Tag: Arrowhead Game Studios

Key Takeaways

1. Helldivers 2’s PC installation size has reached 150 GB, significantly larger than the 50 GB console versions.
2. The large file size is due to duplicated data to improve loading times for older mechanical HDDs, not unnecessary bloat.
3. Arrowhead Game Studios is committed to supporting both HDD and SSD users, creating challenges in file size management.
4. The game maintains a solid player base of 50,000 to 60,000 daily players on Steam despite the growing storage issues.
5. Arrowhead plans to remove unused assets in future patches, but new content updates may continue to increase the overall file size.

While Helldivers 2 is still leading the multiplayer co-op shooter arena, it is encountering a significant storage dilemma due to the game’s ever-increasing size with updates. As of October 2025, the installation size on PC has ballooned to 150 GB, nearly three times larger than its console versions, which sit around 50 GB.

Storage Choices Explained

The difference in storage requirements isn’t due to 4K textures or unnecessary bloat, but rather a deliberate decision by Arrowhead Game Studios to ensure compatibility with older systems, particularly for gamers using mechanical hard drives (HDDs), which are still part of the minimum system specs for the game.

To clarify the Helldivers 2 storage issue, Arrowhead posted an honest message on the official Helldivers 2 subreddit. The deputy technical director explained, “This is mainly due to duplicated data, necessary for improving loading times on older storage like mechanical HDDs.”

Technical Reasons Behind Duplication

Having duplicate textures and models stored on the drive helps to reduce seek times on HDDs, where random access can significantly slow down gameplay. Conversely, SSDs can access data more quickly, regardless of its location, which makes this duplication unnecessary. This explains why the console versions of Helldivers 2 are much smaller in size.

Helldivers 2 still boasts an impressive daily average of 50,000 to 60,000 players on Steam. While this is a bit less than the initial launch numbers, it’s still a solid figure. However, the growing file size presents a challenge for Arrowhead, who must maintain support for HDD users while also accommodating players with newer SSDs.

Ongoing Content Updates

Even with these challenges, Arrowhead is committed to releasing content updates, which bring new biomes, weapons, and different Terminid and Automaton types to the game. These duplications have transformed what was once a slim 36 GB at launch into a massive file size, leading to complaints from the Helldivers 2 Steam community about storage issues.

Currently, Arrowhead has drawn a line in the sand, stating, “We can’t remove all duplication without making loading times for mechanical HDDs ten times slower, and we consider this unacceptable.”

In the meantime, Arrowhead has pledged to remove unused assets for immediate improvements in a future patch, but it is anticipated that any new content added will gradually negate those fixes, potentially creating ongoing headaches for gamers who have limited storage capacity, especially in such a busy release year like 2025.

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Key Takeaways

1. Increasing File Size: Helldivers 2’s file size has grown to over 140GB on PC after the “Into The Unjust” update, causing frustration among players.

2. Community Backlash: Players are expressing their anger on platforms like Reddit and Steam, noting performance issues and bugs, while console versions remain smaller and more stable.

3. Developer Acknowledgment: Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO has recognized the issues and stated that they are prioritizing the concerns but have no specific timeline for fixes.

4. Technical Issues: The file size increase is attributed to duplicate assets in the PC version, with players citing that technical challenges have not been adequately addressed in updates.

5. Ongoing Success: Despite the criticisms, Helldivers 2 remains popular, achieving nearly one million sales within the first six days on Xbox Series S|X and maintaining a high player count.

Helldivers 2 players have been feeling more and more annoyed in recent days due to the increasing size of the game on PC. After the “Into The Unjust” update, the game’s file size has now gone over 140GB on PC.

Community Reactions

Fans have expressed their anger on platforms like Reddit and Steam, noting that the latest patch is a big reason for the growing file size. They pointed out that while the PC version is over 140GB, the console versions are much smaller.

In addition to the file size, players are also facing worse performance, new bugs, and stability issues. This has created a split among the fanbase. Some players are calling the storage requirements and the increasing bugs “beyond ridiculous,” whereas console users, like those on PlayStation and Xbox, are still having fun with the game.

Developer Response

In light of these concerns, Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO Shams Jorjani has responded to the various problems affecting the game after the recent update. On the Helldivers 2 Official Discord server, he acknowledged the issues when asked about the game’s file size, stating, “We have escalated the priority of this. But I can’t tell you when it will be addressed.”

Arrowhead Game Studios is known for quickly addressing community feedback. Still, there is no specific timeline for when the file size will be dealt with. Naturally, the performance issues and bugs will be fixed in future patches.

File Size Growth

For context, Helldivers 2 originally launched with a file size of 25GB. After updates, it has grown to just over 35GB on PS5 and around 36GB on Xbox Series S|X. Players believe that the increase in file size is due to duplicate assets in the PC version of Helldivers 2.

As per the players, unique assets in the game amount to about 30.39GB, but certain files like a 2K normal map for rocky terrain are duplicated up to 128 times, taking an extra 2GB of space. Jorjani mentioned that the “technical debt is crippling” and that the studio hasn’t met the goals they set with the latest update.

Continued Success

Despite the troubles, Helldivers 2 continues to be a huge success, showing its importance as it moves into 2025. After its release on the Xbox Series S|X on August 26, 2025, the game quickly became the top paid title on the platform, racking up nearly one million sales in just the first six days and boasting a concurrent player count of 500,000 active Helldivers.

