Helldivers 2 is locking out players who use older CPUs

Some Helldivers 2 players are reporting that they can no longer play the game on their computers equipped with older CPUs. The issue stems from the developer Arrowhead Game Studios’ and publisher Sony’s requirement that users play on systems that support AVX2 (Advanced Vector Extensions), which has been a feature in many CPUs since 2013. However, the requirement was not properly enforced in the software, allowing some players with older hardware to play the game since it was launched for PC last year. Now, Arrowhead is working on fixing the issue after the backlash.

As reported by Eurogamer, players on the Helldivers 2 Discord server have voiced their displeasure with suddenly not being able to launch a game they have paid for and have been playing. “600+ hours in a game I love just to be locked out is making me so frustrated to the point I just want to ask for a refund instead of fixing their mistakes,” said a user.

Server moderator Birby responded to some of those complaining and explained that “the AVX2 check in the script is experimental, and can throw false positives.” The moderator blamed users for not following the stated minimum system requirements. “I don’t like to have to tell people their 13 year old processor is out of date,” said the moderator. “You should never be surprised if your out of spec machine can’t run the game.”

Still, players with the older CPUs likely have PCs or laptops that aren’t upgradable, so they will need to prepare to spend a lot of money on a totally new system.

Later in the day, Arrowhead Game Studios community manager Baskinator wrote on Discord: “Regarding the AVX2 issue, we are currently working on a fix for this. Thank you for being patient, and I apologize for the struggles you’ve had in the meantime.”

Update March 28th: Added that Arrowhead Games Studios is now working on a fix.