Helldivers 2: How to play solo

Are you wondering if it's possible to play Helldivers 2 solo? Then you better read on to find out if this co-op shooter allows one-man armies to shine and what to do to bring glory to Super Earth, if you choose to do so.

Arrowhead Studios' title is very much built around teams of four as they attempt to defend Super Earth and nearby planets from the constant barrage of Terminid bugs or Automatons. A lot of Stratagems - essentially superweapons - are created for the sole purpose of supporting fellow Helldivers, for example.

Some players, however, would much rather prefer to tackle objectives at their leisure and without the pressure of joining a random group of Helldivers in case they don't have friends to group up with.

Can you play Helldivers 2 solo?

The short answer is yes, you can play Helldivers 2 solo, but there are a few caveats.

The most important one is that the game doesn't feature a dedicated single-player mode. With no campaign, and no solo missions to tackle, you'll have to play the regular Helldivers 2 experience but with zero assistance from other players.

How to play solo in Helldivers 2

To play Helldivers 2 solo you need to launch a mission from your Destroyer ship and set the matchmaking privacy settings to friends only. This will allow you to select any mission you want, and even if you're tackling S.O.S. missions, it'll ensure no random players are able to join your squad.

Of course, these settings won't prevent anyone in your friend list to squad up if they want, but at least you'll avoid complete strangers this way.

Personally, we don't recommend you try and do solo Helldivers 2 missions. The game can be punishing and it might end up being a waste of time if you fail a mission.

You can do lower level missions but the rewards won't be as good as the ones you'd get in higher tiers of difficulty. If you're still keen on trying to be a one-man army, then you better check out our Stratagem tier list and the best weapons in Helldivers 2 to help you out.