Helldivers 2 vs Space Marine 2: Which Co-op Shooter Should You Play?

Co-op and Mission Variety: Helldivers 2 Never Runs Out

Helldivers 2 is built entirely around squads of up to four players. There is no story campaign. You pick a difficulty from Level 1 to Level 10, load in with up to four stratagems and complete objectives against bugs, robots or the Illuminate. Friendly fire is always on, so your own orbital strike can wipe out your team, which is exactly where many of its best stories come from. Missions feed into a shared Galactic War, so the planets you fight on change over time.

Space Marine 2 splits its co-op into two parts. The campaign can be played with up to three players, with the other two Marines controlled by friends or by AI. Beyond the story you get Operations, co-op missions with a class progression of their own. They are handcrafted and tightly paced, but they lack the shifting Galactic War that keeps Helldivers 2 sessions from feeling the same.

Play videoHelldivers 2 – Report for Duty Trailer | PS5 & PC Games

If you want something to play with friends for months, Helldivers 2 has the deeper well. If your group just wants a few strong evenings, Space Marine 2 delivers them.

Campaign and Story: Space Marine 2 Is the Complete Package

This is where Space Marine 2 pulls ahead without a fight. Its campaign is a linear, cinematic story in which you fight the Tyranid swarm and the forces of Chaos, and it works just as well alone as with others. Cutscenes, voice acting and set pieces are polished in a way Helldivers 2 does not try to match.

Helldivers 2 tells its story through the Galactic War and the satirical Super Earth propaganda instead. It is funny and atmospheric, but there is no authored single-player plot to finish. If a good campaign is why you are buying a shooter, this round goes clearly to Space Marine 2.

Play videoWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Heed the Call of War

Combat: Gunplay vs Chainsword Melee

Helldivers 2 is a gun game. Ammo is limited, positioning matters, and the best loadouts mix a primary weapon with support weapons, grenades and stratagems that you call in with directional inputs. You are rarely fast enough to brawl, so your job is to kite, communicate and cover your squad.

Space Marine 2 leans on melee. You can parry and riposte with a gun strike, but some attacks are unblockable and have to be dodged, so the rhythm is closer to a character-action game than a squad tactics game. Guns still matter for thinning out swarms, then the chainsword finishes the job. You also get seven classes, from the Assault and Vanguard to the Sniper, Heavy and Techmarine, each with a different feel.

Neither is “better” in the abstract. Helldivers 2 rewards planning and teamwork. Space Marine 2 rewards reactions and aggression.

PvP: Only Space Marine 2 Has It

Helldivers 2 is co-op only, with no competitive mode. Space Marine 2 adds 6v6 PvP with modes such as Annihilation, Seize Ground and Capture and Control, which gives it extra life once you finish the campaign. If you enjoy pitting your build against other players, that is a clear point for Space Marine 2. If you play only for co-op, it will not matter.

Progression and Content: Warbonds vs Class Levels

Helldivers 2 progression is a mix of player level, unlockable weapons, boosters and Warbonds, a non-expiring battle pass system. The level cap has been raised several times since launch, and the game keeps adding new enemies, weapons and war events.

Space Marine 2 ties progression to its classes. You level each of them up, unlock perks and weapons, and customize your Marine’s armor. It also sells DLC and larger editions, such as a season pass in the Gold Edition and the Ultramarines Champion Pack in the Ultra Edition, so the base game is the core experience and extras are optional.

Player Reviews and Player Counts: A Split Verdict

Space Marine 2 earns the better review score on Steam, while Helldivers 2 has far more people playing. Helldivers 2 was a phenomenon at launch, selling more than 12 million copies by May 2024, and it won Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2024. Space Marine 2 passed 2 million players on launch day and was nominated for Best Action Game and Best Multiplayer at the same show.

Here is how the two compared on Steam when we checked on October 20, 2026:

Helldivers 2 has had a rockier review history, including a short-lived PlayStation account requirement on Steam in May 2024 that Sony dropped within days. That helps explain a lower score even with far more players.

Platforms and PC Requirements: Space Marine 2 Asks for More Hardware

Both games are on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Helldivers 2 reached Xbox in August 2025, while Space Marine 2 launched on all three platforms together.

On PC, Helldivers 2 is the easier one to run. Its minimum spec is a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 470 with 8 GB of RAM. Space Marine 2 asks for a GTX 1060 or RX 580 class card with 6 GB of VRAM, an SSD and a lower-end Ryzen 5 or Core i5 CPU. Helldivers 2 is also much larger on disk, with a 135 GB minimum, against 75 GB for Space Marine 2.

Both play comfortably on a gamepad. If you need one, see our picks for the best PC controllers.

Helldivers 2 vs Space Marine 2: Full Specs

And the Winner Is…

WinnerHelldivers 2

Space Marine 2 is the more complete package. It has a real campaign, PvP, excellent presentation and a better Steam score, and it is the easier one to enjoy alone. Still, Helldivers 2 is the one we would hand to most players. It has far more mission variety, a living war that keeps changing and a co-op loop that stays funny and tense long after the credits would have rolled in a campaign game. It also asks for a weaker PC and had far more people playing when we checked. In the Helldivers 2 vs Space Marine 2 matchup, pick Space Marine 2 if you want a single-player story, melee combat or PvP. Pick Helldivers 2 if you have even one or two friends to drop in with.

Which One Should You Play? Final Thoughts on Helldivers 2 vs Space Marine 2

Helldivers 2 vs Space Marine 2 is not a close call for squads. Helldivers 2 turns teamwork, mistakes and explosions into a game you keep returning to. Space Marine 2 is the better solo and story pick, and it plays best if you enjoy parrying and chainsaw finishes. Soulslike fans who like timing-based combat may also enjoy our Lies of P vs Sekiro comparison.