# Helldivers 2’s reviews since the anti-cheat update, day by day

> Arrowhead switched Helldivers 2 to Easy Anti-Cheat on 20 October 2026, and many players' mods stopped working. That day, 14% of 1,932 reviews recommended the game, after 86% the day before, and no day since has passed 34%. What changed, what players say, and the figures for each day.

By Mercer. Published 1 November 2026.

As of 1 November 2026, 75% of 850,531 player reviews recommend Helldivers 2.[^1] On 20 October, Arrowhead Game Studios replaced the game's anti-cheat with Easy Anti-Cheat and warned that some mods would stop working.[^2] That day, 14% of 1,932 reviews recommended the game, down from 86% the day before, and about 14 times as many reviews came in. The share has stayed low since. Its best day was 29 October, at 34%, and on 31 October, 27% of 286 reviews recommended it.[^1]

| Day | Reviews | Recommend it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 Oct | 156 | 87% |
| 4 Oct | 154 | 86% |
| 5 Oct | 156 | 88% |
| 6 Oct | 152 | 84% |
| 7 Oct | 128 | 90% |
| 8 Oct | 141 | 89% |
| 9 Oct | 125 | 88% |
| 10 Oct | 170 | 85% |
| 11 Oct | 159 | 89% |
| 12 Oct | 115 | 84% |
| 13 Oct | 118 | 85% |
| 14 Oct | 112 | 92% |
| 15 Oct | 108 | 85% |
| 16 Oct | 110 | 78% |
| 17 Oct | 145 | 87% |
| 18 Oct | 131 | 81% |
| 19 Oct | 134 | 86% |
| 20 Oct | 1,932 | 14% |
| 21 Oct | 1,479 | 13% |
| 22 Oct | 909 | 19% |
| 23 Oct | 566 | 21% |
| 24 Oct | 568 | 23% |
| 25 Oct | 373 | 29% |
| 26 Oct | 398 | 29% |
| 27 Oct | 473 | 25% |
| 28 Oct | 417 | 25% |
| 29 Oct | 344 | 34% |
| 30 Oct | 282 | 33% |
| 31 Oct | 286 | 27% |

Share of each day's reviews that recommend the game, in every language, to the end of 31 October 2026 (UTC).

## What changed on 20 October

Arrowhead moved the PC version from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat, with extra security tools, to crack down on cheat mods. It says some of those mods spoiled other players' games and even broke the Galactic War's unfolding story.[^2][^3]

It warned that some mods would stop working, cosmetic ones included until their makers update them, and said it can't tell players which mods are safe. The game has no new hardware requirements, and Linux players, including those on handhelds, can still play.[^2]

## The reviews, day by day

From 3 October to 19 October, 86% of 2,314 reviews recommended the game, and no day fell below 78%.[^1]

On 20 October, 14% of 1,932 reviews did, and on 21 October the share reached its lowest, 13% of 1,479. It climbed slowly after that, to 34% on 29 October, then fell to 27% on 31 October. From 20 October to 31 October, 20% of 8,027 reviews recommend it.[^1]

October as a whole was the game's worst month for reviews since May 2024. 36% of its 10,567 reviews recommend the game, and only May 2024 was lower, at 33% of 343,328.[^1]

## What players say

The reviews other players voted most helpful since the update are almost all negative, and most come from people with hundreds of hours in the game.[^1]

- **The mods they lost fixed old bugs.** The most helpful negative reviews list problems players have reported for years and that mods had solved, such as stratagem beacons bouncing away, drop pods whose steering locks up, ragdolling and inconsistent vaulting. Their anger is that Arrowhead blocked the fixes before fixing the bugs itself.
- **Many doubt the anti-cheat is worth it.** Players call it heavy-handed for a co-op game and doubt it will stop the cheaters Arrowhead is after. Some who never used mods report that the game no longer starts for them.
- **These are the game's most committed players.** Of the English reviews posted from 24 to 31 October that don't recommend it, four in five come from players with more than 100 hours on record, and half from players with more than 263.
- **The players still recommending it play for the co-op.** Positive reviews praise chaotic missions with friends and weapons with real punch, and many of them warn about the same unfixed bugs and nerfs.

Among those negative reviews from 24 to 31 October, 36% mention the anti-cheat and 32% mention mods. Bugs come up in 16% and crashes or performance in 15%.[^1]

## What Arrowhead has done since

Two patches have followed. Update 7.2.1 on 22 October fixed a crash when a player joined or left a squad, and 7.2.2 on 29 October changed three weapons and fixed two rare crashes.[^4][^5] Neither mentions the anti-cheat or mods.

## Is it worth playing now?

If you've never used mods, the update changes little for you beyond the launch problems some players report. The bugs those mods fixed are still in the game, and the players who recommend it today name them too.

The day-by-day figures above run to the end of 31 October 2026. For another game's reviews read day by day, see [Modern Warfare 4's](https://creativecult.digital/research/modern-warfare-4-reviews-day-by-day).

## Sources

[^1]: Steam: Helldivers 2, store page, user reviews and review history. https://store.steampowered.com/app/553850/
[^2]: Arrowhead Game Studios, Changing anti-cheat in HELLDIVERS 2, 20 October 2026. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/1846651706693839
[^3]: Arrowhead Game Studios, Devoid of Liberty: 7.2.0 patch notes, 20 October 2026. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/1846651706694344
[^4]: Arrowhead Game Studios, Devoid of Liberty: 7.2.1 patch notes, 22 October 2026. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/1847286114032347
[^5]: Arrowhead Game Studios, Devoid of Liberty: 7.2.2 patch notes, 29 October 2026. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/553850/view/1847920302234123

Page: https://creativecult.digital/research/helldivers-2-anti-cheat-update-reviews