By ByteBot
On December 2, 2025, Arrowhead Game Studios announced an 85% reduction in Helldivers 2’s PC installation size—from 154GB to just 23GB—by eliminating data duplication originally meant to optimize loading times on mechanical hard drives. With help from Sony’s PC port specialists Nixxes Software, the developers achieved a 131GB space savings with minimal performance impact: only 11% of players (those still using HDDs) will see “a few seconds” added to mission loading times. The breakthrough came when they discovered level generation, not asset streaming, was the actual bottleneck for Helldivers 2 install size optimization.
Level Generation, Not Assets, Was the Bottleneck
The key discovery revealed why Helldivers 2’s install size was so bloated: “The majority of the loading time in Helldivers 2 is due to level-generation rather than asset loading.” This meant the 154GB of duplicated game assets—intended to speed up HDD loading by reducing disk seek time—were providing minimal benefit even for HDD users. Procedural generation of missions happens in parallel with asset loading and is the main determining factor of loading time.
After removing all duplication, HDD users experienced only “a few seconds” increase in mission load times in worst cases. This proves the duplication was optimizing for the wrong bottleneck. Consequently, with SSDs achieving microsecond access times versus HDD’s milliseconds, the duplication provides zero benefit to the 89% of players using modern storage.
Moreover, this reveals a broader industry problem: optimizations that made sense for PS3/PS4-era disc loading are actively harmful in the SSD era. Developers often inherit optimization strategies without validating they’re still necessary. As a result, 131GB of waste per install multiplies across millions of players.
Optimizing for 11% Penalized the 89% Majority
Only 11% of Helldivers 2 PC players still use mechanical hard drives, yet the original 154GB install was optimized for HDDs. This meant 89% of players were paying a 131GB storage penalty for an optimization that provided them zero benefit. The trade-off is absurd: a few seconds of load time for 11% versus 131GB saved for everyone.
The performance difference between HDDs and SSDs is staggering. HDDs have random access times of 5-10 milliseconds and sustained read speeds around 150MB/s. In contrast, modern SSDs achieve microsecond access times and speeds up to 14,500MB/s. Furthermore, data de-duplication helps HDDs by reducing physical arm movement (seek time), but SSDs can access any location instantly.
Therefore, this is a lesson in product prioritization. When hardware transitions happen—like the shift from HDD to SSD—continuing to optimize for legacy users can harm the majority. With SSD adoption above 85-90% in PC gaming and gaming handhelds exclusively using SSDs, it’s time to stop optimizing for HDDs.
Sony’s PC Port Specialists Make the Difference
Arrowhead credits Nixxes Software, the Dutch studio Sony acquired in June 2021, for helping achieve this optimization. Nixxes specializes in PC ports and has built a reputation for “high-quality, well-optimized” adaptations including the Tomb Raider trilogy, Spider-Man, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Sony’s PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst called Nixxes “a team with such deep technical expertise and vast experience.” Notably, their track record includes optimizing demanding PlayStation exclusives for PC with features like variable refresh rates, upscaling technologies, and DirectStorage implementation. The Helldivers 2 collaboration shows Sony leveraging this expertise beyond just ports—now helping third-party games optimize for PC.
This signals Sony’s long-term commitment to PC gaming quality. Nixxes represents institutional knowledge about PC optimization that many studios lack. Consequently, their involvement suggests this type of audit—finding and removing legacy bloat—could become standard practice for PC releases.
How Much Game Storage Bloat Is Unnecessary?
Modern AAA games routinely exceed 150-300GB. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III requires over 300GB as of 2025. Microsoft Flight Simulator demands 250GB+. Meanwhile, ARK: Survival Evolved has ballooned to 435GB. If data duplication contributed 85% of Helldivers 2’s size, the industry has a massive optimization opportunity.
Other common causes of game storage bloat include 4K texture packs installed by default for 1080p users, poor asset management with multiple copies of the same model, and uncompressed audio files. Experts recommend 2TB as “bare minimum” for multi-game PC libraries in 2025. However, the storage problem is acute for gaming handhelds: Steam Deck’s 64GB base model has only ~51GB usable space after the operating system.
At 154GB, Helldivers 2 was uninstallable on base-model gaming handhelds. At 23GB, it fits comfortably with room for other games. This optimization represents more than technical achievement—it’s about accessibility and lowering barriers to entry.
The critical question remains: if Helldivers 2 achieved 85% reduction, what percentage of other games’ storage is similarly unnecessary? With cloud storage costing money and local SSDs remaining expensive, smaller install sizes benefit everyone.
Key Takeaways
- Challenge legacy optimization assumptions. Data duplication made sense for HDD-era gaming but actively harms SSD users with 131GB of waste.
- Profile actual bottlenecks before optimizing. Level generation, not asset streaming, determined Helldivers 2’s loading times—making duplication pointless.
- Optimize for the majority when hardware transitions occur. With 89% of players on SSDs, optimizing for 11% on HDDs penalized everyone.
- Gaming handhelds make storage optimization critical. Steam Deck’s 64GB base model can’t fit 150GB games, but 23GB is comfortable.
- Industry-wide audit needed. If one game was 85% unnecessary bloat, how many others have similar waste from legacy assumptions?
The optimized version is currently available as an opt-in beta on Steam, with mandatory rollout planned for 2026. Arrowhead stated they “don’t want to maintain two different PC versions” long-term, so the de-duplicated build will become standard once validated.
