HELLDIVERS 2 vs High On Life 2
Chaotic co-op democracy vs cynical comedy skateboarding — one trusts your squad, the other trusts its jokes.
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.
Falls short of HoL1's voice-cast peak — HoL2 trades sharper writing for skateboard mechanics, leaving the gunplay split 56/44 among critics.
Steam popularity
Shared scale — sparklines are directly comparable across both games.
HELLDIVERS 2
Apr 2026 peak CCU 83,346 ↑ 0% MoM
All-time peak 458,208
High On Life 2
Apr 2026 peak CCU 203 ↓ 78% MoM
All-time peak 2,937
Key differences
Co-op structure
Helldivers 2 is 4-player co-op with friendly fire and stratagem cooldowns, no PvP.
High On Life 2 is single-player only, no multiplayer component.
Tone and writing
Helldivers 2 uses satirical military propaganda with over-the-top democracy themes.
High On Life 2 trades sharper writing for skateboard mechanics; IGN says narrative steps backward.
Movement and combat
Helldivers 2 emphasizes run-and-gun with stratagem calls and 30-second cooldowns.
High On Life 2 adds skateboarding traversal, but gunplay splits critics 56/44.
Which one is for you?
Pick HELLDIVERS 2 if
- You want chaotic 4-player co-op with friendly fire and no PvP.
- You prefer strategic loadouts over twitch aim and accept 30-second cooldowns.
- You are okay with a galactic-war metagame that resets after Major Orders.
Pick High On Life 2 if
- You played and enjoyed High on Life 1 and want more Squanch-style absurdism.
- You like Borderlands-style FPS comedy and can tolerate uneven gunplay.
- You are curious about a 12-hour shooter with skateboarding traversal mechanics.
Bottom line
If you want reliable co-op mayhem, pick Helldivers 2; if you are a HoL1 fan willing to accept weaker writing for skateboarding, pick High On Life 2.