Helldivers 2 is a PlayStation console exclusive, so it’s not available on Xbox Series X or S. Not only has Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer voiced his disappointment in this, but so have many Helldivers 2 players, who are asking for more backup in the fight against the Terminids and Automatons.
If you don’t own a PS5 or a good enough gaming PC to run Helldivers 2, you might be feeling a bit left out. But if you’re in the mood for a sci-fi or co-op game, there are plenty of entertaining alternate options available on Xbox Game Pass. While Xbox players can’t yet die for Super Earth, they can still have a great time fighting and dying in any of these Xbox Game Pass games that are playable on console.
Deep Rock Galactic
If you specifically want another sci-fi co-op game, there are a couple of different options for you on Xbox Game Pass. First, we have Deep Rock Galactic, a co-op shooter about space dwarves who mine resources. In it, you go on missions to caves, gather resources and complete objectives, and then fight to extract with all your gathered resources. While it’s a bit different from Helldivers 2 with its first-person perspective and emphasis on mining, its core gameplay loop actually isn’t too far off from that game. It can offer you plenty of nail-biting emergent moments that you and your friends will be talking about weeks after the fact, which is a hallmark of a fantastic co-op game.
Gears 5
Helldivers 2 finally gives PlayStation a console-exclusive answer to Xbox’s Gears of War, its flagship co-op third-person shooter franchise. Obviously, that also means that playing Gears 5 is a good Xbox Game Pass alternative. If you’re missing the single-player or narrative element from Helldivers 2, Gears 5 features a full campaign that will definitely scratch that itch. And if some co-op action is all you want, The Coalition’s game has a cooperative horde mode, as well as Escape, a mission-based mode more similar to the experience that Helldivers 2 provides. If Sony plans to never bring Helldivers 2 to Xbox, then it’s smart for Xbox players to show Microsoft we want more of the closest first-party franchise to Helldivers that it can offer.
Remnant II
A sleeper hit from 2023, Remnant II is the co-op shooter to play if you enjoy the brutally difficult nature of Helldivers 2. It’s a looter shooter that finds a way to incorporate Soulslike elements into its gunplay. Like Helldivers 2 on harder difficulties, Remnant II can be crushingly difficult sometimes, but that makes success all the more satisfying. Its roguelike setup and procedural generation systems also mean each person’s campaign is different, adding to Remnant II’s replay factor and enabling some really memorable moments in co-op. Remnant II also features the best boss fights I’ve encountered in a co-op game.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
If mowing through hordes of enemies is the action from Helldivers 2 that you feel like you’re missing on Xbox, then I’d recommend Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. This four-player co-op, first-person shooter is brutally satisfying to play and emphasizes melee a lot more than the other games on this list. Like Helldivers 2, it understands that there’s simple fun to be had in sci-fi shooter power fantasy, but also isn’t afraid to make things a lot more difficult to force a crushing defeat or exhilarating win.
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood’s zombie premise and mission-based setup are very different from what Helldivers 2 offers, but this is a personal co-op favorite of mine. It is made by Turtle Rock, the same studio behind the Left 4 Dead games, and features some of the best cooperative mission and level design I’ve seen in this wave of AAA shooters. Back 4 Blood’s card system also can drastically alter the difficulty and tools at players’ disposal from run to run, making for a cooperative experience that can be just as unpredictable as Helldivers 2’s missions. Back 4 Blood is a couple of years old and content complete now, so you don’t have to worry about a tail of live service support or overcrowded servers anymore.
Exoprimal
While you can annihilate bugs and Terminator-style robots in Helldivers 2, you can’t kill dinosaurs. That’s the unique power fantasy that Capcom’s underrated 2023 PvPvE shooter Exoprimal offers. Its exosuit hook offers the gameplay variety of a hero shooter, the hordes of dinosaurs it sometimes throws at players are technically impressive, and it even offers a wildly innovative approach to multiplayer storytelling that I wish more games like Helldivers 2 copied. Its main mode also adds PvP showdowns at the end of a match, which is something you can’t get from Helldivers 2. While Exoprimal flew under the radar after its release last July, I’d recommend you check it out on Xbox Game Pass now if you’re getting antsy over not being able to play Helldivers 2.
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