What you need to know
- Helldivers 2, a new co-op third-person shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios, is scheduled to release tomorrow on February 8, 2024 on both PC and PS5.
- It's the first console exclusive published by PlayStation Studios to launch on PC and PS5 simultaneously, and it's surpassed Palworld on Steam's Top Sellers chart.
- The game allows teams of up to four players to jump into action-packed, high-octane missions where they'll face off against hordes of aliens and robots. Teamwork is strongly emphasized, and you'll be able to upgrade your characters and use "stratagems" like turrets to even the odds.
- Notably, Helldivers 2 has full cross-platform play support, so players on PC and PS5 will be able to play together without issues or limitations.
Since its January 19 launch last month, Pocketpair's "Pokémon with guns" survival game Palworld has dominated Steam's Top Sellers list (it's performed exceptionally on Xbox, too). It sold 8 million copies in under six days, after all, and has been the fastest-selling paid game on Valve's platform for the past few weeks. Now, though, it's been dethroned — at least temporarily — by a new title from PlayStation Studios.
That game is Helldivers 2, a chaotic co-op third-person shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios that's available to buy now and slated to release on both PS5 and PC tomorrow on February 8. It's flying off the digital shelves so fast that it's surpassed even Palworld on the Top Sellers chart, as well as other popular new games like Enshrouded and Granblue Fantasy: Relink.
Notably, Helldivers 2 is the first PlayStation exclusive that Sony has brought to PS5 and PC simultaneously. Though past PS4 and PS5 exclusives like God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Death Stranding have come to PC eventually, they were first available exclusively on Sony's consoles for several months or years.
What is Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 is a sequel to — you guessed it — Helldivers, a 2015 cooperative sci-fi top-down shooter that was notable for its arcadey action, comedic dialogue, and its Starship Troopers-style depiction of a highly militarized humanity blowing extra-terrestrial threats to pieces. The new game looks to follow that same direction, though it's bringing the series to third-person and has a much more realistic, gory, and gritty art direction.
In it, you'll join "The Galaxy's Last Line of Offense," teaming up with up to three other players to shoot your way through a variety of action-packed missions and battlefields. You'll face off against hordes of both vicious alien creatures and deadly high-tech robots, upgrading your gear and unlocking new "stratagems" like turrets to help you "deliver liberty." The official launch trailer for the game can be watched with the embed above.
According to the description of Helldivers 2 on its Steam page, teamwork will be key to your squad's success. "This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved," it says. "We stand together, or we fall apart." Make sure to communicate with your fellow Helldivers if you're planning on leaping into the fray (don't miss Helldivers 2's PC system requirements, either).
A first for PlayStation Studios publishing
Sony's decision to launch Helldivers 2 on PC and PS5 at the same time is quite a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. PC gamers are used to having to wait years before they can check out PlayStation console exclusives, so it's awesome that this one is releasing on both platforms simultaneously. Whether or not this becomes a more common occurrence in the future remains to be seen, but I'm sure Sony's executives are happy to see Helldivers 2 selling so well on Steam before it's even playable.
As for the game itself, it looks like it'll be an absolute blast to play at a glance, and I love the aesthetics of this grounded sci-fi style — and many others do, too, if those surging Steam sales are anything to go by. I'll probably wait to see more gameplay and read some reviews before I pull the trigger on it, but if Helldivers 2 is received positively, I'll definitely be picking it up. I'm always looking for new things to play with my friends, and whenever we're in the mood for some frenetic, high-octane action, jumping into this might just be the perfect way to scratch that itch.
Helldivers 2 is scheduled to launch on February 8, 2024 on both PS5 and PC, and might just end up being one of the best PC games of the year. It's available to preorder now for $39.99, and you'll get some snazzy armor cosmetics if you buy it ahead of its release. Notably, the game also supports cross-platform play between PS5 and PC.
