Helldivers 2 has replaced its old anti-cheat with Easy Anti-Cheat on PC. The switch arrived with patch 7.2.0, "Devoid of Liberty", on October 20, 2026, and Steam players answered with a wave of negative reviews over broken mods and launch problems.

Arrowhead Game Studios says the move is about stopping a rise in cheat mods. Here is what changed in Helldivers 2, what the Easy Anti-Cheat switch means for mods and Steam Deck, and what else the update brings.

Official Helldivers 2 screenshot of Helldivers in combat
Helldivers 2 is a four-player co-op shooter published by PlayStation on PC, PS5 and Xbox. Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing

Why Helldivers 2 switched to Easy Anti-Cheat

Since its February 2024 launch, Helldivers 2 used nProtect GameGuard on PC, a choice that was criticized from day one. In its announcement on Steam, Arrowhead admitted that GameGuard "wasn't as effective as it could have been" and said it had seen an increase in cheat mods that it "can't let stand."

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The 7.2.0 patch notes describe the change in one line: Easy Anti-Cheat is now implemented, with additional security tools meant to make it more effective and protect game integrity. Easy Anti-Cheat, owned by Epic Games, is used by hundreds of online games, so for many PC players it is a familiar name.

The cheat mods Arrowhead is targeting include tools that give battlefield advantages or change pick-up rates. In a co-op game where three other players share your mission, those mods affect everyone in the squad, not only the person running them.

What happens to Helldivers 2 mods

This is where the anger comes from. Most popular Helldivers 2 mods are cosmetic or audio replacements, and the community also uses small fixes to work around long-running bugs. Arrowhead says it appreciates cosmetic mods, but warned that some of them may stop working under Easy Anti-Cheat until their creators update them.

The studio also said mod use is "at your own discretion" and did not publish a list of mods that are safe. Players who believe the anti-cheat is wrongly blocking a mod can contact Arrowhead's support team.

Official Helldivers 2 screenshot of a squad mission
Arrowhead says the new anti-cheat targets mods that alter combat and drop rates, which affect the whole squad. Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing

Steam reviews turn negative

The reaction on Steam was fast. PC Gamer counted 846 negative and 146 positive user reviews on the day of the announcement. By October 21, Korean outlet Gamemeca reported that recent reviews had reached "Overwhelmingly Negative", with only about 12% positive among roughly 3,800 reviews posted over two days.

Players' complaints go beyond mods. Reviews mention crashes, the game failing to launch even without mods, and frustration that a new premium Warbond arrived in the same patch as the anti-cheat. The update still pushed Helldivers 2 briefly to second place on Steam's global top sellers chart, according to Gamemeca.

On Steam Deck and Linux, Arrowhead's FAQ says compatibility "remains unchanged" and that hardware requirements are the same. Some players report problems on Steam Deck, so it is worth checking the Steam forums before a long session.

What else is in patch 7.2.0

Beyond the anti-cheat, "Devoid of Liberty" is a big balance update. It adds the Scope of Authority Warbond and buffs a long list of weapons:

  • Shotguns: the SG-8 Punisher goes from 405 to 486 damage, and the Breaker family gets similar increases.
  • Rifles and SMGs: less recoil on the StA-52 and MA5C, and more damage for the StA-11 SMG.
  • Sickle laser rifles: they start firing and cooling faster.
  • Stratagems: the Maxigun keeps your movement after firing, the Breaching Hammer gets 10 spare charges and Orbital Airburst Strike drops to a 90-second cooldown.
  • Legendary Warbonds: Killzone and Halo weapons get better base stats to make up for their lack of attachments.
Official Helldivers 2 screenshot showing a stratagem in action
Patch 7.2.0 also buffs shotguns, the Sickle and several stratagems. Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing

The patch also fixes a long list of crashes, improves multithreading and level loading, and reduces shader-compilation stutter on PC. Bile enemies now form their own Terminid strain with a visual indicator.

What this means for Helldivers 2 players

If you play on PS5 or Xbox, the patch notes do not describe any anti-cheat change for you, and the weapon buffs are the main news. If you play on PC without mods, the key thing to watch is stability: crash fixes are in the patch, but launch reports on Steam are mixed.

If you rely on cosmetic or quality-of-life mods, expect some of them to break until their authors update them. Arrowhead has not said it will reverse the switch, and history suggests the studio listens: it has changed course after earlier community backlash. For now, the next step is whether Arrowhead answers the review wave with fixes or clearer mod rules.

Official Helldivers 2 screenshot of a Helldiver on an alien planet
Helldivers 2 remains one of the most-played co-op shooters on Steam. Image: Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing

Looking for something to play with friends while the dust settles? See our list of the best co-op games to play with friends, or our guide to the best PS5 games, where Helldivers 2 also earns a spot.