A cooperative third-person shooter becomes a mega success on Steam. Helldivers 2 doesn't just storm the list of top sellers. It's also a clear message to Sony: bringing PS5 games to the PC can be really worthwhile.
Helldivers 2 triumphs over God of War and Spider-Man
Helldivers 2 is an absolute rarity. The publisher behind the third-person shooter is none other than PlayStation. Nevertheless, the game was released simultaneously on PS5 and Steam on February 8, 2024. This sets it apart from games like God of War and The Last of Us Part 1, both of which only came to the PC months or even years after the PlayStation release.
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The unusual double release is now bearing fruit. Helldivers 2 is a massive success. The shooter is currently sitting safely on the First place among Steam top sellers – even above a long-running favorite like Counter-Strike 2 (source: Steam top seller).
However, another triumph becomes apparent when comparing it with other PlayStation games on Steam. This is where Helldivers 2 more than achieves 150,000 concurrent players. The previous record holder God of War is far behind with a peak of 73,000 players. Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered follows shortly afterwards with 66,000 simultaneous players (source: SteamDB).
Such a rush may lead to Sony bringing its own PS5 hits to the PC more quickly in the future. The heavily delayed release at least means that on Steam there is no real hype anymore. However, Sony wants to continue selling consoles and is therefore interested in favoring the PS5.
Check out the trailer for Helldivers 2 here:
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What is Helldivers 2 about?
In Helldivers 2 you defend humanity against a variety of aliens. The fight against giant spiders and beetle monsters of course serves the larger goal, Freedom, peace and democracy to spread throughout the galaxy. To do this, you can team up with up to three other soldiers. The concept, which is reminiscent of Starship Troopers, is well received by Steam players. However, the Steam reviews also point to technical problems and annoyances with the anti-cheat software.