Arrowhead Game Studios has addressed Helldivers 2 fans’ concerns over its PC file size, explaining why it’s so big and outlining some potential solutions. Optimization has been a big issue among the game’s fanbase lately, but developers have been vocal about recognizing the need for improvement and working on fixes. As part of that, the Helldivers 2 team has now offered a glimpse into how ongoing development could shape in the future.

Helldivers 2 Screenshot

While the co-op shooter remains popular across platforms, gamers’ feelings toward it have fluctuated lately. In late September, Helldivers 2’s Steam reviews fell to “mixed” as PC users listed complaints about the game’s stability and performance. CEO Shams Joranji said the team was “well aware” of the problem and actively working on it, and now fans have a closer look at what’s happening behind the scenes.

Helldivers 2’s PC File Size Stems from HDD Support

In an October 3 Steam update, Arrowhead’s Deputy Technical Director explained that Helldivers 2’s bloated PC installation size stems from mechanical HDD support quirks. The game uses data duplication to speed up load times on HDDs by creating multiple copies of common assets for quicker access. Consequently, the game’s size reaches 140 GB on PC, while the console version, optimized for SSDs, is just 35 GB.

Mechanical HDD Screenshot

Other games have faced similar load time challenges on HDDs. Notably, Starfield requires an SSD because rendering would take too long on HDDs as the read arm must physically move between locations. Helldivers 2’s data duplication minimizes load times but leads to file bloat, placing developers in a complex scenario moving forward.

Arrowhead plans to remove unused assets and bundle common files to help reduce HDD load times while also trying to shrink the total file size. The studio has stated that it does not have plans for a Helldivers 3 at this time, allowing it to focus resources on these optimizations.