Helldivers 2 has seen a fresh surge in the push to spread democracy around the universe following a long-awaited Xbox launch, which came alongside a boost in players on Steam.
Initially released on PlayStation 5 and PC, Sony made the big move to push the title onto Xbox Series X|S on August 26, marking a historic moment with the first time a Sony first-party exclusive made the jump to Microsoft. As part of the launch, a huge collab was added with the Halo ODST Legendary Warbond.
Though it was expected that the servers would be flooded with new players on Xbox, the release also led to a huge boost on Steam to secure the highest concurrent totals in over a year.
Helldivers 2 Hits Highest Steam Concurrents Since April 2024
Data from SteamDB shows the total number of concurrent players on Steam on August 26 hit 167,795, the highest amount since April 2024—which came just before a huge drop following an account-linking controversy.
The numbers are higher than the peaks seen after both the Omens of Tyranny and Heart of Democracy updates, showing that the impact of the Xbox launch spreads beyond just one platform.
Players have seemingly not been put off by the lack of cross-progression in the title, with the crossplay support allowing new players on Xbox to join up with friends on PlayStation 5 and PC.
Steam numbers usually peak at the weekend too, so Helldivers 2 could see another boost in the coming days in the first weekend following the launch on Xbox. Following that, a fresh update lands next week, adding more content to the game.
Have you been lured back into Helldivers 2? Let us know in the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Helldivers 2, check out the details of the upcoming Dust Devils Premium Warbond, and take a look at Arrowhead’s assessment of the ongoing Fortnite season.
