First announced in early July, the long-awaited, highly requested Xbox version of PlayStation Studios and Arrowhead Game Studios' beloved co-op shooter Helldivers 2 is real — and it's finally almost here, too. The title is officially set to release on Xbox Series X|S next week, complete with full crossplay with both Windows PC (Steam) and PS5.
The arrival of this port marks the first time we've seen Sony bring one of its high-profile console exclusives to Microsoft's hardware — until now, PlayStation Studios games have been ported to PC only — and given how popular Helldivers 2's chaotic, teamwork-oriented gameplay is, it's expected to perform exceptionally well on Xbox.
It's not surprising, then, that thousands of recruits ready to do their part for Super Earth are wondering when they'll be able to deploy. And thankfully, ahead of the port's release, developer Arrowhead has announced that Helldivers 2 will launch at 1:00 a.m. PT / 4:00 a.m. ET on August 26, with its arrival worldwide occurring concurrently.
Notably, this means folks in western regions will be able to dive in extremely early in the morning, while those farther east will have to wait until late afternoon/early evening. Everyone will be able to play on August 26, however.
The official graphic below shows some of Helldivers 2's global Xbox launch times, which have also been organized into a table below it; if you don't see the time zone you're in, you can use a time zone converter like this one to determine when the Galactic War will come to your area.
Time zone |
Launch time |
|---|---|
PST |
Aug. 26, 1:00 a.m. |
BRT |
Aug. 26, 5:00 a.m. |
BST |
Aug. 26, 9:00 a.m. |
CEST |
Aug. 26, 10:00 a.m. |
KST |
Aug. 26, 5:00 p.m. |
JST |
Aug. 26, 5:00 p.m. |
AEST |
Aug. 26, 6:00 p.m. |
Since its original release in early February 2024, Helldivers 2 has remained one of the most popular co-op games on the market, and also one of PlayStation's only majorly successful live-service titles (pour one out for Concord). Despite some rough periods caused by poor sandbox balancing and a rather pointless PSN requirement fiasco last year, it stands tall as one of the best multiplayer action games you can play today.
It puts you in the armored boots of the Helldivers — elite special forces troops sent to fight alien threats like Terminid bugs, Automaton bots, and Illuminate squids, with players able to squad up in groups of four and take on objective-driven missions. The game strongly emphasizes teamwork, positioning, loadout selection, and thoughtful usage of stratagems that allow you to call in air support, artillery strikes, automated turrets, and more.
Individual missions and operations completed contribute to a community-wide Galactic War metagame in which thousands of players work together to take or hold planets from Super Earth's sworn enemies. Impressive community-made apps and sites have even been made to track ongoing engagements in the war (Helldivers Companion is the best, if you ask me).
Also, it's worth noting the game's tone is incredibly satirical, with Arrowhead drawing heavy and obvious inspiration from the cult classic 1997 film Starship Troopers. Terminator and War of the Worlds are also some clear inspirations for the Automaton and Illuminate factions.
Much of Helldivers 2's new weapon and stratagem content is delivered in Battle Pass-style Warbonds that cost $10 worth of Super Credits (1,000) to purchase, though these can also be earned through gameplay. With Helldivers 2's imminent arrival on Xbox, though, Arrowhead is debuting a new type of $15 pass called Legendary Warbonds — and the first one will be a Helldivers 2 x Halo ODST crossover-themed Warbond that looks fantastic.
The devs say they've "gone all-in" with the Legendary Warbond tier "to make sure it lives up to the name," and in this case, I'm inclined to agree. The Halo ODST pass is scheduled to go live when the Xbox version of Helldivers 2 does, and owning it will allow you to unlock ODST and Recon armor sets based on the iconic suits from Halo 3: ODST as well as four beautifully recreated weapons from that game you can take into the battlefields of the Galactic War.
Beyond that, there will also be several skins for the Fast Recon Vehicle, Exosuit mechs, Pelican extraction ship, and Hellpod that feature the olive drab color of Halo's UNSC gear, along with other cosmetics like Halo-themed capes, player banners, and the "Rookie" player title that references Halo 3: ODST's protagonist.
I was practically begging Arrowhead to make this crossover happen the second the Xbox version was announced — and mind you, I'm far from the only one that was — so I'm ecstatic that it's actually coming to the game next week. Of course, the Xbox port itself is awesome to see, too, as Super Earth can always use more cannon fodder troops to serve valiantly in the meat grinder on the frontlines. Maybe we'll even see PlayStation bring other games to Xbox if it does well.
Helldivers 2 is $39.99 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam), and PS5, though you can get it for less on PC thanks to this discount that knocks it down to $33.69 at CDKeys. Even if you're not able to find a deal for it on your platform of choice, though, it's worth every penny. I've invested over 500 hours into the game, and my friends and I are still having a blast with it.
