HELLDIVERS 2 vs Marvel Rivals
Co-op chaos versus solo-friendly team play — pick your squad size and your patience for balance patches.
Updated 25d ago
Still the best chaotic 4-player co-op shooter on PC despite the playerbase falling from 458k peak to 30k after Arrowhead's balance churn.
For fans of Overwatch 2 hungry for team-up synergies and free-form 6v6, Rivals stabilized at 100k peak after an 82% drop from launch.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 9; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 9.
| Measure | HELLDIVERS 2 | Marvel Rivals |
|---|---|---|
| Value Marvel Rivals wins on value | ||
| Price now | $34.99 −13% · GameBillet | $0.00 Steam |
| All-time low | $25.47 | $0.00 |
| Cost / hour | $1.10/hr $34.99 · 32 h main story | $0.00/hr $0.00 · 18 h main story |
| Off its low | +37% low was Mar 2025 | — |
| Main story | 32 h | 18 h |
| Health | ||
| Steam reviews | 76% 1.2M reviews | 76% 415k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 83% 6k votes · vs 76% lifetime · improving | 66% 8k votes · vs 76% lifetime · souring |
| Peak players | 144,799 Aug 2026 · ↑ 231% MoM | 144,922 Aug 2026 · ↓ 26% MoM |
| Launch peak | 32% of Feb 2024 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | 35% of Dec 2024 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 |
| All-time peak | 458,208 Feb 2024 | 642,333 Jan 2025 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 4 weeks ago | 5 days ago |
| Patch cadence | 4 in last 90 days | 16+ in last 90 days, at minimum |
| Steam Deck | Gold | Gold |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
HELLDIVERS 2
The core co-op PVE loop remains engaging and fun for hundreds of hours despite ongoing frustrations.
Persistent balance changes, performance bugs, and poor developer communication erode trust and enjoyment over time.
from our May 2026 verdict
Marvel Rivals
The matchmaking system's forced 50% win rate and absence of role queue create landslide games and 6 DPS teams in ranked, frustrating long-time players.
from our May 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick HELLDIVERS 2 if
- You have a dedicated group of three friends for chaotic 4-player sessions
- You enjoy cooperative PvE with strategic loadouts and friendly-fire antics
- You're fine with 32-hour main story and a $1-2 per hour cost
Pick Marvel Rivals if
- You prefer PvP competition over co-op against AI enemies
- You like free-to-play with no upfront cost and under $1 per hour
- You want a larger player pool and more regular balance updates
Bottom line
Choose Helldivers 2 if you want a tight co-op PvE experience with friends; pick Marvel Rivals for free-to-play PvP that stays populated and patched.