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Key Takeaways

1. The “Heart of Democracy” update on May 20th introduced new content, including a battlefield on Super Earth, squid-like enemies called Illuminate, and AI-driven SEAF soldiers.
2. Player count for Helldivers 2 surged to a peak of 163,581, breaking its previous record of 150,169, indicating strong community reception of the update.
3. A viral Reddit post is urging developers to allow players to keep the SEAF soldiers after the update, reflecting widespread player support.
4. Community members are suggesting additional features, such as SEAF soldiers operating Fast Recon Vehicles (FRVs) and becoming a stratagem for players.
5. Overall, the response to SEAF soldiers has been very positive, with many players hoping they become a permanent part of the game.

After the Omens of Tyranny update in December 2024, Helldivers 2 got another significant update on May 20th. The “Heart of Democracy” update brought in fresh content, most notably the new battlefield set on Super Earth, the squid-like enemies called Illuminate, and the AI-driven SEAF soldiers.

Player Count Soars

Following the rollout of the update, the number of Helldivers 2 players surged, breaking its previous record of 150,169 players. As of now, the game has recorded a peak of 163,581 players in the last 24 hours, according to the Steam DB charts. These figures indicate that the Heart of Democracy update has been very well received by the gaming community. Fans particularly seem to enjoy the new AI SEAF soldiers.

Community Buzz on Reddit

A Reddit post named “AH, can we please keep them after the assault ends” has gained traction, urging Arrowhead Game Studios, the developers, to allow players to retain the SEAF soldiers. This post went viral on the Helldiver subreddit, resonating with many players who share the same feeling.

Some community members speculate that the SEAF soldiers will stick around even after this update concludes. “There’s no way they’re gonna put this much effort into bringing them in just to remove them when we save super earth,” one user mentioned.

Suggestions for Future Features

A few users also proposed that it would be amazing if SEAF soldiers could operate FRVs (Fast Recon Vehicles). “Riding an FRV with a SEAF Squad would go so hard. Not enough space for the whole squad tho,” another user remarked. “An FRV filled with SEAF troops would be super cool, actually. Not sure how they’d handle the heavy MG, but that would be epic,” a different player added.

Furthermore, some players think the SEAF squad could turn into a stratagem soon. “I adore them! They might be a bit clumsy and slow in reaction, but their personality is fantastic, capturing what made the Halo Marines so memorable. If they become a stratagem, I hope the cooldown is short, so we can use them frequently. They actually perform well when grouped up; they can tackle a horde of enemies on their own,” explained one user.

In summary, the reaction from the community regarding the SEAF soldiers in Helldivers 2 is extremely positive. Players are expressing a strong wish for these characters to become a permanent aspect of the game.

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Key Takeaways

1. Helldivers 2 has received positive reviews and significant interest since its launch, but players with older CPUs are facing access issues.
2. Many users are complaining on Discord about being unable to play the game, despite meeting minimum system specifications.
3. The game’s requirement for AVX2 support has become strict due to recent updates, locking out players with CPUs older than 2013.
4. Moderators have expressed frustration while informing users that their outdated processors may not support the game, emphasizing the importance of checking system specifications before purchase.
5. The development team is working on a solution for the AVX2 issue, but no official updates have been provided yet.

Helldivers 2 has become one of the top launches from last year, attracting significant interest and receiving mostly favorable reviews on Steam. Since its release, gamers on both older and newer computers have enjoyed the game with varying levels of graphic quality. However, it has come as a shock that players with older systems have now been locked out from accessing the game they paid for. This is due to the absence of AVX2 support in older CPUs.

User Complaints Rise

As noted by Eurogamer, the Helldivers 2 Discord has been flooded with complaints from users who claim they can’t play the game, even though they meet the minimum specifications. Several players who previously played the game since its launch reported issues with the game not starting or crashing unexpectedly. The root of the problem appears to be linked to AVX2, or Advanced Vector Extensions 2, and the lack of support for this in older processors.

Changes in System Requirements

AVX2 support was allegedly part of the original system requirements, but as reported by The Verge, the enforcement of this instruction set was not strict. This allowed users with CPUs older than 2013 to run the game without issues. However, following recent updates, it seems that AVX2 has become a strict minimum requirement, leaving players with CPUs that do not support it unable to access the game without upgrading or purchasing a new machine.

One player expressed their frustration on the Discord server, stating, “I’ve never had any issues before this update, and I’ll stand by saying that it’s really defeating to play a game for 600+ hours, be in love with it, and then be hard-locked out while meeting/ somewhat above minimum specs.” The conversation around the AVX2 issue has grown intense, with server moderator Birby voicing their annoyance at having to inform users that their 13-year-old processors are outdated. They added, “I get you’re venting, but as I keep saying- it is up to you as the consumer to confirm your system meets spec before purchase, and you should never be surprised if your out of spec machine can’t run the game.”

Ongoing Efforts for a Fix

Another moderator mentioned that the development team is actively working on a solution for the AVX2 problem and expressed gratitude to gamers for their understanding. For the time being, some recommended troubleshooting steps include rolling back AMD/NVIDIA GPU drivers and disabling mods, among other suggestions.

As of now, Arrowhead Game Studios has yet to provide an official update on the situation.

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