Helldivers 2 cannot be downloaded or played via Steam in 177 countries anymore after Sony started requiring players to link their accounts to the region-locked PlayStation Network.
On its latest update on Monday, Helldivers 2 cannot be purchased in countries without PlayStation Networks, although its Steam page remains accessible to all players.
Here are the countries affected by the delisting:
Helldivers 2 is no longer purchasable in 177 countries where PSN is not available (but some are still available like Baltics).
— SteamDB (@SteamDB) May 5, 2024
This game has now received 215,000 negative reviews. pic.twitter.com/jJrb9QFafR
Arrowhead Game Studios, the game's developer, is currently "talking solutions with PlayStation" to bring back the game to non-PSN countries.
Is this the moment to tweet "What? You guys don't have phones?" 😵💫
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 5, 2024
On serious note: We are talking solutions with PlayStation, especially for non-PSN countries. Your voice has been heard, and I am doing everything I can to speak for the community - but I don't have the final…
Helldivers 2 continues to rack up negative reviews, now over 100,000 bad reviews, on its Steam page following the initial announcement.
Steam is accepting refund requests even from people who have played over two hours of the game.
How to Work Around the PSN Region Lock?
While Helldivers 2 is officially inaccessible to many countries, affected players can still play the game through some workarounds.
People can use VPNs to access PSN-supported countries' networks to register and access the game, although the VPN must always be active whenever people open their PSN account.
Helldivers 2 Community Criticize Unsafe PlayStation Network
Helldivers 2 players from non-PSN countries are not the only ones airing gripes with the current state of the game.
Many players from the US and other PSN-supported regions have opposed the PSN login requirement due to cybersecurity issues that risk players' personal information being leaked to bad actors.
Sony's PlayStation Network is reportedly often being hacked with the last incident recorded last August where thousands of accounts, including credit card details and other payment information, were compromised.
It does not help that PSN in many countries requires players to give an official ID during registration. Giving blank or incorrect information could result in the account getting banned.
Sony and PlayStation have yet to provide a statement regarding the issue.
