HELLDIVERS 2 vs Split Fiction
Chaotic 4-player mayhem vs tight duo-only storytelling — both require a friend but demand very different time commitments.
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.
Hazelight's wildest co-op yet — Split Fiction trades It Takes Two's gentle tone for genre-hopping chaos, and it's their best game in years.
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
Split Fiction
Jun 2026 peak CCU 15,882 ↑ 11% MoM
All-time peak 258,641
Key differences
Co-op scale
Helldivers 2 supports up to 4 players with optional friendly fire, encouraging chaotic squad coordination.
Split Fiction is strictly 2-player local or online co-op, designed for a single partner experience.
Session structure
Helldivers 2 offers endless replayability through procedural missions and a persistent galactic war metagame.
Split Fiction is a tightly-paced 12-15 hour linear story with no replay loop after credits.
Mechanical diversity
Helldivers 2 focuses on mastering stratagem loadouts and gunplay across two enemy factions.
Split Fiction introduces new mechanics every chapter, from platforming to dragon riding to bullet-hell.
Which one is for you?
Pick HELLDIVERS 2 if
- You have a regular group of 3-4 friends for co-op sessions.
- You enjoy persistent progression and daily challenges across weeks.
- You don't mind friendly fire chaos and tactical loadout planning.
Pick Split Fiction if
- You want a curated story-driven experience with no grinding.
- You prefer variety over depth, switching mechanics every hour.
- You and a partner can commit to 3-4 sessions to finish together.
Bottom line
Pick Helldivers 2 if you have a squad and want infinite replay; pick Split Fiction if you want a polished, surprising weekend with one friend.