The PC community for Helldivers 2 has long lamented the game's massive file size; with it reaching almost 150 gigabytes as of the Into the Unjust update. But thanks to the efforts of Arrowhead Studios and Nixxes Software, fans playing the game on Steam can now cut the overall file size down by Helldivers 2 to a smaller, two-digit number.
To decrease Helldivers 2 file size on PC is pretty simple, and it has no effect on the game itself (aside from possibly nuking any mods you might have installed). This is how you 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 version of Helldivers 2 is how players can get the game's huge file size closer to what console players have. 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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Navigate to the Betas tab.
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Select the available prod_slim version from the Beta Participation drop-down box.
After doing these steps, Steam will automatically queue a fresh one Helldivers 2 downloadbut you will notice that the download size should be somewhere around 9 GB. Once the game is reinstalled, it will be packed up to roughly 22GB.
The game broke! What now?
The prod_slim version is the same Helldivers 2 games that everyone plays on all platforms, meaning everything from Warbonds to the ongoing Galactic War development is still the same for everyone. In the event that switching to the prod_slim version has caused problems for you, you can go back to the default version of the game by following the same steps above and selecting “None” in the Beta Participation box. Yes, you have to reinstall the game again.
What is the older version for?
The prod_legacy version is for players who still use a hard drive to play Helldivers 2. This version of the game is essentially the current live version of the Helldivers 2 which takes up over a hundred gigabytes of space. When the prod_slim version becomes the standard version of the game, prod_legacy is there for HDD players who want slightly faster load times.
Why is Helldivers 2 file size so big?
Arrowhead confirmed in a blog post that the PC version of Helldivers 2 uses duplicate files to reduce load times for PC gamers who still use hard drives for their systems. In reality, the total size of all the game's assets amounts to only ~20GB. Helldivers 2 on PlayStation and Xbox don't need any of these duplicate files because they are all equipped with SSDs, which are much faster than hard drives.
Thankfully, Arrowhead also said that the actual load time difference between SSD and HDD players is minimal. Hard drive users using the prod_slim version should only have to wait a few extra seconds, as the obvious reason for the game's long load times is tied to level generation and not asset loading.
