With the promise of chaotic co-op action on the PS5, Helldivers 2 has managed to get a lot of people excited ahead of release. However, now it’s finally here, it hasn’t got off to the slick start players hoped for. The Helldivers 2 servers are frequently going down, and there are loads of reports of game crashes and performance issues, which has put the game’s developer in “crisis mode”.
The PS5 exclusive has been one of the most anticipated new PS5 games, resulting in Helldivers 2 topping the PlayStation Store pre-order charts. With players finally able to jump in on PS5 after years of waiting, prospective Helldivers have been met with rampant server instability, audio and graphical issues, and other game-breaking bugs infesting the multiplayer game.
As an always-online experience, the biggest issue so far at launch has been its servers. There are currently widespread issues that make simply logging into the game a tall order. However, if you do get in, the issues only continue, with many being unable to join a lobby, and promptly disconnecting shortly after when they eventually do. With a much larger number of players at launch than Arrowhead Game Studios was likely expecting, it’s evident that the servers are under a great deal of strain right now. Unfortunately, this means you can’t really get to the meat of the game quite yet, though fixing this issue is at the top of the developer’s priority list.
“We are aware that there’s an issue that shows up when you hit Quickplay and the game attempts to matchmake. We are on it and attempting a fix as soon as we can. We’ll update you all here as soon as we have something concrete”, the developer explains on the game’s Discord server.
PS5 players are also reporting frequent crashing both while on missions and even when trying to log in. “[I] was initially able to play it for about 30 minutes before it lost connection to servers and crashed. Then when I logged in it kept crashing and now it’s not logging in at all”, one player claims – a sentiment which is shared by many. These crashes are known issues and the developer is working on fixes as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, PS5 performance isn’t fairing much better. Many are reporting that the game is graphically very blurry with frequent frame drops, whether you’re using performance or quality mode. It’s possible that these options are currently misbehaving, with the game’s dynamic resolution seemingly in overdrive.
It’s worth noting though that while the issues are widespread, it’s not affecting everyone. In fact, one player notes they’ve had a “flawless experience” on PS5 with “stable 60fps”. Likewise, one Helldiver’s “unplayable” experience has been met with numerous responses from players that have avoided much of the server instability. Nevertheless, these issues aren’t making for a great first-day impression of Helldivers 2 – though bug-filled releases are unfortunately common nowadays. Just recently, the co-op looter-shooter Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s servers were taken down due to a hilarious bug at launch.
Arrowhead Game Studios CEO, Johan Pilestedt, announced on the Helldivers 2 Discord server that “it’s been a bit of a crisis mode” in the studio as the team works to resolve these launch-day woes as soon as possible. Pilestedt closes by wishing players an enjoyable “experience once [they] get into the game”.
For now, though, there’s little players can do to avoid these issues, save for restarting the game, though fixes will hopefully be inbound sooner rather than later given the many, many eager players twiddling their thumbs. Once fixed, there’s a good chance Helldivers 2 will become one of the best co-op games and possibly even one of the best PS5 games – providing post-launch support hits the mark.