Best Games Like Helldivers 2: Free, Cheap & Co-op Picks

If Helldivers 2 left you craving more friendly fire and orbital chaos, you have options. This guide rounds up the best games like Helldivers 2, sorted by budget and squad size, so you can find your next drop in about thirty seconds. I have focused on real co-op PvE shooters first, with a couple of honest adjacent picks at the end.

Last updated: June 7, 2026. Prices checked: June 2026. Sources: Steam, Epic, publisher pages and partner stores. We refresh prices and sale notes regularly.

Best picks at a glance

• Best free: Warframe (endless build depth, 1-4 players)
• Best cheap: Deep Rock Galactic (frequent sales near $7.49)
• Best premium: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (1-3 co-op Operations)
• Best for 2 players: Remnant 2 (drop-in, scaling difficulty)
• Best for big groups: Starship Troopers: Extermination (up to 1-16)
• Best couch / split-screen: EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6
• Best cross-platform: HELLDIVERS 2 itself (PC, PlayStation, Xbox)
• Closest in spirit: GTFO (punishing, coordinated, objective-led)

Quick list

Prices above are guides, not gospel. Check the live numbers across Steam, Epic, GOG, Eneba and Kinguin on our price-comparison catalog before you buy, because most of these go on sale often.

Closest matches to Helldivers 2

These are the games that scratch the exact same itch: a small squad, clear objectives, escalating threats and the constant risk of accidentally vaporising a friend.

Deep Rock Galactic The single best recommendation for most people. Four space dwarves dig into procedural caves, complete objectives and fight back endless waves while the terrain crumbles around them. It is funny, cooperative by design, and it goes on sale constantly (often down to about $7.49). If you want the friendly-fire camaraderie without the live-service pressure, this is it. Players: 1-4.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 The premium power trip. Space Marine 2 mixes weighty gunplay with gory melee, and its three-player Operations mode is the closest thing to a Helldivers "mission" with extra muscle. Buy it when you want to feel unstoppable rather than fragile. Players: 1-3.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide From the Vermintide studio, Darktide is a first-person horde shooter with excellent feel and a properly grim atmosphere. The loadout depth rewards a regular group. Players: 1-4.

GTFO The hardcore sibling. GTFO strips out the spectacle and forces genuine teamwork: manage ammo, scout silently, and panic together when a wave breaks. It is brutal and not for everyone, but no game on this list demands tighter coordination. Players: 1-4.

Best cheap and free games like Helldivers 2

You do not need to spend $40 to get a great co-op night going.

• Warframe (free): A genuinely deep free game with fast, fluid combat and a mountain of progression. The onboarding is rough, but the price is right. Players: 1-4.
• Destiny 2 (free core): The free tier gives you plenty of co-op activities before any expansion spend. Strikes and seasonal content fill the gap nicely. Players: 1-3, with 6-player raids.
• Left 4 Dead 2 (~$9.99, often under $2): Old, yes, but the cooperative pacing still teaches everyone why Helldivers feels good. A bargain in any sale.
• Lethal Company (~$9.99): Cheap, chaotic and scary. Not a military shooter, but the "go in, grab the objective, barely escape" loop is pure squad comedy. Players: 1-4.
• Vermintide 2 (~$29.99, frequently ~$6): Enormous value when discounted, with some of the best melee combat in co-op.

Best for 2 players

These scale down cleanly to a duo without feeling empty.

• Remnant 2 (1-3): A souls-like shooter with strong drop-in co-op and difficulty that scales to your group. Excellent for a focused pair.
• Deep Rock Galactic (1-4): Plays great with two; you simply cover fewer roles.
• Risk of Rain 2 (1-4): A roguelike that gets gloriously broken as your two builds snowball.
• Payday 3 (1-4): Two-player heists put a premium on planning and quick improvisation.

Best for 3-4 players

The classic squad size, and where this whole genre shines.

• Helldivers 2 (1-4): Obviously. Four players, four stratagem loadouts, endless emergent disasters.
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (1-4): Built around a full team covering different threats.
• World War Z: Aftermath (1-4): Hundreds of zombies pouring over walls, with a class system that rewards a balanced four.
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (1-3): Tense, themed and atmospheric, ideal for a tight trio.

Best for 5+ and big groups

When the whole friend group shows up.

