Helldivers 2 is the first PlayStation-published Xbox game

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 will make the jump to the Xbox Series X and S consoles on August 26th, costing $39.99. This is the first PlayStation-published title to launch on Xbox. The title will ship with cross-play between all platforms.

The cooperative PvE third-person shooter was an unexpected hit when it first launched simultaneously on PlayStation 5 and PC in early 2024. It soared in popularity on Steam, where it earned an “overwhelmingly positive” rating, which flipped to “overwhelmingly negative” when Sony introduced (then swiftly reversed) a decision to require a PSN login for PC players. Xbox’s press release makes no mention of a PSN login, so it likely won’t be required here.

Helldivers 2 is a gem of a game that’s high on hijinx. What initially seems like a serious sci-fi title often gives way to funny, emergent moments, thanks in part to its Stratagem system, which requires you to input complex button combos while facing down swarms of enemies. There are a variety of missions you can take on against aliens, robots, and the newer Illuminate species. And, since it’s a live-service title, the lore and the stakes are always evolving (and the developers often troll players). It’s a fun world to be immersed in, even if you’re just grinding the free battle pass for weapon upgrades.

My former Polygon colleague Cass Marshall wrote some incredible Helldivers 2 coverage, which has the power to convince just about anyone that they were missing out on a good time. I mean, just look at these headlines below.

Correction, July 3rd: The post originally said that the game first launched in 2023, but it debuted in 2024.