HELLDIVERS™ 2 PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum for HELLDIVERS™ 2 lists an Intel Core i7-4790K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 470 graphics card, 8 GB of RAM and 135 GB of storage, with no SSD requirement. The recommended tier lists an Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, 16 GB of RAM, 40 GB of storage, and an SSD.
In practical terms, the minimum GPU sits in the older entry-level band, while the recommended RTX 2060 is a mainstream card aimed at 1080p. Reaching the recommended tier gives you real headroom in busy fights with dense enemy waves and heavy effects. The minimum CPU, Ryzen 5 1500X, is a very early six-core chip; the recommended Ryzen 7 3700X and Core i7-9700K are much closer to modern mainstream performance and handle crowd and scene simulation more comfortably.
For memory, the gap is 8 GB versus 16 GB. Eight gigabytes will run the game, but it leaves little room once other programs are open during co-op. The storage numbers look inverted at first glance, since the minimum lists more space than the recommended tier. Treat that as a mismatch in the published figures and plan for the larger number when installing.
No higher tier is listed by the publisher, so if you want to go beyond the recommended level you will need to judge by the recommended parts rather than an official high-end spec.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players with a tight budget who mainly want 1080p. It pairs an AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 class card with a Ryzen 5 3500X or Core i5-10400F and 16 GB of RAM. It clears the official recommended bar in basic terms, but you should expect to lower some settings to keep the hardest missions steady.
The mainstream build is what most players will find most practical. Consider an RTX 2060 12GB, RX 6600 or RTX 3060 8GB, with a processor in the Ryzen 5 3600, Core i5-11400 or Ryzen 5 5500 range and at least 16 GB of RAM. This tier roughly matches the official recommended level with some margin, which is enough for a smooth co-op experience at common settings.
The high-end build is for players who want higher resolution or better visuals. Options include an RTX 4070, RX 6800 XT or RTX 3080 10GB, paired with a Ryzen 7 5700X3D, Ryzen 7 7700 or Core i7-12700K. The goal here is well above the recommended level so busy battlefields stay fluid. Start with 16 GB of RAM and move to 32 GB if your budget allows, especially if you run other software alongside the game.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
Co-op shooters like this one are mostly limited by large enemy counts, explosions and particle effects, plus volumetric fog and shadows in the scene. The settings that usually cost the most are shadow quality, volumetrics, reflections and particle-related options, and these matter most during the densest enemy waves. If your hardware is close to the recommended tier, drop these to medium first and keep cheaper options such as textures and resolution higher.
View distance and scene detail are also worth adjusting. Longer draw distances mean more objects to render, though the visual difference is often small, so moderate settings are a sensible compromise. Ray tracing is generally expensive relative to what it adds, so unless you have a recent GPU that handles it well, leave it off.
Upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS render the game at a lower internal resolution and reconstruct a sharper image. In general they give the most benefit in detailed, crowded scenes, with some trade-off in fine detail or slight ghosting. Which one you use depends on your graphics card brand, and the right choice comes down to how much image quality you are willing to trade for smoothness.
Laptops and handheld PCs
A laptop GPU carrying the same name as a desktop card is not the same part. Laptop versions are usually limited by power caps and cooling space, so they often perform noticeably below their desktop namesakes. Check the actual power limit and the cooling design of a laptop rather than relying on the model name alone. If the laptop GPU sits near the recommended tier, keep it plugged in and make sure the cooling is working properly under load.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are portable PC platforms with limited overall performance. These devices usually need lower resolution and reduced settings, and they benefit from built-in scaling or upscaling options. FrameScope has no handheld verification data for this title, so the advice here is general and does not include a rating.
If you plan to play on a handheld, confirm the official minimum and recommended specs first and focus on stable frame pacing and thermals, since long high-load sessions can cause throttling. Battery life drops quickly as settings rise, so playing plugged in is the more reliable choice.
Storage and memory
For memory, the official minimum is 8 GB and the recommended figure is 16 GB. During co-op missions the game, the operating system and background programs all compete for RAM, and 8 GB can easily become tight. Treat 16 GB as your baseline, run it in dual-channel mode so memory bandwidth is used properly, and consider 32 GB if you run voice chat, streaming or a browser alongside the game.
For storage, the official figures list 135 GB for the minimum and 40 GB for the recommended tier, which do not line up. When installing, plan around the larger number and leave extra room for patches and cache files. The recommended tier calls for an SSD, and the difference is clear in load times, since an SSD shortens the wait for maps and missions considerably.
If your system still uses a hard drive, the game may run at the minimum level, but loading will be slower and asset streaming is more likely to cause hitches. Install the game on an SSD where you can, and keep at least several tens of gigabytes free so updates and cache files do not crowd your drive.