Helldivers 2 dev says there are "no plans" for shooter to come to Game Pass

In case you missed it amid all of the other Microsoft news last week, one of 2024's hottest games, Helldivers 2, will be deployed on Xbox this August. This makes it the first ever Sony-published game to be released on Microsoft's flagship console, with reviews riding high after the huge Heart of Democracy update saw Steam numbers skyrocket. But there's a caveat.

Helldivers 2 won't be launching on Xbox Game Pass. Arrowhead's community manager 'Baskinator' confirmed in the official Discord that there are "no plans" for the co-op game to hit Game Pass alongside its Xbox Series X/S launch on August 23.

In response to one player saying that they were "pretty sure" that Helldivers 2 was confirmed for Game Pass, Baskinator responds: "Definitely not. No plans to bring it to Game Pass." A similar statement was also made a day earlier, highlighting that there are "no plans to release on Game Pass at this time."

The Xbox launch was confirmed as part of a Helldivers 2 announcement stream on Thursday July 3. Crossplay with PC and Playstation has also been confirmed, so you'll be able to enlist even more friends to join the fight for freedom when the game comes out later this year.

And it's good time for Helldivers 2 right now. Last month, the ever-chaotic multiplayer shooter reached new heights with the launch of its latest Heart of Democracy update. Reviews were up to 'very positive' and its concurrent player peak surged to 163,000, the highest of 2025. You can currently pick up Helldivers 2 on Steam with a 20% discount, for $31.99 / £27.99.

News of Helldivers 2's launch onto Xbox came as Microsoft announced devastating job cuts, confirming it had laid off 9,000 employees in recent months, alongside canceling several projects including Everwild, Perfect Dark, and an unannounced MMO from the developers of Elder Scrolls Online.

While you wait for your Xbox pals to join your Helldivers squad, you can try some of these multiplayer games, or hone your tactics with these war games on PC.

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