How long is Helldivers 2?

How long does it take to liberate an entire solar system?

A Super Earth neighborhood of houses with solar panels in Helldivers 2 opening
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Helldivers 2’s missions may seem on the shorter side, and with limited opportunities for exploration, you might be wondering: “What am I playing Helldivers 2 for exactly?” Here’s our rundown on Helldivers 2’s endgame content and just how long it takes to beat this sci-fi action adventure.

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Helldivers 2: Length and how long to beat

Hellpods descending onto planet in Helldivers 2
What are we Helldiving for? Screenshot by Dot Esports

Helldivers 2 has a rather unique time-to-beat, in that you cannot truly complete the game in its current form. In simple terms, Helldivers 2 is a 40-minute game. This is based on how long it’s meant to take to complete a single mission. Similar to other online-exclusive games like Call of Duty and Battlefield, Helldivers 2 follows the same match-based format. This means that the game lasts as long as you want it to.

The length of time you continue playing Helldivers 2 for is determined by personal factors like whether you want to grind for weapons and Stratagems, or simply blow off steam as a part-time Terminid exterminator. Helldivers 2 play sessions can be as short as 10 to 15 minutes if you’re grinding for Warbond Medals. If you’re grinding for level XP, Super Credit pickups, and secondary objectives, you may spend up to half an hour on a single mission. The choice is yours.

Helldivers Mobilize battle pass in Helldivers 2
How long will it take to unlock everything? Screenshot by Dot Esports

You need 1200 Medals to complete the Helldivers Mobilise! battle pass. The difficulty setting you choose determines how many rewards you get in missions. If you stick to completing missions within a 15 minute timer on easy and medium difficulties, you’ll need to invest approximately 120 to 150 hours to finish the battle pass. But, this time-to-beat is reduced drastically on harder difficulties where you can complete the battle pass for all weapons and armor within 40 to 60 hours.

There isn’t an campaign or ending in sight for Helldivers 2. Instead, those looking for an end goal should focus on levelling up and unlocking every weapon in the game. The content consists of Operations, with one to three missions per Operation per planet. Currently, there are two factions available in Helldivers 2 with a variety of difficulty settings to challenge Helldivers heading onto a planet alone or with comrades.

Your goal is to learn how to defeat the Terminid and Automaton factions, gain knowledge and experience doing so, and develop a playstyle that you’re comfortable and confident with. It’s unknown whether specific endgame content will be added to Helldivers 2, but it may be smarter to view the whole of Helldivers 2 as the endgame. Your job is to unite with others and push back enemy factions before they hit Super Earth. Realistically, Helldivers 2 can only end when the Sol system has been liberated.

Author
Image of Hadley Vincent
Hadley Vincent
Writer for Dot since Oct. 2023. Just a Psychology graduate trying to find the meaning of life through gaming. An enthusiast of indie horror and anime, where you'll often find them obsessing over a great narrative and even better twists that'd make M. Night jealous. Their shocking twist? They think The Last of Us II is a masterpiece.