Arrowhead Game Studios has slashed Helldivers 2's PC file size from 154GB down to just 23GB. The new "slim version," now available as a technical beta on Steam, eliminates roughly 131GB of data. That's an 85% reduction in storage requirements.
Why the PC Version Got So Bloated
The console version of Helldivers 2 sits comfortably under 40GB. PC players haven't been so lucky. The installation ballooned with each update, forcing players to dedicate an increasingly absurd chunk of their drives to the multiplayer shooter.
Asset duplication caused the bloat. Arrowhead had been copying assets throughout the game files to speed up loading times for players still running mechanical hard drives. HDDs load data more slowly than SSDs, and duplicating assets makes relevant data easier to find.
Modern SSDs don't benefit from this approach at all. For SSD users, that duplication just eats up space. But since not every PC player has made the jump to solid-state storage, Arrowhead kept the bloated version around to avoid leaving anyone behind.
The Fix Worked Better Than Expected
Arrowhead first acknowledged the problem back in October. At the time, the studio warned that removing duplicated assets could make loading times up to 10 times slower for HDD users.
Those fears didn't pan out. In a Steam blog post, Arrowhead confirmed that their worst-case projections never materialized. The studio discovered something unexpected about how Helldivers 2 actually handles loading.
Most games spend the bulk of their loading time pulling assets from storage. Helldivers 2 doesn't work that way. Level generation, not asset loading, accounts for most of the wait time. Since level generation runs in parallel with asset loading, it becomes the bottleneck regardless of storage type. This holds true even for mechanical HDD users.
The practical result: mission loading times increase by only a few seconds in the worst cases. Arrowhead considers that an acceptable trade-off for freeing up 131GB.
How to Enable the Slim Version
Players who want to try the reduced file size can opt into the beta through Steam:
- Right-click Helldivers 2 in the Steam library
- Select Properties
- Click Betas on the left side
- Choose the "prod_slim" option from Beta Participation
- Close the window and let the patch download
Beta participants can still matchmake with all other players normally. Anyone who runs into problems can opt out by following the same steps and setting Beta Participation back to none.
What Happens Next
Arrowhead plans to make the slim version the default once the beta confirms there are no major issues. The studio has been blunt about why: maintaining two versions adds unnecessary work for developers, QA teams, and build systems.
With loading times nearly identical between versions, there's no real reason to keep the legacy installation around. Arrowhead expects to discontinue the 154GB version sometime next year.
After the slim version goes live for everyone, the legacy option will stick around temporarily as a fallback. Players who hit problems after the official rollout can select "prod_legacy" in the Beta Participation menu to revert.
A Long-Overdue Fix
Helldivers 2 has delivered plenty of post-launch content, but the storage situation had become a genuine frustration. For PC players juggling limited drive space, this is one of the most impactful updates the game has received.
The beta is open now for anyone willing to help test under real-world conditions. Arrowhead is calling it a low-risk way to reclaim storage space while contributing to the testing process before the slim version becomes standard for all PC players.
