Players diving into Helldivers 2 on PC might notice its hefty 150 GB footprint, but Arrowhead Game Studios has pulled back the curtain on the reasons and their roadmap to slim it down without sacrificing performance.
Why the Large PC Install Size?
The main culprit is data duplication—a smart trick to speed up loading on older mechanical hard drives (HDDs) by keeping frequently accessed files close together. This reduces seek times, making missions load faster for HDD users. However, with SSDs becoming the norm (they're standard on consoles), this duplication bloats the install size to about three times that of console versions.
As a Helldivers 2 fan, I appreciate how this setup keeps the game accessible, but it's a pain for those of us managing limited storage. SSD players get near-instant loads anyway, so the extra space feels unnecessary.
Devs' Optimization Roadmap
Arrowhead is tackling this head-on with a tiered approach. In the short term, they're hunting down and removing unused assets to prevent the install from growing further. This could free up space quickly without major changes.
For medium-term wins, expect bundling of common assets, which might bump up RAM usage slightly but promises to keep HDD load times under 30 seconds. Long-term, engine tweaks could eliminate unnecessary data loading, add compression, and bring PC closer to console efficiency.
What Does This Mean for Players?
If you're on an HDD (estimated at around 12% of PC players), these changes should maintain smooth gameplay while reducing storage demands. SSD owners might see even snappier performance. It's a balancing act, but it shows Arrowhead's commitment to evolving the game based on player hardware trends.
Optional 4K textures were floated as an idea, but they're not on the priority list due to the dev effort involved. For full details, check the official Arrowhead Game Studios blog.