Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 494 sampled Steam reviews (334 positive / 160 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Bugs & crashes10% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes43% mention it
- Difficulty & balance19% mention it
- Progression & loot15% mention it
- Grind & repetition15% mention it
- Performance11% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
79%
28 reviews
5-15h
83%
59 reviews
15-40h
82%
101 reviews
40-100h
72%
102 reviews
100h+
52%
204 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 82 | 63 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 35 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 75% | 71 | 2064 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 78 | 522 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 82% | 76 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 12, 2026) · 592 reviews sampled · 6155 total reviews in window · weighted 410 up / 54.3 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (64)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 35
“Helldivers 2 struggles to appeal after stripping out so much of what made its prequel memorable, and if that’s all that was wrong with it I’d be sadly grateful. Miserably, it’s such a wreck of a product that it spends significant amounts of time in a near-unplayable state while the rest of the time is typified by frequent crashes and other technical difficulties. You're supposed to expect a certain level of quality in a Sony-published game, and Helldivers 2 is a reminder that such expectations are naive as all f.ck.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Helldivers 2 is an amazing co-op shooter that deserves all the hype it’s getting. The shift from top-down to third person was an amazing choice which shifted the gameplay but kept the original feel of killing bugs and spreading liberty and democracy. However, the servers are still struggling to keep up with the high amount of people drinking liber-tea and trying to experience, in my opinion, a GOTY candidate.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Helldivers 2 is a legendary and explosive journey that every lover of action and co-op games must play. It offers an epic, captivating and unique experience. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Helldivers 2 is a riotous affair, offering up best-in-class gunplay, a truly epic and often cinematic experience, mixed in with one of the best co-op gameplay romps currently available. Its present matchmaking issues hold it back from true glory, but when it works it really works, forcing you to feel a sense of patriotism for Super Earth as the score swells and bullets fly. Helldivers 2 is a hell of a lot of fun, and is the best laugh you and your mates will have on PS5.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Helldivers 2's thrilling action, absurd humor, and surprisingly fair monetization practices make it one of the best PlayStation 5 multiplayer games.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Helldivers 2 is the conquering bald eagle of freedom fans of the original have been waiting for. Despite the familiar surroundings and setup, the switch to third-person is an inspired choice. You’ll bask in the cinematic moments of your last stands and celebrate the arrival of liberty via an orbital nuke with reckless abandon. Salute your fellow Helldivers and take on the galaxy, how do you like the taste of freedom, a second time?!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A naked shower scene away from being an official Starship Troopers game, Helldivers 2 is gloriously daft fun when you can get a group of friends together to play. It's just a shame about the matchmaking and crash bugs at launch. ”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Helldivers 2 is a spectacular, hugely entertaining, surprisingly tactical and brutal multiplayer game. Especially now that the server problems have largely been resolved, the game is practically indispensable for anyone who wants to have fun with three friends. Making progress in the battle passes feels a bit grindy, but because this is also the case for players who buy their in-game currency with real money, it continues to make fair progress for everyone. For Democracy, Liberty, and Freedom!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Even though it changed from top-down to third-person view, Helldivers 2 remains an engaging and unique game. It keeps almost all the good things from the first game and puts them into a new way of playing, making it even more enjoyable than before. However, unstable network connections are still a stumbling block in your fight for Super Earth. Helldivers 2 has a good start. The big question is if the developers can keep adding new stuff to keep players interested.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Helldivers 2 is essentially the first game, except bigger, louder and more epic in scale. Despite issues with matchmaking and some desperately needed quality-of-life, it's enjoyably engaging.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Helldivers 2 is one of the most entertaining co-op games you can get on PS5.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“Despite a complicated launch, Helldivers II has become one of the most fun experiences of the year. This is a clear example of how a game as a service can be positive. ”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
PLAY Zine
Push Square
PCMag
FingerGuns
TheSixthAxis
Power Unlimited
Gamersky
GamingBolt
Digital Trends
Atomix…and 52 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Devoid of Liberty: 7.0.2Aug 25, 2026
- Devoid of Liberty: 7.0.1Aug 17, 2026
- HELLDIVERS 2 Devoid of Liberty Update Out NowAug 12, 2026
- Devoid of Liberty: 7.0.0Aug 12, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.3.1Jul 7, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.3.0Jun 16, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.2.6Jun 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.2.5May 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Delay UpdateMay 28, 2026
- Optimizing Liberty - Incoming Patch: 27th MayMay 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.2.4May 19, 2026
- Transmission from Super Earth CommandMay 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.2.3May 6, 2026
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.2.2Apr 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.1.1Mar 25, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression: 6.1.0Mar 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Machinery of Oppression 6.0.3Feb 10, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Into the Unjust: 6.0.1Feb 3, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Into the Unjust: 5.0.2Jan 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Into the Unjust: 5.0.0Dec 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Into the Unjust: 4.1.2Nov 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Into the Unjust: 4.1.1Nov 4, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Into the Unjust: 4.1.0Oct 23, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- State of the Game Update #1Sep 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 01.400.002Sep 16, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 01.004.001Sep 4, 2025
- Into the Unjust - Out Now!Sep 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 01.003.303Aug 29, 2025
- Patch 01.003.302Aug 26, 2025
- PATCH 01.003.202Aug 5, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 01.003.201Jul 16, 2025
- PATCH 01.003.200Jul 15, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 01.003.104Jun 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- 🛠️ PATCH 01.003.103 ⚙️Jun 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 01.003.102Jun 12, 2025
- Patch 01.003.101Jun 10, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 01.003.004May 30, 2025
- Patch 01.003.003May 27, 2025
- Patch 01.003.002May 20, 2025
- Patch 01.003.001May 16, 2025
…and 23 earlier patch announcements.