Helldivers 2 employs a player-friendly monetization strategy, where premium currency can be easily earned in-game. The game offers a free and premium battle pass (called Warbonds), with the free version containing key gameplay items like new guns, grenades, and armor types. The premium Warbond offers additional content, including variants of existing weapons with elemental damage types and significant trade-offs. The game's approach to monetization has been praised for its fairness and lack of predatory practices.
Helldivers 2 performed better on PC compared to PlayStation, with over half of the game's sales in the US being on PC. This success on PC significantly contributed to the game's overall revenue and propelled it to become the 7th highest-grossing Sony-published game in US history. The PC version offered a more responsive experience and better graphics, while the PS5 version suffered from some performance issues.
Helldivers 2's player count decline is attributed to several factors: balancing issues, bugs, and the controversial PSN account requirement, which led to backlash from the community. Additionally, the game's live-service model and lack of significant expansions or major content updates have contributed to the decline in player engagement.