Elden Ring Nightreign vs HELLDIVERS 2
Nightreign is a coop rinse-repeat loop; Helldivers 2 is 75%-positive chaos with 5 patches in 90 days and 10% of its launch peak.
Updated 24d ago
Solo and duos both work now — the launch reviews calling solo a death sentence are a year stale. Still worth $39.99 if you can live with six months of silence.
Still the best chaotic 4-player co-op shooter on PC despite the playerbase falling from 458k peak to 30k after Arrowhead's balance churn.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 9; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 9.
| Measure | Elden Ring Nightreign | HELLDIVERS 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Value HELLDIVERS 2 wins on value | ||
| Price now | $34.99 −13% · GameBillet | $34.99 −13% · GameBillet |
| All-time low | $26.37 | $25.47 |
| Cost / hour | $1.25/hr $34.99 · 28 h main story | $1.10/hr $34.99 · 32 h main story |
| Off its low | +33% low was Dec 2025 | +37% low was Mar 2025 |
| Main story | 28 h | 32 h |
| Health Too close to call | ||
| Steam reviews | 82% 191k reviews | 76% 1.2M reviews |
| Recent reviews | 78% 1k votes · vs 82% lifetime | 83% 6k votes · vs 76% lifetime · improving |
| Peak players | 34,386 Aug 2026 · ↓ 16% MoM | 144,799 Aug 2026 · ↑ 231% MoM |
| Launch peak | — | 32% of Feb 2024 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 |
| All-time peak | 240,640 Jun 2025 · now at 14% | 458,208 Feb 2024 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 8 months ago | 4 weeks ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 4 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Platinum | Gold |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Elden Ring Nightreign
The 40-minute run — two days of scavenging, two night bosses, one Nightlord — and how well it holds up with two friends on a voice call.
Silence from FromSoftware. Reviewers with hundreds of hours file negatives asking for content rather than fixes, and July brought a wave of crash reports.
from our July 2026 verdict
HELLDIVERS 2
The core co-op PVE loop remains engaging and fun for hundreds of hours despite ongoing frustrations.
Persistent balance changes, performance bugs, and poor developer communication erode trust and enjoyment over time.
from our May 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Elden Ring Nightreign if
- You and two friends want forty-minute roguelike runs that reset after each Nightlord.
- You prefer auto-leveling and mid-run gear over intricate build planning.
- You can accept no new content for months at a time.
Pick HELLDIVERS 2 if
- You want a chaotic four-player co-op shooter with friendly fire.
- You enjoy choosing stratagem loadouts and coordinating cooldowns.
- You like a live service with frequent patches and a season-like metagame.
Bottom line
Pick Nightreign if you crave tight three-player roguelike sessions and can live with quiet support; choose Helldivers 2 for its livelier 75%-positive community and ongoing 5-patches-in-90-days cadence.