Helldivers 2 is wildly chaotic, full of explosions, and every mission feels like a battle for freedom and liberty. But there’s one big limit: you can only bring three democratic armored friends along, capping lobbies at four players.
Fans have long dreamed of taking a bigger team into the battle, yet recent comments (on official Discord) from Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani reveal why that dream hasn’t come true. He didn’t even try to mince his words and said:
My man, we’re trying to fix performance. not kill it.
As always, the reason behind every Helldivers 2 issue or players’ frustration: The game’s technical performance.
Why Your Squad Won’t Grow Anytime Soon in Helldivers 2
In a recent Discord exchange, where a player asked for bigger lobbies, Jorjani made it clear that larger lobbies aren’t on the immediate horizon. When asked why not? He explained that such a change would tank performance even more. He further added jokingly:
I can give you 16 player lobbies tomorrow. and 16 fps. want it?
It wasn’t just banter either. He and creative director Johan Pilestedt have previously shared that the game’s engine, network architecture, and UI would all struggle if more players are added.
Even doubling the lobby size from four to eight would require major changes and reworking of in-game systems and balance. While the larger lobbies are not ruled out of existence, players should not expect it anytime soon, given the game’s current situation.
Arrowhead is focused on fixing existing performance issues first, rather than risking an even more unstable experience for the players. In short, the four-player cap isn’t just a design choice; it’s a technical necessity to keep the democracy running.
Performance Problems Holding Back Potential
It seems the performance limitations and issues in Helldivers 2 are not just frustrating players, they’re also limiting the developers’ ability to expand the game and experiment a little. Crashes, freezes, FPS drops, to even weapon bugs are common in Helldivers 2 right now.
So, adding more players to the already complex equation would only magnify the chaos to unplayable levels. That means Arrowhead has to prioritize stability over spectacle.
Still, it’s hard not to imagine the possibilities: a 16-player lobby filled with soldiers unleashing airstrikes, orbital bombardments, and chaotic friendly fire would be pure mayhem for the enemy faction and for our devices, in the best way.
The current four-player co-op already delivers plenty of exciting moments, but with how large the players’ creativity is, the scale feels small compared to that.
For now, the dream of larger squads remains just that… a dream (add it to your wishlist). Until Arrowhead finds a way to improve and stabilize the game’s performance, players will have to continue spreading democracy with a tight-knit team rather than a full platoon.
Would you rather have bigger lobbies in Helldivers 2, even if it meant sacrificing smooth performance? Let us know in the comments below.
