Helldivers 2 dev pledges fixes as launch woes land “mixed” rating on Steam

Satirical sci-fi shooter sequel Helldivers 2 has got off to a solid start on Steam, with today's launch propelling it to the number three position on the platform's best-sellers list, while its concurrent players have hit over 64,000 in less than a day. However, player reception has been mixed thanks to a range of issues on PC (it's also out on PS5), and developer Arrowhead Game Studios has now responded, saying fixes are on the way.

Helldivers 2 – which follows the same co-op template as its well-received predecessor, albeit with a switch from top-down perspective to third-person – has so far settled on a Steam rating of “mixed” after over 5,300 reviews, with players highlighting a range of launch-day woes.

Chief among criticisms are complaints about persistent crashes, while others have singled out server and matchmaking issues. Then there's go directed towards PC optimization, and its kernel-level GameGuard anti-cheat software, which some feel is cause for concern, as well as complaints around Helldivers 2's monetization – which includes a battle pass and premium in-game currency shop, despite the game's £34.99/$39.99 USD price tag.

Responding to some of these concerns, Helldivers 2 game director Mikael Eriksson has shared an update on social media, writing, “I'm happy to say that we've now improved matchmaking and the most frequent crashes.” Ericsson says the studio has prepared a patch and will begin testing it alongside players “to check it works as intended.”

“If it's a success,” he continues, “we'll trigger a hotfix and get it out to the Steam community first, then roll it out to PS5 players as quickly as we can. Thank you – seriously – for your patience. We I really want you all to have a blast playing this game. Bear with us, we're almost there.”