Summary:
- Helldivers 2’s release on Xbox was a success, and it attracted so many players eager to jump in.
- With the Xbox launch, player numbers skyrocketed well beyond normal, with an influx of players that hit half a million.
If there’s one lesson to be learned from the release of Helldivers 2 on Xbox, it’s that this game is still living up to its name in the gaming world. Once Xbox players dived in, player numbers surged past any expectations, crashing servers, and essentially breaking the community. Quite the great problem to have, right? Of course, that amount of growth comes with some growing pains. So let’s break down the wildness of this launch.
Massive Player Surge on Xbox Release Day
Helldivers 2’s release on Xbox Series X|S set a new record for concurrent users, with over 500,000 total players. The boost was partly due to Helldivers 2 launching on a new system, which made it available on multiple platforms. However, it’s also worth pointing out the new special Halo-themed Warbond DLC that came with the game release.
On launch day, during peak hours, player count surpassed previous record highs on Steam. It went from just under 146,000 to almost 390,000 within a few minutes, and the vast majority of those players joined from Xbox consoles.
Previously, the player count was not near as high, with the game averaging around 33,956 players on PC. The Xbox release led to a dramatic increase in player base, of which trends to look more like long-term growth with numerous new and returning players.
Server Crash Incident
Helldivers 2 had a huge server crash just after its release on Xbox because way too many players started playing. The number of peak players was higher than ever before in Steam history and crashed the servers.
Arrowhead Game Studios moved really fast to acknowledge server issues. An Arrowhead developer posted on Helldivers 2’s official Discord, calling it a struggle, but mostly contained for the game-wide crashes.
Xbox Launch Specific Issues and Fixes
There has been a lot of information from the community and content creators about Xbox-specific solutions and troubleshooting steps.
- You can do a full power cycle by holding the Xbox power button until it shuts down. Then, unplug the power cable for 10 seconds before a restart.
- Make sure that your Xbox is connected to a stable and strong network. You may want to restart your router/modem to refresh your connection. If you want the best performance, use an Ethernet cable or the console closer to the router.
- You can also check for updates for Helldivers 2 by navigating to “My games & apps” > “Manage” > “Updates”. Here, you’ll see if the game is fully patched, as developers normally release a few minor fixes after launch.
- You should also check for updates for the console itself to make sure the firmware is up to date. Simply go to Settings > System > Updates.
- If all else fails, you can completely remove the game and reinstall it. This is a last resort option you can take that will replace any corrupted game files with a new build.
Remember to check the Xbox Live service status via one of the official Xbox channels before troubleshooting. This will rule out external outages or downtime that could be causing multiplayer and server connectivity issues.
Final Thoughts
The Helldivers 2 Xbox release was a wild ride, and things got a little crazy for a short time. On the one hand, Helldivers is doing just fine, considering they got half a million players to turn up to the fight, even if it did break the server for a minute. Thankfully, the developers are actively working on updates to ensure the game remains stable and continues to run hot.
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