EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 vs HELLDIVERS 2
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 is an action game from SANDLOT (2019) while HELLDIVERS 2 is a horror open-world game from Arrowhead Game Studios (2024).
What each one is
Steam files EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 under Action and Online Co-Op. In contrast, it files HELLDIVERS 2 under Horror and Open-World.
Stand and fight for humanity. This arcade shooter takes place in the year 2022, as the Earth Defense Force fends off an all-out attack by unknown life forms. Become an EDF soldier, battle against endless hordes of immense enemies, and restore peace to the earth.
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
At a glance
| EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 | HELLDIVERS 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.8/10 | 7.6/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (94%, 11,522) | Mostly Positive (75%, 1,159,493) |
| Critic aggregate | 76/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $59.99 | $39.99 |
| Install size | 30 GB | 135 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Developer | SANDLOT | Arrowhead Game Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 vs HELLDIVERS 2, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5Action gameHELLDIVERS 2Horror open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5Action, Online Co-Op, Third-Person ShooterHELLDIVERS 2Online Co-Op, PvE, Third-Person ShooterThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 ✓Score 7.8 · 94% on Steam · 76 criticHELLDIVERS 2Score 7.6 · 75% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 511,522 reviews · 20 add-ons · 30 GBHELLDIVERS 21,159,493 reviews · 135 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5$59.99HELLDIVERS 2 ✓$39.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5PlayableHELLDIVERS 2PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueEARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 and HELLDIVERS 2 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 (GamingPickz Score 7.8)
- The cheaper right now: HELLDIVERS 2 ($39.99)
- Lighter on storage: EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 (30 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: HELLDIVERS 2 (1,159,493 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ActionOnline Co-OpThird-Person ShooterCo-opShooterSci-fiMultiplayerSingleplayer
Where they differ
MechsAliensLocal Co-OpSplit ScreenFunnyClass-Based
PvECapitalismSpaceExtraction ShooterComedyGreat Soundtrack
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 is demanding, for players who want a challenge. HELLDIVERS 2 is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 | HELLDIVERS 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core i7-4790K |
| Minimum RAM | — | 8 GB |
| Install size | 30 GB | 135 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 · HELLDIVERS 2.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 and 10 for HELLDIVERS 2. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 and HELLDIVERS 2 in scope?
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 has drawn 11,522 Steam reviews, ships 20 add-ons and installs in 30 GB. HELLDIVERS 2 has drawn 1,159,493 Steam reviews and installs in 135 GB.
Is EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 or HELLDIVERS 2 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 rates higher (7.8 to 7.6). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 or HELLDIVERS 2?
HELLDIVERS 2 is cheaper right now at $39.99, against $59.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.