Are Helldivers 2 servers down?

Are the Helldivers 2 servers down? Arrowhead Game Studios’ frantic third-person shooter launched February 8 on PC and PlayStation 5, and players have been reporting matchmaking issues and crashes ever since. However, it now also seems that the Helldivers 2 servers are struggling, with players flagging outages. 

The most common issue currently facing Helldivers 2 players occurs on startup. Many are being greeted with a message stating that servers are at capacity, preventing them from even loading into the game. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios has commented on this, giving reasons as to why the servers are currently capped.

Here's what you need to know about the current state of the Helldivers 2 servers, whether or not they're down, and a look at the latest communications from the development team behind the game.

Are Helldivers 2 servers down right now?

At the time of writing, the Helldivers 2 servers are technically functioning. It is possible to load into the game and play with friends, though the developers have imposed a cap on how many active players there can be at one time.

Helldivers 2 servers at capacity (error code: 10002038)

Currently, Helldivers 2 servers have been capped to allow a maximum of around 450,000 active players. This means that during peak times, you're likely to be met with the 10002038 error code, and a message telling you that servers are at capacity. This measure was taken by the developer to alleviate strain on the servers, and to add some stability. 

Unfortunately, this wreaked havoc over the last weekend, and now, on February 22 at 8:30 AM PT / 16:30 GMT, problems still persist. Thankfully, Arrowhead has just deployed a new update that kicks players after 15 minutes of inactivity. This should free up some space for those wanting to actually jump in and play. For now, if the queue is still full, aside from waiting for other players to leave, there's no workaround. You can see the developer's latest Tweet explaining the situation below:

For more games like Helldivers 2, be sure to check out our lists of the best co-op games, as well as the best multiplayer PC games.