Helldivers 2 obliterates its PC install size with new “Slim” update
Helldivers 2 slashes its PC storage requirements with new “Slim” build
With update 5.0.2, Helldivers 2’s experimental “slim” build has become the new default build on PC. This build has taken Helldivers 2’s PC install size and has reduced it by 85%. Nixxes has taken a tactical nuke to Helldivers 2’s huge install size, liberating PC gamers’ limited storage space.
The old, larger PC version of Helldivers 2 will remain available for a limited time as an alternative build on Steam. However, this build will be sunset in the near future. This means that Helldivers 2 players can avoid the game’s slim update for a limited time.
The good news about Helldivers 2’s slim update is that it has no downsides. It has no impact on asset quality and a minimal impact on loading times. SSD users will see no change in loading times, and HDD users will see loading times increase by “a few seconds in the worst cases.” In other words, Nixxes has decreased Helldivers 2’s install size by over 100GB with no real downsides. Note that only 11% of Helldivers 2 players on PC have installed the game on HDD storage.
Finally, after weeks of your input and stress testing, we are ready to make the slim PC build default for all players. We’ll keep the larger version online for a short time to ensure a smooth transition for everyone; so you’ll continue to have the option to switch back should you wish. Once this transition has been completed we’ll look to sunset the large build permanently in the near future.
Originally, Helldivers 2’s PC version used data duplication to speed up the game’s loading times on HDDs. After careful analysis, this duplication was found to be unnecessary, even for HDD users. This meant that Helldivers 2’s PC install size could be decreased by over 100GB with no loss in quality. Now, Helldivers 2’s install size is less than 30GB. Previously, it was over 150GB.
You can join the discussion on Helldivers 2’s “slim” PC update on the OC3D Forums.
