Helldivers 2 Dev Explains Massive PC Install Size and Future Fixes

Helldivers 2 players on PC have long noticed that the game demands far more storage space than its console counterparts. At around 150GB, the PC install is roughly three times larger than the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions. According to Arrowhead Game Studio deputy technical director Brendan Armstrong, the bloated size comes down to the studio’s ongoing need to support players still running mechanical hard disk drives.

In a detailed post shared on Steam, Armstrong explained that the majority of Helldivers 2’s install footprint comes from duplicated data. The duplication process ensures assets are grouped closer together on HDDs to reduce load times, a practice that is unnecessary for solid-state drive users but still maintained because a portion of the PC audience has not upgraded.

“How many Helldivers 2 players are still using mechanical HDD? The truth is that we don’t currently know,” Armstrong wrote. “Even the Steam user surveys are unable to give us data on mechanical HDD use in the overall gamer population. Our best estimates put it at around 12% of all PC gamers, but the data is very unreliable and relies on a lot of extrapolations. Until we can more accurately determine the number of mechanical HDDs that Helldivers 2 is installed on, it is difficult to know how many players will be impacted by reducing the amount of data duplication. Even if that number is small, keep in mind that the load time for each player dropping into a mission is determined by the slowest member of the squad.” — Brendan Armstrong

For now, Arrowhead is making incremental adjustments. Armstrong said the next update will include changes aimed at reducing the game’s file size. However, he cautioned that many players may not notice improvements because new content being added will offset some of the space saved. As a medium-term approach, the team intends to bundle common assets together to reduce duplication, though this will slightly increase loading times for mechanical HDD users. Armstrong suggested the impact would still be manageable, targeting load times under 30 seconds.

Looking further ahead, Arrowhead wants to refine its engine and implement stronger compression techniques. While this could significantly shrink the install footprint, Armstrong admitted that the studio cannot yet confirm whether performance costs will make such solutions impractical. Balancing efficient file management while preserving fast squad load-ins remains the central challenge.

The developer is also tackling a variety of technical concerns. Arrowhead Game Studio CEO Shams Jorjani recently reiterated that the company aims to sustain Helldivers 2 for the long term rather than pivoting to a new sequel. The team has already rolled out patches that addressed frequent cave crashes and disruptive audio issues. A longer list of fixes remains on the table, including ongoing performance drops, stability problems, freezes, and persistent audio bugs. A new update scheduled for later this month is expected to address some of these concerns, though Jorjani has made clear that not every issue will be resolved immediately.

Arrowhead’s transparency underscores its strategy of maintaining community trust while continuing to refine Helldivers 2. The studio is walking a difficult line, ensuring that older hardware owners are not left behind while also attempting to keep install sizes reasonable for the majority who play on SSDs. This process is expected to continue over multiple updates as both short-term and long-term fixes roll out.

Helldivers 2 also recently received its 01.004.000 patch, titled Into the Unjust. The update introduced Hive Worlds as new battlegrounds, alongside fresh enemies, mission types, and sweeping rebalances. Arrowhead described it as one of the game’s most significant patches yet, addressing major issues while expanding the scope of the ongoing galactic conflict.

The ongoing technical work follows closely on the heels of new content. Earlier this summer, Arrowhead launched the Control Group Warbond across PC and PS5, with Xbox receiving the rollout in late August. Among the standout additions was the VG-70 Variable, a seven-barrel volley gun capable of three firing modes: Auto, Volley, and Total. The weapon came with a warning that its Total mode could physically harm the user if too much ammo is hoarded before firing, highlighting Arrowhead’s approach of mixing spectacle with risk in its arsenal design.