Helldivers 2 Controversial Region Lock Lifted in Several Countries
Helldivers 2 has been part of Sony’s exclusive line-up since the game is considered a PlayStation title. Because of this acquisition, the game must follow PlayStation policies, including the controversial decision to restrict the sale of the game in certain regions. This decision caused a lot of backlash towards Sony and Arrowhead Games, as many gamers from different countries are unable to buy and play Helldivers 2.
Recently, news of the region lock has surfaced on X with a list of countries that will be able to purchase the game again. Here’s everything we know about the return of Helldivers 2 to Steam in these regions.
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PSN Restriction as Precursor
Sony is no stranger to region-locking their PC ports, especially for their mainline entries like Spider-Man, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Horizon series. This decision forces players to purchase a PS5 as the console’s games do not have any restrictions. However, their Steam games are subjected to the lock.
In May 2024, Sony began to force Steam users of Helldivers 2 to create a mandatory PSN account to link to the game, which caused a lot of backlash. Arrowhead Games had tried to push back on the decision, but Sony had since delisted the game in over 144 countries worldwide, which had gutted the player population by a significant amount.
List of Unblocked Countries
According to the HelldiversAlert Twitter page, Sony has made concessions to lift the region block. On the game’s SteamDB page, there’s been a changelog of all the countries that can now buy the game again. The following countries have since had their restrictions removed for Helldivers 2:
- Anguilla
- Aruba
- Aland Islands
- Saint Barthélemy
- Bermuda
- Bonaire/Sint Eustatius/Saba
- Bouvet Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Cook Islands
- Curaçao
- Christmas Island
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- Faroe Islands
- French Guiana
- Guernsey
- Gibraltar
- Greenland
- Guadeloupe
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Heard and McDonald Islands
- Isle of Man
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Jersey
- Cayman Islands
- Macau
- Martinique
- Montserrat
- New Caledonia
- Norfolk Island
- Niue
- French Polynesia
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Pitcairn
- Réunion
- Saint Helena
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- French Southern Territories
- Tokelau
- British Virgin Islands
- Wallis and Futuna
- Mayotte
- American Samoa
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Puerto Rico
- S. Virgin Islands
While there are still many larger countries that still have the region lock in place, this recent change is a step in the right direction for Helldivers 2 to regain its old player population again. This change, on top of teasers for more Iluminate enemies in the game, may help Arrowhead Games regain some goodwill again with its community.
