Helldivers 2: What PC Specs Do You Need to Run the Game?

The game -- which we're calling HeckDivers around the MC News office -- has already sold more than one million copies on PC and PS5 and spawned numerous online debates about the best weapons and stratagems to unlock and use. It's also become a favorite of content creators and game streamers, and is seemingly everywhere on TikTok and Twitch right now.

Fortunately for PC players, its required system specs are flexible enough to cover a wide range of hardware. Here's what you'll need to play, from the minimum specs to suggestions for high-end settings.  

Minimum System Requirements

To get started with Helldivers 2 on low settings, aiming for 1080p at 30 FPS, your setup should include the following. These requirements are fairly accommodating, making the game accessible even on older systems if you keep most detail settings on low.

• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 470

• RAM: 8GB

• Storage: 100GB HDD (7200rpm)

Recommended System Requirements

For those aiming for 1080p at 60 FPS, the recommended specs take a modest leap. These components suggest a slightly older midrange PC, and should be zippy enough to play smoothly as medium detail settings. 

• CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 100GB SSD

Performance System Requirements

For enthusiasts looking to push their gaming experience further, Helldivers 2 offers settings for higher performance visuals at higher resolutions, like 1440p at 60fps:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5800X3D

• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 100GB SSD

Ultra System Requirements

And finally, the highest level of system spec recommendations are to run at 4K with high or better detail settings at a steady 60fps or more. 

• CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5800X3D

• Graphics Card:  NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 TI or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 100GB SSD

I've mostly played the game so far on a new Razer Blade 16 with a 14th-gen Intel Core i9, NVIDIA 4080 GPU and 32GB of RAM. Using that system, I'm easily at 60fps playing at full 4K resolution and high settings, and over 100fps when I drop the resolution to 1080p. 

Five quick Helldivers 2 Tips

Once you get the PC hardware sorted out, some actual in-game advice is handy, because there's a lot the brief tutorial doesn't explain. My most useful quick tips are:

1. Don't reload until your weapon is out of ammo -- reloading throws away any ammo left over in your clip. 
2. You can switch between 3rd-person (the default) and 1st-person mode -- try both and see which works better for you. 
3. There's no jump button, but dashing near a small obstacle or low wall will climb over it. 
4. Friendly fire is a thing in the game, so make sure you don't accidentally shoot (or get shot by) your teammates. 
5. Calling in new weapons or a bombardment from your orbiting ship requires using a stratagem. To activate these, players need to punch in a special code (up arrow, left arrow, down arrow, etc.), so make sure there are no enemies nearby or you're well-covered by teammates, because it can take a few tries to get right.