Helldivers 2
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Helldivers 2 player count: 98,111 on Steam on Oct. 20, its best day since August, and up to No. 18
Helldivers 2 jumped to 98,111 concurrent players on Steam at 10:01 a.m. ET on Oct. 20, 2026, five hours after Arrowhead Game Studios posted patch 7.2.0 with the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond and the switch to Easy Anti-Cheat. That's its best day since Aug. 18 and 60% above its October 2025 peak. The crowd held up through the week: Valve's most played chart for Oct. 23 ranked Helldivers 2 No. 18 with a 65,113 peak, up from No. 24 a week earlier, and 40,692 people were playing on Steam at 4:29 a.m. ET on Oct. 24. The all-time Steam record is more than 458,000, set in February 2024, the launch month.
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
Helldivers 2 got its biggest Steam crowd in two months from one patch. Here’s how many people play Arrowhead’s co-op shooter, what patch 7.2.0 did to the numbers and how the game compares on Steam.
How many people play Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 peaked at 65,113 concurrent players on Steam on Oct. 23, 2026, according to Valve’s most played chart, which ranked it No. 18, up from No. 24 a week earlier. At 4:29 a.m. ET on Oct. 24, 40,692 people were playing on Steam.
Steam is one storefront. The count leaves out PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, and Arrowhead doesn’t publish a combined live number.
The patch 7.2.0 jump. Arrowhead posted patch 7.2.0, part of Devoid of Liberty, at 5:01 a.m. ET on Oct. 20. It brought the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond, replaced GameGuard with Easy Anti-Cheat and buffed the Killzone and Halo legendary weapons, the Sickle lasers and the light-penetration shotguns. The Steam count climbed fast:
| Time, Oct. 20 (ET) | Steam players |
|---|---|
| 5:02 a.m. | 22,497 |
| 7:02 a.m. | 36,951 |
| 9:01 a.m. | 96,422 |
| 10:01 a.m. | 98,111 |
| 12:01 p.m. | 74,271 |
That’s the best day since Aug. 18, when the game drew 100,003 in the first week of Devoid of Liberty. Before the patch, October’s daily peaks ran between 43,906 and 60,731. After it, they stayed above 60,000 every day through Oct. 23. Our Scope of Authority Warbond page lists the new weapons and armor, and our Helldivers 2 Easy Anti-Cheat page covers what the switch means for mods and Steam Deck.
Helldivers 2 player count by month
| Period | Steam peak | Average players |
|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | More than 458,000 | All-time record |
| September 2025 | 177,327 | 68,412 |
| October 2025 | 61,493 | 29,526 |
| February 2026 | 171,120 | 76,474 |
| August 2026 | 144,799 | 52,422 |
| September 2026 | 92,006 | 45,156 |
| Oct. 20, 2026 | 98,111 | Patch 7.2.0 |
| Oct. 23, 2026 | 65,113 | No. 18 on Valve’s chart |
Helldivers 2 launched on PC and PS5 on Feb. 8, 2024, and set its record that month. Since then, the game has run in waves: each big update pulls in a crowd that settles a few weeks later. The average over the last 30 days, 41,020 players at any moment, runs about 39% above October 2025’s 29,526.
The big updates of 2026
- Machinery of OppressionOn Feb. 10, brought back the Cyborgs and sent players into the factory cities of Cyberstan, the Automaton homeworld. February peaked at 171,120, the 2026 high.
- Devoid of LibertyOn Aug. 12, opened the road into the Void, the Illuminate’s home turf, with new missions and new enemies such as the Wretch and the Crusher. The Warhammer 40,000 Legendary Warbond landed the same day, and the Steam peak hit 144,799.
- Patch 7.2.0On Oct. 20, delivered Scope of Authority and Easy Anti-Cheat, and the count passed 98,000.
How Helldivers 2 compares on Steam
| Game | Chart rank, Oct. 23 | Steam peak, Oct. 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Overwatch | 17 | 65,179 |
| Helldivers 2 | 18 | 65,113 |
| Dead by Daylight | 19 | 65,094 |
| Warframe | 20 | 90,337 |
| Marvel Rivals | 22 | 61,626 |
Valve ranks the chart by its own measure of play, so Warframe sits lower with a higher peak. Helldivers 2 finished 66 players behind Blizzard’s hero shooter and 3,487 ahead of NetEase’s, which jumped to 90,838 on the evening of Oct. 23 with a new mode, as our Marvel Rivals player count page shows.
Arrowhead patched the crash on squad join and leave with hotfix 7.2.1 on Oct. 22, and hasn’t dated the next Warbond or the next major update. Helldivers 2 sells for $39.99 on Steam, and Premium Warbonds cost Super Credits, which players can also find in missions.
This page is updated as soon as Valve’s chart posts Helldivers 2’s Saturday and Sunday peaks or Arrowhead announces its next Warbond.
Official images
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Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment
FAQ
How many people play Helldivers 2?
Helldivers 2 peaked at 65,113 concurrent players on Steam on Oct. 23, 2026, according to Valve’s most played chart, and 40,692 were playing at 4:29 a.m. ET on Oct. 24. Its October high is 98,111, set on Oct. 20.
What is Helldivers 2's all-time peak?
More than 458,000 concurrent players on Steam in February 2024, the month the game launched on PC and PS5.
Why did Helldivers 2's player count go up on Oct. 20?
Arrowhead posted patch 7.2.0 at 5:01 a.m. ET on Oct. 20, 2026, with the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond, a switch from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat and a weapon balance pass. The Steam count rose from 22,497 at 5:02 a.m. ET to 98,111 at 10:01 a.m.
Is Helldivers 2 dying?
Helldivers 2 climbed six spots to No. 18 on Valve’s chart for Oct. 23, 2026, and its October peak of 98,111 runs 60% above October 2025’s 61,493. Its average over the last 30 days, 41,020 players, sits about 39% above October 2025.
Where does Helldivers 2 rank on Steam?
Helldivers 2 ranked No. 18 on Valve’s most played chart for Oct. 23, 2026, up from No. 24 a week earlier, right behind Overwatch at No. 17.
Does the Steam player count include PS5 and Xbox?
Steam only counts Steam players. Helldivers 2 also runs on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, and Arrowhead doesn’t publish a live count across platforms.
How much does Helldivers 2 cost?
$39.99 on Steam, with Premium Warbonds such as Scope of Authority sold for Super Credits on top.
What's in the Scope of Authority Warbond?
The R-40 Sightliner bolt-action sniper rifle, the P-44 Mist machine pistol, the AMW-20 Apex anti-materiel rifle, the LAS-44 Nova laser rifle, the G-11 Caltrops grenade and two camouflage armors.
Did Helldivers 2 change its anti-cheat?
Yes. Patch 7.2.0 replaced GameGuard with Easy Anti-Cheat on Oct. 20, 2026, with extra security tools against cheat mods.
When did Helldivers 2 come out on Xbox?
Helldivers 2 launched on Xbox Series X and S on Aug. 26, 2025, 18 months after the PC and PS5 release on Feb. 8, 2024.
Pop quiz
1 questions from this story.
What was Helldivers 2’s Steam high on Oct. 20, 2026?
Helldivers 2 reached 98,111 players on Steam at 10:01 a.m. ET on Oct. 20, 2026, after patch 7.2.0 added Scope of Authority.
Your call
How often do you play Helldivers 2?
