Helldivers 2 Dev Explains Why The Game Takes Up So Much Space On PC

Helldivers 2, a PC game, has a significantly larger install size (150GB) compared to its console versions on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. According to Arrowhead Game Studio's deputy technical director Brendan Armstrong, the primary reason for this is the need to cater to a small segment of PC users who still use mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs). The game's install footprint is large due to duplicate data grouped together to reduce loading times for HDD users. This process is not necessary for players with solid-state drives (SSDs), but Arrowhead has difficulty determining the exact number of HDD users. Their best estimate puts it at around 12% of all PC gamers. Arrowhead plans to address the file size issue in future updates by bundling common assets together and improving compression techniques. However, they warn that these changes may impact load times for HDD users, though they aim to keep them under 30 seconds. The studio's goal is to keep Helldivers 2 running indefinitely, rather than moving on to a third installment.