Summary
Early last year,Helldivers 2took the world by storm. Surprising many, its frantic freedom-fighting action propelled the game to the highest of highs, withalmost half a million playersonSteamat its peak. A series of unpopular updates,nerfs, and natural attrition meant that player count degraded over time, though.
However, following its latest major update, players have come flooding back to the title, with its Steam player count reaching numbers it hasn’t seen in over a year.
Helldivers 2 Heart Of Democracy Update Causes A Surge To The Game’s Player Count
Helldivers 2’sHeart of Democracyupdate is apparently “the worst nightmare of all those who fight for Managed Democracy.” It sees thedreaded Illuminate reaching Super Earth, with the aliens destroying everything and everyone in their path. Naturally, a problem this big requires a sizable army, and thankfully, Helldivers 2 players have obliged.
According toSteamDB, yesterday, at its peak, almost 164,000 players jumped in to defend their home planet. This is the highest the game’s Steam player count has been since all the way back in April 2024, two months after it launched.
This number represents a significant uplift in players, given that last month, at its peak, Helldivers 2 had a maximum of 49,000 players online at any given time. The only time in the last year the game has come close to yesterday’s figure was December 2024, when a peak of 150,000 players were online.
Such an increase in the last 24 hours has seen Helldivers 2’s average player count for the last 30 days climb by 29 percent over April’s, going from an average of 28,039 to 36,351.
The new update, combined with a 20 percent discount, has seen Helldivers 2 rocket back up theSteam sales chart, rising 33 places to fourth, behind theSteam Deck, RoadCraft, and the ever-presentCounter-Strike 2.
The Heart of Democracy update adds lots of new wrinkles for players to contend with. Alongside the need to protect the citizens of Super Earth,“cute” SEAF Soldiers have joined the fight, as has a new, dangerous Illuminate threat,the Leviathan Ship.
