If you haven’t been paying attention, Helldivers 2 is a real comeback, almost ten years after the last game. We gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 in our review, and it was a big success for Sony on PS5 and Steam.
Yes, Helldivers 2 is the talk of the town, and as you’d expect considering the first game played so well on the Vita, it’s also a great experience on Steam Deck.
While we were a little worried that Valve’s compatibility review wouldn’t be available at launch, and the Anti-Cheat issues and system issues at launch had us fearing the worst, I’m happy to say that Helldivers 2 is literally a hit on Steam Deck thanks to Valve’s post-launch Proton Hotfix.
A Proton fix has just been deployed for Helldivers 2 failing to launch.
— Pierre-Loup Griffais (@Plagman2) February 9, 2024
Yes, Helldivers 2 is the perfect game for Steam Deck
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The photos above were taken on the steam deck, and as you can see, even during the darker, night mission, there is plenty of detail in the photos.
I admit that entering some in-game terminal commands can be difficult, but otherwise using the Steam Deck is a fantastic experience.
Playing on the Steam Deck OLED, I had a pretty decent frame rate even on chaotic bug-busting missions with orbital strikes. In fact, I managed to complete more than one difficult mission while lying on the couch.
Helldivers 2’s structure, where you return to your ship between missions to change gear and select your next objective, also makes it the perfect game to play in pieces – much like Monster Hunter World or Rise.
Helldivers 2’s Steam Deck compatibility rating clarified
While Valve’s rating for Helldivers 2 is “playable” as opposed to its green “Great on board” rating, the gripes are relatively minor.
First, smaller text can be enlarged using the Steam Deck magnifier. This system-level feature can be triggered by by holding down the Steam button and pressing L1.
Another noteworthy item on Valve’s list is “manually configure graphics settings,” but in testing I found the basic presets to be more than acceptable. You can check out Helldivers 2’s preset graphics settings on Steam below.
Sure, you lose some detail at 800p, but that’s a small price to pay to be able to play one of the best games of 2024 (so far) on the go.
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While you’re here, check out our Helldivers 2 homepage for some essential guides like how to get Super Credits for free, how to earn medals quickly, and how to deal with those pesky Chargers.
