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Helldivers 2, the popular co-op shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios released in 2024, faced significant criticism earlier this year due to performance and technical problems on PC. The developers decided to postpone adding new features to concentrate on resolving these issues, and they successfully fixed most of them in the following weeks.
One ongoing issue was the game’s large file size, which had increased significantly since its release – from about 70GB to a massive 154GB. This more than doubled the initial storage needed and made it difficult for players to manage their hard drive space. Fortunately, a recent update has addressed this problem.
I was really surprised by the latest Helldivers 2 update! Not only did they add the new Python Commandos Warbond everyone’s been waiting for, but they massively reduced the game’s file size. It used to need a whopping 154GB of space, but now it’s down to just 23GB! That’s an 85% reduction – way more than most people predicted. It’s great news for anyone worried about storage space.
The PC version of Helldivers 2 used to require much more storage space than other platforms, but now it’s the smallest. The Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 versions both currently need around 35 to 40 gigabytes of storage.
It’s important to know that this new, more streamlined version of Helldivers 2 isn’t the main version just yet. Arrowhead Game Studios is testing it with players first, so you’ll need to actively choose to try it out.
You can switch to a smaller version of Helldivers 2 by right-clicking the game in your Steam Library, going to its Properties, and then selecting the “prod_slim” option under the Betas tab. This will download and install a patch that reduces the game’s file size.
If you run into serious problems, you can switch to the “prod_legacy” version, which is the larger, original version of the game. Hopefully, you won’t need to, but it’s there if you do. Arrowhead also wants everyone to know that switching versions won’t affect your game progress – the only difference is the amount of space it takes up on your device.
Ever wondered why Helldivers 2 runs so well? The developers cleverly optimized the game’s files. Over time, updates had created duplicate files, slowing things down, especially for players with older hard drives. They ‘de-duplicated’ these files, meaning they removed the unnecessary copies, so everyone – even those with slower computers – can experience loading times similar to those with fast solid-state drives.
Arrowhead worried that skipping this update would make Helldivers 2’s loading times ten times longer. However, those predictions were based on general industry information, not actual testing with the game. They discovered that the file size change would only cause a small increase in loading times – just a few seconds at most.
A dream come true for PC Helldivers 2 players
As a PC gamer, I’m absolutely thrilled about this! It means my friends and I can *finally* keep Helldivers 2 installed all the time. Before, they were always having to uninstall it to make room for other new releases like Battlefield 6, which meant missing out on playing with me when updates dropped. Now, we can all jump in and enjoy the new content together on day one, and that’s a huge win!
It’s odd that Arrowhead didn’t test with Helldivers 2 players before reusing game assets for the HDD version. They initially thought, and later confirmed, that only around 11% of players – a very small group – were actually using that feature, making the decision even more puzzling.
It’s a shame PC players had to deal with a surprisingly large file size for so long, but I’m happy that issue is finally resolved. Now, one of the best PC games is much easier to fit on your computer.
Still haven’t joined the fight in Helldivers 2? You can get it on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 for $39.99. Right now, the PC version is on sale for $26.39 at Loaded, and the PS5 version is available for $24.99 at GameStop. Unfortunately, there aren’t any discounts on the Xbox version at the moment.
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2025-12-03 00:11