Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter by Arrowhead Game Studios. Up to four players land together on enemy planets, complete main and side objectives, and contribute to the ongoing Galactic War with their missions. The satirical military science fiction revolves around Super Earth, “Managed Democracy” and an endless campaign against alien factions.

Unlike the isometric first Helldivers, the sequel uses an over-the-shoulder camera and much more immediate firefights. The basic principle remains the same, however: teamwork, limited reinforcements, powerful support from orbit, and a Friendly Fire system that quickly punishes poor coordination.

Helldivers 2 was released on February 8, 2024 for PlayStation 5 and PC. A native version for Xbox Series X|S followed on August 26, 2025. On all current platforms, the game is designed for online co-op; Crossplay connects the platform communities.

The game has been continuously expanded since launch. On August 12, 2026, a larger update centered on the Illuminate Void, Devoid of Liberty, was released; at the same time, Helldivers 2 was added to the PlayStation Plus game catalog for Extra and Premium.

Helldivers 2 is natively available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The PS5 version supports DualSense features and is optimized for PS5 Pro. The Xbox Series version arrived in 2025; there is no native Xbox One version.

An internet connection is required to play the game itself. On consoles, the respective paid online subscription is also required for online multiplayer. Crossplay allows shared missions across the supported platforms.

Before each mission, the squad assembles weapons, armor and Stratagems. These support abilities are called in during missions using short input codes and range from resupply and heavy weapons to gun turrets and air and orbital strikes. Which combination makes sense depends on the mission, difficulty level and enemy faction.

Friendly Fire is always on. As a result, positioning, communication and timing count just as much as raw firepower. Fallen teammates can be recovered using reinforcement Stratagems, as long as reinforcements are still available. Besides mandatory objectives, optional tasks, resources and detours on the mission maps tempt players.

The Galactic War forms the meta layer: the community works together on operations, liberates planets and responds to shifting fronts against Terminids, Automatons and Illuminate.

Helldivers 2 is a live service that is continuously expanded with free system, mission and enemy updates, as well as new Warbonds. Warbonds provide unlockable weapons, armor, emotes and other equipment; larger updates can add new mission types, enemies and regions of the Galactic War.

The Super Citizen Edition, or the separately sold Super Citizen upgrade, bundles additional cosmetic and equipment content.

On PC, Helldivers 2 requires a 64-bit Windows system and DirectX 12. The Steam version lists minimum requirements including an Intel Core i7-4790K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, 8 GB RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 470. Recommended settings include, among others, a Core i7-9700K or Ryzen 7 3700X, 16 GB RAM, and a GeForce RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT. According to the store listing, storage space required is around 135 GB.

Since October 20, 2026, Helldivers 2 on PC uses Easy Anti-Cheat instead of GameGuard. Arrowhead is adding further protection against tampering that affects the shared Galactic War or other players’ matches.

Cosmetic mods are not strictly ruled out, but they may stop working temporarily after the switch and need updates. Arrowhead does not guarantee that mods will be safe or keep working long term. The PC hardware requirements do not change with the switch. According to the developer, the game will also remain playable on Linux and Steam Deck as before.