Helldivers 2 Becomes First PlayStation-Published Title on Xbox

Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, will be released on August 26th for the Xbox Series X and S consoles at a suggested retail price of $39.99. This is the first PlayStation-published title to be released on Xbox. The game will support cross-platform play.

When the cooperative PvE third-person shooter was released simultaneously on PlayStation 5 and PC in early 2024, it became an unexpected hit. It skyrocketed in popularity on Steam, where it received an "overwhelmingly positive" rating, which changed to "overwhelmingly negative" after Sony implemented (and then quickly reversed) a decision to require a PSN connection for PC users. The Xbox press release makes no mention of a PSN login, so it's unlikely that one will be necessary here.

Helldivers 2 is a hilarious game. What appears to be a serious sci-fi title at first glance frequently gives way to humorous, unexpected moments, thanks in part to its Stratagem system, which challenges you to enter intricate button combos while fighting swarms of foes. There are several missions you can complete against aliens, robots, and the newer Illuminate race. And, because it is a live-service title, the lore and stakes are constantly changing (the developers frequently troll players). It's a fun place to be in, even if all you're doing is grinding the free battle pass for weapon upgrades.

Cass Marshall, my former Polygon colleague, published some amazing Helldivers 2 coverage that could convince anyone that they were missing out on a good time.