The evolution of the gaming industry means that both developers and players are no longer satisfied with simple content, but are pursuing richer gameplay and storylines. However, this also means that games require increasingly more memory.

The principle that larger games require more storage space is essentially correct. The problem lies in the fact that some game files seem excessively large, severely impacting your ability to play other games or the normal operation of your device.

Take Helldivers 2 as an example. This third-person shooter, released in 2024, received considerable attention from players before its release as a sequel. Although some issues arose afterward, they were all fixed, except for the excessive memory requirements.

From its initial 70GB release, Helldivers 2 now occupies over 150GB of space on your PC! Many players have been criticizing this, saying they simply don't understand what the developers have been doing.

Fortunately, as 2025 draws to a close, Helldivers 2 has finally addressed this issue, reducing the game's size by an astonishing 85%! In other words, Helldivers 2 now only requires 23GB of free space to play!

So what are the details, and will the streamlined version run normally? We'll provide a detailed explanation below.

When Does This Change Be Available?

After the release of Python Commandos Warbond on December 2nd, the game received the good news of a size reduction through a concurrent patch.

However, it's currently still in the testing phase and not a default installation option. This means you'll need to decide whether to enable the streamlined version based on your needs, or continue playing as before.

Of course, if the streamlined version of Helldivers 2 runs smoothly for a period and player feedback is positive, the development team may later make it the standard version for new players to install directly, since everyone wants to save storage space.

How To Get The Streamlined Version Of Helldivers 2?

If you want to experience what the 23GB PC version of Helldivers 2 is like right now, follow these steps:

• 1. Open your Steam, find and right-click Helldivers 2 in Library.
• 2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu, then click Betas tab in the pop-up window.
• 3. In Beta Participation dropdown, select prod_slim to download and install the streamlined patch, allowing you to enjoy the game while freeing up your storage space.

Note that this operation method and file size change are only for PC players, as Helldivers 2 only requires approximately 35-40GB of storage space on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 platforms. This is likely the main reason for the constant complaints from PC players.

If you experience a poor experience or encounter frequent bugs after downloading the streamlined version, you can return and select prod_legacy to revert to the older version.

How Was This Change Implemented?

Since it's possible to streamline the files, it suggests that the development team was either too lazy to implement it before, or they were constantly searching for the best way to reduce the file size without affecting the game's performance on PC.

In short, this plan succeeded because previously, after each update, the developers would copy all game resource files and then gradually de-duplicate them. However, they now realized this was unnecessary.

The original intention was to ensure faster loading times for players using older hard drives, aiming to keep pace with players using high-speed SSDs. However, this consideration was based on general industry data.

Therefore, after internal testing at Helldivers 2, the developers found that, at least for their own game, the reduction in file size had at most a few extra seconds on loading time, making reducing storage space usage relatively straightforward.

While it's regrettable that the development team didn't discover this sooner, forcing most players to endure overly bloated game files for so long, it's good that the problem is solved.

Is The Streamlined Version Reliable?

Since the download option for this version has only been available for a short time, there are currently no objective and comprehensive reviews from the player community. However, most players at least welcome the initiative itself.

Frankly, the possibility of bugs appearing after streamlining cannot be ruled out, but no game, even the original Helldivers 2, is immune to problems. As long as the frequency of bugs isn't too high and they can be fixed promptly, it's all worthwhile.

If you don't only like Helldivers 2, you'll inevitably want to try new games, but limited storage space means you have to temporarily uninstall older games while downloading new ones - the changes in Helldivers 2 suggest this situation is likely to disappear.

This not only makes you more willing to try Helldivers 2 but also helps expand the audience for other games from another perspective, because the extra space means you can download as many games as you previously couldn't fit.

Can Other Games Do This?

Since Helldivers 2 has set a precedent, if subsequent player testing proves that the streamlined version isn't too problematic, then other large games on the market, at least those similar to Helldivers 2, could try to follow suit.

Although this might mean developers need to invest more time and effort, making games better serve you is what they should be doing. While more memory for players may bring more competition, healthy competition is essential.

In short, this approach demonstrates that Helldivers 2 consistently prioritizes player experience and feedback, striving to attract and retain players through game optimization. This can only benefit the game's long-term development.

On December 2nd, Fallout 76 received its biggest update since Wastelanders in 2020, Burning Springs, which includes the largest map expansion to date.

Simultaneously, Fallout 76 also launched Season 23, Blood and Rust, a Raiders-themed update. Aside from the constantly crashing servers, the update is quite impressive, with both the new map and the story being top-notch.

