HELLDIVERS 2 vs High On Life 2
Chaotic co-op versus solo absurdism — Helldivers 2 rewards teamwork, while High On Life 2 banks on nostalgia.
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
Jun 2026 peak CCU 45,817 ↓ 20% MoM
All-time peak 458,208
High On Life 2
Jun 2026 peak CCU 222 ↑ 51% MoM
All-time peak 2,937
Key differences
Co-op vs solo
Helldivers 2 is pure 4-player co-op with friendly fire and stratagem call-ins against AI hordes.
High On Life 2 is a solo FPS with a talking gun and skateboarding, no multiplayer component.
Humor approach
Helldivers 2's humor is diegetic propaganda satire delivered through mission broadcasts and armor flavor text.
High On Life 2 leans into Squanch-style absurdist comedy but critics say its writing steps back from the first game.
Playerbase stability
Helldivers 2's playerbase dropped from 458k peak to 30k after Arrowhead's balance churn, but still active.
High On Life 2 is single-player; no playerbase issue, but only 56% of critics recommend it.
Which one is for you?
Pick HELLDIVERS 2 if
- You want chaotic 4-player co-op with friendly fire and strategic loadouts
- You are OK with a galactic-war metagame that resets after Major Order arcs
- You don't mind 30-second stratagem cooldowns and no competitive PvP
Pick High On Life 2 if
- You played and finished High on Life 1 and want more Squanch-style absurdism
- You enjoy Borderlands-style FPS comedy and tolerate uneven gunplay
- You're curious about a 12-hour shooter with skateboarding traversal mechanics
Bottom line
Pick Helldivers 2 for reliable co-op chaos; skip High On Life 2 unless you're a die-hard Squanch fan willing to accept weaker writing.