A surge of players is embarking on a quest to champion democracy and take down robots in the cooperative shooter Helldivers 2, propelling the game to unprecedented heights of success. The sequel has now surpassed the concurrent player peaks of major releases owned by PlayStation or Xbox, marking a monumental achievement.
Helldivers 2 quickly made its mark as the biggest PlayStation Studios launch on Steam, surpassing God of War’s peak concurrent player count of 73,000 within a single day of release. Since then, the shooter has consistently exceeded its own player peaks, reaching an all-time high of 388,754 players, as estimated by Steam Database.
These remarkable figures catapult Helldivers 2 ahead of popular titles like GTA 5 and Monster Hunter World. This unexpected triumph underscores PlayStation’s strategic shift towards engaging PC players and potentially paves the way for more simultaneous launches on PC and PS5 platforms.
In addition to dominating the PC gaming scene, Helldivers 2 has claimed the title of the largest PC player peak for a PlayStation-owned game, surpassing Destiny 2, which falls outside the PlayStation Studios umbrella. Even Xbox’s notable launch on the platform, Starfield, with its impressive 330,000 players, has been eclipsed by Helldivers 2.
Arrowhead, the game’s developer, is grappling with the overwhelming demand and recently had to impose a player cap of 450,000 to manage the influx of eager Helldivers. Taking cues from Palworld’s success, the studio has initiated an extensive hiring spree to meet the demands of the game’s unexpected surge in popularity.