• Starship Troopers: Extermination (1-16): Build a base, hold the line, watch the swarm crest the hill. The scale is the point.
• Sea of Thieves (1-4 per crew, many per server): Run a crew, then bump into other crews for emergent mayhem.
• Helldivers 2 (1-4 per drop): Not a single big lobby, but a galactic war where thousands push the same fronts, so it feels communal even at four.

Best couch / split-screen

Local play is rarer in this genre, so these stand out.

• EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 (1-4, split-screen): Pure B-movie joy, blasting giant bugs side by side on one screen.
• Risk of Rain 2 (local and online): Supports shared-screen runs for a quick session.
• Borderlands 3 (split-screen): Loot-shooter chaos that still supports couch co-op on console.

Best cross-platform

If your group is split across hardware, prioritise these.

• HELLDIVERS 2: Plays across PC, PlayStation and Xbox, so the whole squad can dive together.
• Deep Rock Galactic: Cross-play across PC and consoles makes squad nights painless.
• Sea of Thieves: One of the best cross-play implementations around.
• The Division 2: Solid cross-play options for a cheap, deep looter night.

The takeaway: a four-person group can get going for nearly nothing with Warframe or a discounted Deep Rock Galactic, while the premium picks ask more up front but deliver bigger production values.

Honourable / adjacent picks

These are not co-op PvE shooters, so they are not core picks. They earn a spot only because Helldivers fans often want something different between deployments, and I would rather be honest about the fit.

• No Turning Back: A solo pixel-art action-adventure roguelike. No squad here, but if you like the "one more run" tension of Risk of Rain, this is a cheap single-player palate cleanser.
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Story-driven, single-player action RPGs. Completely different genre, but a great wind-down when you want narrative and combat without coordinating four people. Filed here strictly as a change of pace.
• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name: Same caveat. Tight solo brawler action, not multiplayer, recommended only as a between-sessions solo game.
• The original Helldivers (Dive Harder Edition): A top-down twin-stick co-op shooter rather than the third-person sequel. The friendly fire and stratagem DNA is all here, and it is far cheaper. A real fit, just an older style.

For more genre-hopping, our action games hub and indie games hub are good rabbit holes.

FAQ

What is the closest game to Helldivers 2? Deep Rock Galactic is the closest in feel for most players: objective-driven, four-player co-op with friendly fire and emergent chaos. GTFO is closer if you want punishing coordination, and the original Helldivers is closest in literal mechanics (stratagems and top-down friendly fire).

What is the best free game like Helldivers 2? Warframe. It is a deep, fast co-op action game with endless progression and no entry cost. Destiny 2 is a strong runner-up thanks to its generous free tier of cooperative activities.

Is there a cheap game like Helldivers 2? Yes. Deep Rock Galactic regularly drops to around $7.49, Vermintide 2 falls to roughly $6, and The Division 2 often costs only a few dollars. Lethal Company is about $9.99 at full price. Compare live prices on our catalog before buying.

Which game like Helldivers 2 is best for two players? Remnant 2 scales cleanly to a duo and rewards complementary builds. Deep Rock Galactic and Risk of Rain 2 also work great with two.

Is there a game like Helldivers 2 with split-screen couch co-op? EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 is the standout for local split-screen bug-blasting. Risk of Rain 2 and Borderlands 3 also support shared-screen play.

Do these games have cross-platform co-op? Several do. Helldivers 2, Deep Rock Galactic, Sea of Thieves and The Division 2 all offer cross-play options, which makes mixed PC and console groups much easier to organise.

Is Helldivers 2 still worth buying in 2026? Yes, if you want the genre's benchmark. The live galactic war keeps evolving and the moment-to-moment chaos still holds up. If you want the deluxe tier, the Super Citizen Edition bundles extras, though the standard edition is plenty.

Can I run these on a Steam Deck? Many run well on handhelds. Deep Rock Galactic, Vermintide 2 and Risk of Rain 2 are reliable, while heavier titles vary. Check our Steam Deck compatibility list for the latest verified status.

The verdict

For most people chasing the best games like Helldivers 2, the order is simple: grab Deep Rock Galactic for value, Space Marine 2 or Darktide for premium thrills, and Warframe if you want to spend nothing. Build your squad, wishlist a couple of these, and let the sales come to you. For more group-night ideas across every genre, see our parent overview, Best Games to Play With Friends.

Ready to buy? Compare live prices across Steam, Epic, GOG, Eneba and Kinguin on the full catalog, and check today's discounts on the deals page so you never overpay for your next drop.

Alex, Scout Team