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Ben Brosofsky
Published 13 minutes ago
Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted.
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Helldivers 2 has been routinely criticized for its regularly expanding file size on PC, but the newest experimental patch is set to turn things around. While the online shooter takes up less than 40GB of storage space on consoles, the PC version grew to a whopping 154GB over time. Arrowhead's Technical Developer acknowledged the problem in October, noting that the studio would look into potential solutions.
Helldivers 2 is now rolling out a beta that reduces the PC installation size to approximately 23GB, cutting over 131GB (or 85%) of the file size, as explained in a Steam tech blog. Users who want to try out the beta can opt in (or opt out) at will. If the beta confirms that the file size reduction introduces no major issues, the slim version will be rolled out to every player.
Helldivers 2 Has Found Its File Size Solution
Loading Times Aren't A Problem After All
Two Helldivers wearing the armor and holding the weapons from the Python Commandos Warbond.
The previous tech blog explained Helldivers 2's file size as a result of accounting for players on HDDs, which load assets more slowly than SSDs. On PC, Arrowhead was duplicating assets to make loading faster on HDDs, significantly expanding the game's file size with each update. While the majority of players use SSDs, it isn't universal like on consoles, so Arrowhead didn't want to leave any players behind.
After testing, the studio determined that its projections of increased load times were overly cautious. The new update should only increase mission loading times "by a few seconds in the worst cases," a small price to pay for an 85% reduction in size.
How To Reduce The Helldivers 2 File Size
Opt-In, Opt-Out
Helldivers 2 Heart of Democracy
Those who want to clean up some space can opt into the slim version by completing the following process:
- Right-click Helldivers 2 in your Steam library
- Select Properties
- Select Betas on the left
- Select the "prod_slim" Beta Participation option
- Close the window and wait for the patch to download
To opt out, players can follow the same process but revert the Beta Participation to none. Once the slim version becomes the default release, Arrowhead will keep the legacy version as a temporary option in case of issues. If the slim version causes any problems after its official rollout, choosing the "prod_legacy" Beta Participation will revert it.
Helldivers 2 has enjoyed plenty of great post-launch support, but the lack of solutions to mounting technical frustrations was starting to detract from all the new content. For PC players, the new file size beta might very well be the most exciting Helldivers 2 update yet.
10/10
9/10
Helldivers 2
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Third-Person Shooter Extraction Shooter Action Science Fiction Systems
OpenCritic Reviews
Top Critic Avg:
83/100
Critics Rec:
91%
Released
February 8, 2024
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
Publisher(s)
Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
Engine
bitsquid
6 Images
Close
Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
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