Following the launch of Helldivers 2 on Xbox Series X, Sony's decision to push its live-service title to Microsoft's platform appears to have been a good one as the game has reached an impressive sales feat. The decision to bring Helldivers 2 to Xbox was a surprising one, with Sony's multiplatform strategy continuing to slowly evolve, though not usually including Microsoft in its plans.
It's been an interesting console generation as Microsoft has seemingly adopted a much stronger multiplatform strategy with its first-party titles. Games like Sea of Thieves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Hellblade 2, and more have all made the jump to Sony's platform. In fact, Forza Horizon 5 has proven to be a massive hit on the PS5, quickly taking the title of best-selling game of 2025 so far. Typically, Sony hasn't returned the favor for Xbox players with its own franchises, but that wall could be coming down sooner or later as Helldivers 2 has become a huge hit on Microsoft's console.
Helldivers 2 Releases Major New Update for September 2025
Arrowhead Game Studios releases a huge new update for Helldivers 2 called Into the Unjust, adding tons of new content and bug fixes.
Helldivers 2 Becomes the Top Paid Game on Xbox
In less than a week, Helldivers 2 has taken the number one spot on Xbox's Top Paid sales chart at the time of writing. Sony's multiplatform strategy has slowly expanded over the years, first dipping its toe into Steam and then quickly accelerating the number of ports after finding success there. With Helldivers 2 being the first Sony-published title to launch on Xbox, this level of success could potentially lead to more opportunities in the future. Considering Sony's struggles with its live-service output as of late, a victory like this could be even more meaningful to its decision-making.
However, there's more evidence highlighting the success of Helldivers 2's Xbox launch. According to the Alinea Insight, Helldivers 2 has sold nearly 1 million copies on Xbox only six days after launch. In fact, the 926,000 copies sold is actually more than the original Helldivers 2 PlayStation 5 launch in the same timeframe last year.
Unfortunately, the same level of success hasn't found its way to Microsoft, which also launched Gears of War: Reloaded for PS5 on the same day. Xbox's tentpole Gears of War franchise has seen plenty of installments over nearly 20 years, but Reloaded is the first to make the jump to PlayStation. Reloaded is a new take on the original Gears of War, adding new improvements like 4K visuals and 60 FPS. According to Alinea Insight, Gears of War Reloaded sold slightly over 250,000 copies, a far cry from what Forza Horizon 5 was able to do in just a week.
Helldivers 2
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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
WHERE TO PLAY
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
URGENT BROADCAST – SUPER EARTH ARMED FORCES
Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. Of our very existence. But the war rages on. And everything is once again under threat.
Join the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen and make this a safe and free place to live.
BECOME A LEGEND
You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.
LOADOUTS
Rain down freedom from above, sneak through enemy territory, or grit your teeth and charge head-first into the jaws of combat. How you deliver liberty is your choice; you’ll have access to a wide array of explosive firepower, life-saving armor and battle-changing stratagems… the jewel in every Helldiver’s arsenal.
REQUISITION
Super Earth recognises your hard work with valuable Requisition. Use it to access different rewards that benefit you, your squad, your destroyer ship and our overall war effort.
THREATS
Everything on every planet wants you dead. That’s what we’re dealing with. Each enemy has distinct and unpredictable characteristics, tactics, and behavior – but they all fight ferociously and without fear or morality.
THE GALACTIC WAR
Capturing enemy planets, defending against invasions, and completing missions will contribute to our overall effort. This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved.
We stand together, or we fall apart.
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
