PC community for Helldivers 2 long complained about the huge file size of the game; with it reaching nearly 150 gigabytes since the Into the Unjust update. However, thanks to the efforts of Arrowhead Studios and Nixxes Software, fans playing the game on Steam can now reduce the overall file size Helldivers 2 to a smaller, two-digit number.
Reduction Helldivers 2 file size on PC is fairly simple and has no effect on the game itself (apart from potentially nucleating any mods installed). Here's how to do it.
Helldivers 2: All Warbonds, Ranked
Here are all the Warbonds in Helldivers 2, ranked by practicality to help players figure out which ones to get first.
How To Download Helldivers 2 Prod Slim Beta
Using prod_slim beta Helldivers 2 is a way for players to bring the game's huge file size closer to what players have on console. To do this, follow these instructions.
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Go to your Steam library.
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Right click on Helldivers 2
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Select Properties.
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Go to the Betas tab.
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Select an available version of prod_slim from the Beta Participation selection box.
After performing these steps Steam automatically queues new ones Helldivers 2 downloadbut you will notice that the download size should be somewhere around 9 GB. After the reinstall is complete, the game will expand to about 22 GB.
The game is broken! what now
The prod_slim version is the same Helldivers 2 a game played by everyone on all platforms, meaning that everything from Warbonds to the ongoing development of Galactic War is still the same for everyone. In case upgrading to the prod_slim version caused you problems, you can return to the default version of the game by following the same steps above and selecting “None” in the Beta Participation field. Yes, you will need to reinstall the game.
What is the older version for?
The prod_legacy version is for players who still use HDD to play Helldivers 2. This version of the game is basically the current live version of the game Helldivers 2 which takes up over a hundred gigabytes of space. Once the prod_slim version becomes the default version of the game, prod_legacy is there for HDD players who want a little faster loading.
Why is Helldivers 2 file size so big?
Arrowhead confirmed in a blog post that the PC version Helldivers 2 uses duplicate files to reduce load times for PC players who still use HDDs for their systems. In fact, the total size of all game assets is only ~20GB. Helldivers 2 on PlayStation and Xbox they don't need any of these duplicate files because they all have SSDs which are much faster than HDDs.
Fortunately, Arrowhead also said that the actual difference in load times between SSD and HDD players is minimal. HDD users using the prod_slim version should only wait a few extra seconds, as the apparent cause of the game's long load times is related to level generation and not asset loading.
