Helldivers 2 is a 2024 cooperative third-person shooter game developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is the direct sequel to Helldivers, a 2015 top-down shooter. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 8 February 2024.
Helldivers 2 (stylized as Helldivers II) is a 2024 cooperative third-person shooter game developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is the direct sequel to Helldivers, a 2015 top-down shooter. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 8 February 2024. It received positive reviews from critics and sold over 1 million units within the first month of its release.
Unlike Helldivers, which is a top-down shooter, Helldivers 2 is a third-person shooter.[1] Similar to the first game, players are able to select Stratagems, air drops players can call during missions, which include cluster bombs, sentry guns, shield generators or supply pods containing limited-use special weaponry.[2] Friendly fire is always on. The game’s armor system is inspired by real firearms fired against armored targets.[3] On March 6th, Arrowhead announced that planetary hazards would be added to missions.[4]
While Helldivers featured shared-screen co-op, Helldivers 2 does not.[5] The game features cooperative multiplayer with up to four players,[1] but does not include a dedicated single-player campaign.[6] It also provides optional cross-play between PlayStation 5 and Windows.[7] In the initial days of release, gameplay involved staff at the studio observing players and influencing gameplay in real time.[8]
Players select missions from the Galactic Map onboard their ship, separated by different fronts of the Galactic War. Each mission contains different objectives to complete, and may vary depending on difficulty level. Major and personal orders can be completed for specific rewards. As players gain experience and progress in levels, they unlock different weapons and access to a variety of Stratagems to use in combat.[9] As players complete or fail missions, they contribute to the collective “Liberation” percentage displayed on the Galactic Map.[10]
The game features a battle pass that never expires. The unlockable rewards can be obtained by acquiring “War Bond medals” for completing missions. Players can also acquire “super credits” during missions or by purchasing them via microtransactions.