Helldivers 2 Ranks Fourth in UK Physical Charts After Rare Sales Increase

Sony’s breakout hit, Helldivers 2, has likely sold more than 8 million copies since its release last month, a market analyst has said.

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 is a great success, which is even more noteworthy when other live service titles (like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Skull and Bones) have faltered or failed. Studio CEO Johan Pilestedt indicated that it sold almost three million units last month, but the current figure could be higher.

Helldivers 2 was only released last month and, already, it has had rave reviews among gamers. Early reports from those who have played the game applaud its challenging nature and it has provided a great follow-up to the first game, which was released in 2015.

In the violent future of Helldivers 2, the United Kingdom no longer exists on Super Earth, it would seem. The co-op shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios has become a smash hit thanks to its gameplay and sci-fi story that blends classic tropes and dark, cynical humor. Lots of gamers love Helldivers 2 and are always eager to learn more about its world and backstory.

Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 has proven a massive success, topping charts in the UK and PlayStation Store sales for February (with CEO Johan Pilestedt teasing three million units sold). It only feels right then that an accolades trailer should be released, highlighting the praise critics have heaped on the title. Check it out below.

Last week was another busy one with more major new releases hitting store shelves, a couple of which have found their way into the latest weekly charts for physical software sales in the UK. As shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter, WWE 2K24 had a strong debut, taking the top spot in its first week on sale, with physical launch sales in the UK being 26 percent higher than what its predecessor managed in the region upon its release last year.

The success of Helldivers 2 continues unabated. Even yesterday, the third-person cooperative sci-fi shooter game nearly reached its historical peak of 450K concurrent online users on Steam. The user reception on Valve's store has meaningfully improved compared to launch, too, leaping from the original 67% 'Mixed' review rating to the current 81% 'Very Positive' review rating.

The boss of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has denied a recent rumour that Sony is buying the studio.

Early signs suggest that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will struggle to match Final Fantasy 7 Remake in terms of commercial success. Although admittedly, we don't have much data to work with right now. According to Games Industry's Christopher Dring, who often outlines key sales info, the recently released sequel is down 30% on its predecessor's launch week figures. It did still manage to top the UK charts, mind.

Helldivers 2 has turned out to be something of an anomaly, not only because it’s become a far bigger success than Sony or developer Arrowhead Game Studios had anticipated, but also because it’s selling at a rate that is unprecedented for the overwhelming majority of major new releases.

Weeks after its release, Helldivers 2 has achieved the rare honor of seeing its sales continue to increase over time. The co-op action game set in a sci-fi universe of alien bugs and robots has taken the industry by storm and continues to grow its fan base. It's still early in the year, but Helldivers 2 has the potential to be one of the best games of 2024, and with ongoing support from developer Arrowhead Games, could become even bigger and better.

Launched on February 29th worldwide, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for PS5 received extensive praise from critics. Unfortunately, physical sales in the UK are down almost 30 percent compared to the launch of Final Fantasy 7 Remake per Gfk data shared by Games Industry head Christopher Dring on Twitter.