Helldivers 2’s an apocalyptic action spectacle

Philipp Rüegg

26.8.2025

Translation: Megan Cornish

In the brilliantly chaotic co-op shooter Helldivers 2, you shoot your way through hordes of beetle aliens and Terminator drones. Surprisingly, the almost greater threat comes from your own team.

This test was originally done on 14 February 2024. This is a slightly adapted version for the Xbox Series X/S.

We’re surrounded. Monstrous alien bugs are streaming towards us from all sides. My three comrades and I are firing like mad. Grenades and airstrikes are raining down on us like there’s no tomorrow. But the alien deluge can’t be stopped. We have another 20 seconds to hold out until the rescue spaceship saves us from this hell. Diving, I fire my last magazine into the dripping face of a flying monster. At the same time, I hear the spaceship’s braking engines. But before I can get back on my feet, I see a shadow pass over me. All I can do is pan the camera to watch as my character is crushed by the spaceship.

In any other game, I’d throw down the mouse in frustration. In Helldivers 2, I just have to laugh out loud. It sums up the game perfectly. Every time you think you have the situation under control, it all comes crashing down.

The first Helldivers was released in 2015 – for PlayStation and PC, just like the second instalment – albeit delayed by a few months. It was the first game Sony released for PC. Now, with an even longer delay, it’s landing on the Xbox Series X/S.

Both games were developed by Swedish studio Arrowhead. Helldivers 1 exuded the vibe of a smaller indie title with its bird’s-eye view, and its unusual co-op mode made it a big hit in my shared flat at the time.

Not much of the gameplay has changed. The camera moves closer to the action. I still jump down onto planets as a heroic Helldiver and shoot my way through hordes of aliens and machines. All in the name of freedom for Super Earth. Hell yeah! Helldivers is just as wonderfully silly as Paul Verhoeven’s film Starship Troopers. The game doesn’t take itself seriously for a single second. Characters add sound effects to the battles with hysterical shrieks or shooting noises – the kind I like to make myself from the sofa.

I tested the PC version. Helldivers 2 offers crossplay between PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Alone or with up to three other Helldivers, I take on missions in large yet enclosed areas. Tasks vary, but the approach is always the same: load your weapons and shoot everything that doesn’t look like a Stormtrooper. Sometimes it’s alien eggs, sometimes it’s robot factories, sometimes it’s spaceships. I start each mission full of beans and confidence, only to quickly find myself a headless chicken lost in a war zone.

Helldivers 2 is essentially a classic third-person shooter with a few key differences. First, friendly fire’s enabled, so my teammates and I can injure each other. And believe me, it happens a lot. I can still dodge the volleys of standard fire fairly well since their laser sights clearly mark the line of fire. I can’t say the same for the grenades my overzealous colleague – roaring with laughter – throws over a wall where I’m taking a quick breather.

This brings me to the next special feature: supply drops. By entering a specific sequence of directional buttons (the directional pad on the controller), I can order tactical equipment and then throw a glowing orb to pick where it should land. I can even revive deceased Helldivers this way. If I’m feeling nice, I’ll throw the orb somewhere safe. If I’m in a more mischievous mood, I might even throw it into the middle of my enemies. A true Helldiver lands anywhere.

Something that’s more fun than supplying troops is the offensive tactical equipment, which I can unlock over the course of my career. There are machine guns, grenade launchers, gun turrets and even orbital cannons that turn entire areas into a carpet of fire. When I drop the 500 kg Eagle bomb, the blaze is so dazzlingly bright that I almost have to put on sunglasses.

Since I mostly play with strangers without voice chat in my co-op sessions, I’m regularly catapulted through the air with no warning when bombs unexpectedly rain down next to me. Luckily, it doesn’t take long before the team can send me back into battle.

Even without involuntary nuclear destruction, sparks fly in Helldivers 2. A well-aimed grenade blows an entire radar station to pieces. Mechanical death squads transform a jungle shrouded in fog into a disco with their red lasers. And next to me, a gun turret spits out so many bullets it looks like a flamethrower.

Helldivers 2 boasts stunning visuals and sound. The various guns thunder out of my speakers, and attacks with the orbital cannons sound so powerful that I want to cling to my controller. Graphics-wise, the game stands toe-to-toe with triple-A titles. The levels may not be the most varied, but they offer coherent settings to spread death and destruction democracy.

Live service done properly

Helldivers 2 is a live service game, just like the recently released Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. This means new content such as missions, equipment and cosmetic items will find their way into the game over the coming months and years. However, you’ll still have to shell out 40 francs/euros for the base game. In return, though, you get considerably more entertainment than with comparable free-to-play titles. And the live service aspects aren’t too much.

There are four currencies in the game. Medals, samples and requisition slips can only be earned during missions. The latter two unlock permanent upgrades, such as more magazines or reduced cooldown on orbital weapons. Samples can often be collected on side missions, but they drop on death. Medals are awarded for successful missions, allowing you to unlock warbonds in the battle passes, which provide new weapons, banners, skins, etc.

There’s also a second category called premium warbonds. In other games, this would be the season pass. You unlock it with a one-time payment of 1,000 super credits (around 10 Swiss francs/euros). Alternatively, you can buy the more expensive special edition of Helldivers 2. Super credits are the only currency that can be purchased with real money. They can also be used to unlock cosmetic items, such as new suits.

To coincide with the Xbox launch, there’s a Halo: ODST crossover. The new warbonds include unlockable weapons, equipment and designs that fans of the series will immediately recognise.

While I prefer when a game I buy doesn’t include paid content, Helldivers 2 seems fair so far, and the progression doesn’t feel artificially drawn out.

Verdict: hell yeah!

In Helldivers 2, every mission escalates into nerve-wracking mass battles, which my team and I regularly survive by a whisker. The arsenal of weapons is pleasingly extensive and offers plenty of scope for destruction. And – ultimately – the Helldivers are fighting for freedom. For the democracy of Super Earth!

First and foremost, Helldivers 2’s a co-op game. Playing alone, you make life unnecessarily difficult for yourself and miss out on being torn to shreds by your friends’ botched airstrikes. The game would only be half as fun without friendly fire. Tactics are still important, but not so much that voice chat’s mandatory. Helldivers are pretty gruff anyway. And when they have something to say, it’s usually «Bababababammmmmm».

I wouldn’t have thought anyone other than my friends and I would remember the first Helldivers. So, I’m all the more pleased that we’ve unexpectedly been given a sequel that’s even more amazing.

A lot’s happened since the original release in February 2024. The developer’s obviously worked hard on achieving a good balance with the addition of plenty of additional content, such as weapons, mechs and new races such as the Illuminate. The long wait has had its upside for Xbox owners, and new, willing cannon fodder’s always welcome in the ranks of the Helldivers.

Helldivers 2 is available for PC, PS5 and now Xbox Series X/S and was provided to me by Sony. I tested the PC version.

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur. more

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