Helldivers 2 Dramatically Reduces PC Installation Size
The gaming landscape continues to witness a surge in file and installation sizes, especially with major AAA titles dominating the market. It is increasingly common for these games to demand a staggering amount of storage—often exceeding 100GB. A prime example is Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, which originally required over 150GB on PC at launch. Fortunately, the studio is taking measures to streamline these massive file sizes, targeting a more efficient installation process akin to console versions.
Why Does the Console Version of Helldivers 2 Take Up Less Space?
Arrowhead Game Studios has identified the reason behind the substantial difference in size: the console edition of Helldivers 2 is significantly lighter, weighing less than a third of its PC counterpart. This disparity largely stems from the studio’s strategy to optimize for mechanical hard drives (HDD) on PC. By duplicating data to enhance loading times for HDD users, the game ballooned in size. In contrast, the SSD-equipped platforms, like the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, do not require such redundancy, leading to a more compact installation size.
Explaining the Data Duplication Practice
Arrowhead elaborated on their technique, stating,
“The practice of duplicating data to reduce loading times is a game development technique that is primarily used to optimize games for older storage media, particularly mechanical Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and optical discs like DVDs.”
Solid State Drives (SSDs)Helldivers 2
Surprising Findings on Loading Times
Initially, Arrowhead anticipated that eliminating data duplication would lead to significantly longer load times for HDD users—some reports suggested a potential 5-fold increase. However, the studio discovered that the game would only see a few extra seconds added to load times. The analysis revealed that level generation consumed more time than asset loading, rendering the previous data duplication less effective than expected.
Current Usage Statistics and Planned Updates
Interestingly, only 11% of Helldivers 2 players on PC currently utilize mechanical HDDs. Following successful collaboration with Sony’s porting specialist team at Nixxes Software, Arrowhead managed to trim the PC installation requirement dramatically—from 154GB to an impressive 23GB.
Beta Testing and Future Implementation
The eagerly awaited update is currently undergoing testing through a beta version on Steam. Players eager to experience the reduced installation size can easily join by accessing the game’s properties, selecting the Betas tab, and opting for ‘prod_slim’ from the dropdown menu.
As stated by Arrowhead,
“You will be connected to the same galactic war as everyone else and be using the same account you always do – so all progression, war contributions and purchases will carry over between the different versions.”
Looking Ahead
Once Arrowhead finalizes the stability of the slim build, it plans to roll out the update beyond its beta phase, making it the standard option for all PC users. Even after this transition, a ‘legacy’ version will be available for those who encounter ongoing issues, though its availability may be limited.
For further details, check out the full announcement from Arrowhead.Source&Images
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