How Crossplay Works in Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 is crazy popular, and all kinds of fun. If you haven’t donned your armor, and gone off to fight for Super Earth (yes, that’s really what it’s called), what are you waiting for? Well, if you’re here, you might be waiting to figure out exactly how the crossplay works.
Fortunately, it’s actually quite simple, and we’ve got pretty much all the information you need below. I’ll answer all your most pressing questions, and then some, as well as telling you how to stay safe online as you defend your home from extraterrestrial threats.
When you’re playing any online game, PIA VPN can help you stay safe from prying eyes and DDoS attacks, prevent ISP throttling and local network blocks, and protect your anonymity. In some cases, it can even reduce your ping!
Table of Contents
Where Can You Play Helldivers 2?Does Helldivers 2 Have Crossplay?
How to Use Crossplay in Helldivers 2
Does Helldivers 2 Have Cross-Progression?
Why PIA Is the Best VPN for Gaming
FAQ
Where Can You Play Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 is available on PC and PS5. You can also run it on any handheld device that runs SteamOS or Windows, of course. Performance on PC is actually pretty solid, supporting less powerful and older hardware, which makes playing the game on handheld devices perfectly viable.
The exclusion of Helldivers 2 from the Xbox platform is predictable, given that Sony is the publisher of the game. That hasn’t stopped Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, from saying that Helldivers 2 not being on Xbox “isn’t helping the industry,” however. I’m inclined to agree… I honestly wish exclusives weren’t a thing.
Does Helldivers 2 Have Crossplay?
Yes. Why bury the lede, right? Crossplay is available, ready, and working.
How to Use Crossplay in Helldivers 2
Play. No, seriously, crossplay is enabled by default, so just boot up the game and go. If you only want to play with fellow PC enthusiasts or PS5 owners, you’ll have to go to the Options menu to disable crossplay functionality.
By all accounts, Helldivers 2 has one of the smoothest crossplay experiences out there, so dive on in (pun intended).
It should be noted, however, that playing with specific friends from another platform requires you to add them as friends in-game to find them more easily. Any player can generate a unique number, which you’ll need to send to the people you want to play with. The other player inputs your number into their game, you’ll be added to their friends list and vice versa.
Does Helldivers 2 Have Cross-Progression?
Sadly, not at present. This feature was intended to be released shortly after the launch of the game, but we haven’t seen it yet. This is actually understandable, as one of the phrases most used to describe Helldivers 2 is “suffering from success.”
Specifically, the game’s popularity overwhelmed the game’s servers, and the devs have spent the last few weeks making sure the game could handle all the people who wanted to play. Development of future features has likely resumed now, so hopefully cross-progression will be available before long.
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FAQ
It already is! Helldivers launched with full crossplay support, and millions of players are already spreading “managed democracy” to insectoid aliens and rebellious robots alike. In fact, crossplay is on by default, although you can disable it if you want to. If you want to play with a specific person on another platform, you’ll need to add them as a friend in-game first.
You’ll need a PS5 or a PC to enjoy the chaotic warfare and “managed democracy” of Helldivers 2. Technically, you can also play on a Steam Deck, but that’s basically just a handheld PC with Linux running on it. At present, there are no plans to bring Helldivers 2 to the Xbox platform, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer is on record as being… disappointed.
No. Sadly for people who love the PS4 platform, the devs decided to focus their efforts primarily on PC and PS5. But, if you didn’t already have a dozen reasons to upgrade as soon as you can afford it, you have a really good one now. If you enjoy top-down twin stick shooters, consider the original Helldivers. It’s highly regarded, and available for PS4.
Absolutely. Helldivers 2 is available on Steam… and only on Steam. But most PC gamers use Steam in one form or another, so that’s just fine. Better yet, performance is pretty solid. While you should only use the highest graphical settings on modern hardware, Helldivers 2 can actually run at 60FPS on 5-year-old GPUs, and even older CPUs.
Absolutely. But don’t take my word for it… Steam reviews are at Very Positive overall, and the Metacritic scores are currently at an impressive 82 and 83 for PS5 and PC respectively. It has sold millions of copies, and over 300,000 people are playing it every day on average. It’s not quite Palworld numbers, but it’s more than respectable. Enviable, even.
No. Helldivers 2 is split up into various regions and planets. Completing missions in “small”, separate maps on each planet or region contributes to its global “liberation” (human control) which is visible to all players. Mind you, there is a literal person whose job it is to direct the war on a macro scale, reintroducing enemies to liberated planets and so on. (His name is Joel, by the way.)
Not really. It’s a classic co-op PVE (player vs environment) extraction shooter where you go on missions to free various planets from the enemies of humanity. While there are elements of randomization, the goal is not to fight until you die then go back in again as you would in a roguelike. The goal is to finish the mission, and extract successfully.
Nope. Helldivers 2 is always online, requiring a connection to the game servers to play at all. There is no campaign, unless you count the short and hilarious tutorial… and you need to be online to play that too. This actually caused problems at the beginning, as hundreds of thousands of people couldn’t log in until the devs got more servers.
No. Sadly, Helldivers 2 isn’t available on the PS4 at all, and thus crossplay isn’t possible. You’ll need a PS5 or PC.
Technically yes. Practically, it depends on whichever game you happen to be playing. That’s right, crossplay is almost entirely in the hands of game developers. Now, there was a time when console makers were cagey about the prospect of crossplay. Nowadays, though, most major multiplayer games launch with some form of it.
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PIA. For gaming, you want a VPN with a network that spans as many countries as possible, with very fast servers. Well, PIA has 10-Gbps servers in pretty much every country where PlayStation operates. Combine that with our industry-standard security, ease of use, and support for consoles, and PIA makes a fantastic gaming VPN.
