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Helldivers 2 Board Game: Exclusive Hands-On Preview

Author : Isabella

May 13,2025

One of the standout successes in the multiplayer gaming arena last year was Arrowhead's Helldivers 2, a game where players spread democracy across the stars by battling aliens and robots with an abundance of bullets. Following the successful release of their Elden Ring board game adaptation, Steamforged Games is now bringing the fast-paced, frenetic experience of Helldivers 2 to the tabletop. The board game is currently available for backing on Gamefound. IGN had the opportunity to play a prototype and discuss the project with designers Jamie Perkins, Derek Funkhouser, and Nicholas Yu.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game

17 ImagesDevelopment on Helldivers 2: The Board Game began shortly after the video game's launch early last year. The board game successfully captures the essence of what made the video game so thrilling, including tense firefights, chaotic surprises, and a focus on teamwork, while introducing unique tweaks to the gameplay.

Helldivers 2: The Board Game is a cooperative, objective-based skirmish game designed for one to four players, with the designers recommending solo players control two characters. Each player assumes the role of a different Helldiver class, equipped with a unique perk, a set of action cards, and a powerful one-per-game "Act of Valor" ability. The demo showcased the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, and Captain classes. Players customize their loadouts with primary, secondary, and support weapons, grenades, and three strategems, with recommended setups provided on the class cards, but players can freely choose once familiar with the game.

Gameplay unfolds on grid-based boards that expand as players explore, revealing sub-objectives and locations of primary objectives, such as Terminid hatcheries in the prototype. As exploration progresses, increasingly difficult enemies spawn, and a mission timer adds urgency, maintaining the frenetic and tense atmosphere synonymous with Helldivers.

While the prototype focused on destroying Terminid hatcheries, the full release will offer various objectives. The base game will feature two of the three main factions from the video game – the Terminids and the robotic Automatons – each with 10 unit types. Though not confirmed, there's potential for the Illuminate faction to be introduced via an expansion, given Steamforged's history with stretch goals.

The board game adaptation tackles the video game's theme of being overwhelmed and outnumbered with a tactical approach, focusing on fewer but stronger enemies, similar to Nemesis, rather than overwhelming numbers as seen in Zombicide.

Turns involve players and enemies adding action cards to a pool, which are then shuffled and placed on an initiative tracker, similar to Steamforged's Elden Ring game. Combat relies on dice rolls, with a unique twist: every four action cards played triggers a random event, often disrupting plans with additional enemy spawns or other challenges.

On the Helldivers' side, combat involves rolling dice based on the weapon's specifications, with damage determined by the total roll value. Every five points dealt results in one wound on an enemy. This streamlined damage system eliminates the need for complex modifiers or defense values, emphasizing the Helldivers' precision as elite soldiers. Collateral damage to teammates is a risk, especially with area attacks, but reinforcements are available.

A standout feature of the board game is the 'Massed Fire' mechanic, designed to replicate the cooperative firepower from the video game. Nic explained, “In the video game, you're encouraged to work together as a team. For heavily armored enemies, you need to flank and target weak points if you don't have support weapons. In the board game, we implemented 'massed fire,' allowing other Helldivers to join in targeting an enemy within range, incentivizing teamwork.” This mechanic reduces downtime for players and enhances the group experience.

Enemy actions are straightforward, dealing set damage or effects, with players drawing wound cards. Each wound inflicts a negative effect, and three wounds result in character death. However, players can respawn after a set time, based on the chosen difficulty, returning with a full loadout.

One notable omission from the board game is the galactic war aspect from the video game. This was excluded to ensure the board game felt unique. Jamie shared an amusing piece of lore: “We're positioning it as a training simulation for Helldivers, helping them become better at their roles.”

Thanks to the efforts of Nic, Jamie, and Derek, the board game feels authentically Helldivers. Nic emphasized, “We wanted it to feel like Helldivers, with unexpected events, stratagems that can misfire, and a dwindling pool of reinforcements, all of which are uniquely Helldivers.” Derek added, “We aimed to preserve the core loop of mission objectives and the thrill of chasing shiny new goals while dealing with enemies trying to eat you.”

Currently, the game's core mechanics are about 75-80% finalized, allowing room for community feedback and potential adjustments. Despite concerns about tariffs affecting the board gaming industry, Jamie assures that their plans remain on track, with the team ready to adapt if necessary.

After playing the prototype, I found the systems engaging, particularly the random events and the Massed Fire mechanic, which led to memorable moments. While I appreciate the tactical focus with stronger enemies, I would have enjoyed more smaller enemies to shoot, mirroring my preference in the video game. Additionally, I feel enemy attacks could benefit from more variability, perhaps through different outcomes determined by dice rolls, to match the chaotic nature of the rest of the game.

I'm excited to see what else Steamforged Games has planned for Helldivers 2. The prototype has left me eager to explore new Helldiver classes, different game types, and combinations of enemies and biomes. My friends and I are already planning our next mission.