Helldivers 2 is the title boomer gamers have been wanting for decades

Helldivers 2 has become the smash-hit title of 2024 along with Palworld, with the game selling over eight million copies within the first two months of release. The game has far exceeded expectations and has dwarfed the first game in terms of sales and concurrent players, and there may be a reason for that. Many older gamers grew up in the era with movies such as Starship Troopers being released, with many memories of watching soldiers take on alien creatures to save the Earth. And with many older players becoming too old to keep up in competitive games such as Call of Duty, Helldivers 2 allows players to engage in high-action gameplay without the pressure of being the best player in the lobby.

A Helldiver took to Reddit to tell a story about meeting a fellow “Elderdiver” and theorizing why older players gravitate towards Helldivers 2. After encountering a 50-year-old level 30 player, u/I_Hate_Pennies noted that Helldivers 2 “is pretty chill and requires as much strategizing as mechanical skill, if not more.” They also went on to explain that players don’t need to play daily and grind to keep up with other players, as is the case for competitive games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty, instead “smart play is rewarded as is cooperation.”

Helldivers 2 is a great game for older gamers as it allows players to team up and fight in high-action situations, but their chance of success isn’t based on having a higher skill level than their opponents. With mechanics and reaction speeds slowing down as gamers age, focusing on strategy and game sense is the key to success. Helldivers 2 provides that your positioning can leave you overwhelmed if you don’t plan accordingly, and if you don’t have situational awareness you can get easily ambushed by a group of enemies.

Although Helldivers 2 has appealed to the older gamer due to its PVE style which makes it suited for those with slower reflexes, that doesn’t mean people of all ages can’t enjoy it. After all, over eight million people have jumped into the game so far to save Super Earth. If you are yet to join them, now is the best time to get started. To do this, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guides to figure out the best loadout for your play style.