Helldivers 2 Sees Major Player Count Spike Following Xbox Release

Helldivers 2 has seen a massive surge in player numbers following its long-awaited Xbox Series X/S release, with its concurrent active player count reaching record highs and sparking a fresh wave of excitement within the community. Released in February 2024, Helldivers 2 was originally a PC and PS5 exclusive, but in a recent twist, Sony permitted developer Arrowhead Studios to launch the game on Xbox as well, a first in the long history of the console war between the two platforms.

Following its release, Helldivers 2 enjoyed massive popularity, amassing over 450,000 players on Steam alone and surpassing industry giants like Counter-Strike 2 in concurrent player totals. Not long after, however, Sony’s decision to mandate PSN accounts for all Helldivers 2 players on PC resulted in widespread community backlash. Although the controversial decision was reversed later on, the damage was already done. Since then, regular updates, content drops, and events have helped Helldivers 2 regain a lot of goodwill, but it never quite returned to its launch peak. With the Xbox release, however, the tide may finally be turning.

Helldivers 2 Player Count Nearly Triples Following Xbox Launch

Helldivers 2 released on Xbox consoles on August 26, resulting in an immediate influx of new arrivals that pushed the concurrent player count from 146,000 to 390,000 in a mere seven minutes, as reported by a Reddit user. Not all of these new players are from Xbox alone, as Steam’s player count has climbed past 165,000, the highest it’s ever been since the game’s initial launch. Presumably, the PS5 version of the game is also performing well, but that data isn’t public.

It’s important to note that this data is just from August 26, a weekday. Chances are high that even more players will flood Helldivers 2’s servers over the weekend, pushing the numbers even higher, with some even predicting a final tally as high as 600,000. On top of the newcomers from Xbox, many returning players are also expected to rejoin the fight for Super Earth thanks to the impressive amount of new content Arrowhead has lined up for Helldivers 2’s in the coming days.

Helldivers 2: What to Expect From the Into the Unjust Update

In addition to the Xbox launch, August 26 also marks the release of the Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond, a highly anticipated crossover that will allow players to obtain new armor sets, capes, vehicle patterns, and weapons inspired by the Halo series. Unlocking everything will cost 1,500 Super Credits, a price point the Arrowhead CEO has confirmed will be reserved for Legendary Warbonds that constitute crossovers with other IPs.

Fans can also look forward to Helldivers 2’s Into the Unjust update on September 2, a massive new content drop that will introduce new Terminid enemy types as well as new maps called Hive Worlds. Only a couple of days later, the Dust Devils Premium Warbond will arrive on September 4, bringing even more new weapons, stratagems, armors, and capes to the co-op shooter.