powers." Miller also said the reorganization of destinations and the focus on exploration were positive changes. Evan Slead of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) praised the exploration but disliked how weapons were recategorized. He said Kinetic weapons "didn’t seem to pack as much of a punch" as Energy weapons. Cody Perez of Game Revolution welcomed the recategorized weapons, calling Bungie "masters of gun-play." Kallie Plagge of GameSpot said the game has a similar structure to the original, including "mechanically excellent shooting" and a "satisfying loot grind." Carter praised the Lost Sectors, public events, and post-campaign story quests. Miller said Lost Sectors were fun but became less interesting over time. Perez disliked the Adventures and Lost Sectors activities, calling them "filler content" that was "monotonous and a bore." He praised public events as being periodic.
The Leviathan raid received praise and criticism. Miller of Game Informer called it "one of Bungie's most intricate and fascinating environments" but criticized the award system for separating "the excitement of new gear from the moment of victory." Slead of EGM said the post-campaign quests, Strikes, and weekly Nightfall activity remain central to Destiny. Perez of Game Revolution, who had not played the original game's raids, praised the Leviathan raid for exceeding expectations. Plagge of GameSpot said solving the raid's puzzles could be "rewarding and frustrating," but "each failure teaches you something new."
The original Destiny was criticized for its story. Destiny 2 improved the story and made the universe's lore easier to access. Slead of EGM said it has a "more robust story" and fixed the "meandering storytelling" from the first game. Carter of Destructoid said the story is "easy to follow" and "easier to get invested in." Perez of Game Revolution said the story "gripped me" and had a "meaningful narrative" with a "fleshed-out villain." Plagge of GameSpot said the story serves its purpose well and praised its "mournful soundtrack."
Miller of Game Informer said the Crucible mode felt more competitive than the original, with teamwork being "highly valued." However, he was confused by the decision to force players into one of two playlists and was indifferent to making all modes four-versus-four. Perez of Game Revolution said Crucible did not receive the same attention as the singleplayer content. He said smaller maps made multiplayer "non-stop action" without time to strategize. David Houghton of GamesRadar+ said the changes to Crucible "shine in a tight, focused, clear, and tactically co-operative format."
Destiny 2 sold 50,263 copies on PlayStation 4 in its first week in Japan, making it number one on the weekly sales charts. It reached number one on the UK sales chart during the weekend of September 23. Destiny 2 was the second-highest-grossing console game of 2017 in North America (behind Call of Duty: WWII) and Activision's biggest PC release based on units sold. Digital downloads accounted for more than half of the game's total sales.
Despite strong sales, the game did not generate the recurring revenue Activision wanted. As a result, Activision ended its publishing deal with Bungie in 2019. In 2023, Bungie cut 8% of its staff due to a projected revenue miss of 45%.
At the 2017 Game Critics Awards, Destiny 2 won "Best PC Game" for E3 2017. At The Game Awards 2017, it received six nominations, the most for the event, for Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Audio Design, Best Ongoing Game, Best Action Game, and Best Multiplayer. Entertainment Weekly ranked it sixth on their "Best Games of 2017" list. GamesRadar+ and Eurogamer ranked it seventh on their 2017 lists, while Polygon ranked it 12th and The Verge named it one of their 15 Best Games of 2017. In Game Informer's Reader's Choice Awards, it placed second for "Best Co-op Multiplayer" and "Best Shooter," and won "Best Weaponry" and "Best Gunplay" in their 2017 Shooter of the Year Awards.
Destiny 2 was nominated for "Best PC Game" in Destructoid's and IGN's 2017 Game of the Year Awards. IGN also nominated it for "Game of the Year," "Best Xbox One Game," "Best Shooter," "Best Graphics," "Best Original Music," and "Best Multiplayer." It won "Best Co-op Game" in PC Gamer's 2017 Game of the Year Awards and received a nomination for "Game of the Year." It was also a runner-up for "Best-Looking Game," "Best Multiplayer," and "Game of the Year" in Giant Bomb's 2017 Game of the Year Awards.