Helldivers 2’s Next Update Is “Just The Opening Salvo”

Helldivers 2’s next update is one players have been vocal about wanting for quite some time, and it’s not new content–it’s an optimization and performance update, which developer Arrowhead Studios said is “just the opening salvo” of more improvements to come.

As detailed by Arrowhead in a blog post, an update coming to Helldivers 2 on May 27 will look to improve stability, reduce latency, and add new upscaling support to the popular co-op shooter. The developer even included a massive collage of Reddit posts from players asking for upscaling support, to which Arrowhead has now replied, “We heard you.”

On the upscaling side of the equation, Arrowhead is introducing new options tailored to each platform, as well as support for dynamic resolution scaling and variable refresh rates and shading. Below is what’s coming as part of the update.

Helldivers 2 May 27 Update Features

Upscaling Support

PC: FSR 4.0.3 (on supported GPUs), FSR 3.1.5, DLSS 4.5, and XeSS 3.0
PS5 Pro: PSSR 1
PS5: FSR 3.1
Xbox Series X/S: FSR 3.1

Visual Optimizations

Variable Refresh Rate for PS5 and PS5 Pro
Variable Rate Shading
Dynamic Resolution Scaling for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, as well as increased resolution to 1440p PS5 “Quality” preset as part of PS5 power-saving mode, as well as in performance mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Reduced Latency

Nvidia Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag 2

Arrowhead said the update is just the first step when it comes to the goal of improving “performance across the fleet.” Next steps will include making further adjustments as necessary once the update is live, but also an additional “tech-focused update” coming later in the summer to push the improvements “even further.”

The performance and stability update comes as Arrowhead has taken flak from players for poor communication with the Helldivers community and its focus on releasing paid DLC over improving technical issues. Those complaints have seen the game’s recent user-review scores dip into “Mostly Negative” on Steam, though the game still sports an overall “Very Positive” rating. In the blog announcing the new update, Arrowhead said it’s “focused on being clearer, more consistent, and giving you better visibility into what’s coming and why.”

More technical improvements aren’t all Helldivers 2 fans have to look forward to. Arrowhead recently announced the game’s next Legendary Warbond crossover will be with Warhammer 40K and release later this year.