Helldivers 2 gets delisted in more countries without PSN access, blindsided devs call for it to be "available worldwide"

Helldivers 2 Democratic Detonation Warbond heavy armor helldiver
(Image credit: Sony)

Helldivers 2 is still being removed from sale on Steam in more countries, even after publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) scrapped its hugely controversial PSN mandate. 

SIE previously attempted to force Helldivers 2 PC players to link to an active PlayStation Network account months after launch, leading to a mass review-bombing campaign and Steam delistment in over 170 countries without PSN coverage. Sony eventually scrapped the mandate, keeping account linking as a simple option, but the year's biggest shooter is still being restricted in more countries. 

Helldivers 2 has now been pulled from Steam in three other countries lacking PSN coverage - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - according to listings on Steam Database. It's unclear if existing Helldivers 2 owners in those countries can still play the game.

The news seems to have come as a surprise to even the game's own developers at Arrowhead Studios. "We have no idea what's going on," CEO Johan Pilestedt said in response to a player on the game's Discord channel. "Most devs are on a bank holiday and we just found out through the community. We want the game to be available worldwide."

Helldivers 2 has also not been returned to the 170 or so territories that were locked out of purchasing the game, which was a major reason why players banded together to negatively review the game in the first place. But Pilestedt assured players that he was working with PlayStation and Valve to get Helldivers 2 back on the storefront "everywhere."

After Helldivers 2 fixed the bug that helped players squish 2 billion Terminids in 24 hours, a new Major Order pits them against 2 billion bots instead.

Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.