Burning Springs Size

• PC (Steam): 28.8 GB
• PC (Microsoft Store): 39.3 GB
• Xbox: 41.9 GB
• PlayStation: 40.8 GB

Major New Additions

The new area is located west of West Virginia, in the southeastern countryside of Ohio, accessible by crossing Point Pleasant bridge.

This area suffered not only from a nuclear explosion but also from environmental contamination by the local Abraxodyne Chemical plant. The area is now a barren wasteland, filled with toxic water and sandstorms blanketing everything in a toxin called Rust.

Highway Town, built on an elevated highway, is the area's new social hub (and a last refuge for survivors, where players can rest and resupply). Last Resort saloon, located at the end of Highway Town, is also the starting point for bounty hunting missions.

Enemies in Burning Springs area show a significant increase in difficulty, possessing more hit points and attack power, leading to longer battles and requiring more careful healing. It's challenging for casual players, but the main storyline is short and can be completed even after several failures.

This area is unexpectedly dangerous for its proximity to the starting area, The Forest, and may pose a threat to new or low-level players.

New Main Quest

Once players reach level 30, listening to Ohio Distress Signal will unlock Burning Springs main questline.

This short story revolves around a wise and savage Super Mutant, The Rust King, and he is the ruthless ruler of Burning Springs.

He will give players several quests, which can be completed in about 2-3 hours. However, the questline is clearly just the beginning of a continuous narrative, similar to Act 1, and more content is expected to continue the story in the future.

The main reward for these quests is unlocking new clothing blueprints. It's recommended to treat them as a fun experience and not rush to complete them.

Bounty Hunting

Bounty Hunting has two modes: Grand Hunt and Head Hunt. Both can be accepted from NPC Walton Goggins in Highway Town.

Grand Hunt is a repeatable way to encounter legendary enemies on the farm, mainly used to unlock the newly added legendary effects. It is not difficult and is suitable for players with a certain level of equipment to farm repeatedly.

Head Hunts require 5,000 Fallout 76 Bottle Caps or completing Grand Hunts to unlock. They are very difficult, with three-star legendary enemies protected by two two-star followers. Therefore, each Head Hunt usually requires multiple players to cooperate to complete, and the rewards are very generous, with a chance to obtain unique plans, etc.

New Legendary Mods

New Legendary Mods, exclusively dropped by Bounty Hunters, are categorized into 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star mods. All new mods are listed below:

New 1-Star Mods:

• Feral (Melee Weapon)
• Sniper's (Ranged Weapon)
• Adrenal (Weapon)
• Adrenal (Armor)
• Lucid (Weapon)
• Lucid (Armor)

New 2-Star Mods:

• Pick Pocketer's
• Pain Killer (Armor)
• Rushing (Armor)
• Elementalist's (Armor)
• Fierce (Armor only, not Power Armor)

New 3-Star Mods:

• Glowing (Weapon)
• Healthy (Armor)
• Reflex (Armor)
• Active (Armor)
• Barbarian (Melee)

Public Events

In addition, two new public events have been added: Gearin' Up and Sinkhole Solutions. Sinkhole Solutions is a quest about Radscorpions and destroying their lair, while Gearin' Up involves arming up deathclaws. These two Public Events will alternate.

Season 23: Blood And Rust

Milepost Zero is closed. Blueprints for it are now available for trading with three merchants in Highway Town, including Vault 63 laser carbine. Additionally, a pennant will be released to all accounts during the first week of Burning Springs update, and any character who completes it will reward the player with 2K Gold Bullion.

• New legendary fish and local legendary fish available for fishing.
• Dirty Laundry, involving collecting 150 Abraxodyne Intel Briefcases.
• Radhog, a raider-themed camp pet, will be available in Atomic Shop.
• Dom Pedro, a new hand cannon.
•  Added Social and Performance categories In Emoji Wheel, optimized categorization for equipping more emotes.

Gameplay Adjustments

Primarily improved C.A.M.P's quality of life, with bug fixes and quality of life improvements in combat, UI, graphics, sound, quests, weapons, workshops, etc. Numerous gameplay issues have been fixed.

Gleaming Depths

Gleaming Depths adds a weekly challenge. Completing all stages rewards a 4-Star Legendary cache containing a 4-Star Legendary armor, power armor, melee weapon, and wrench weapon. Raid rewards have also been redistributed, with better rewards for deeper progress, to prevent players from repeatedly farming the first boss, EN06.

Combat

• VATS adjustments have significantly reduced hit rate fluctuations and aiming issues.
• Fixed an issue where the cryo slow effect was incorrectly applied to non-PvP players.
• Fixed Hack and Slash. Legendary effects may harm players outside of PvP.

Known Issues

• Camp items from Blood and Rust season may not appear in the "New" section of the build menu after being claimed.
• The fire attack of the boss target Cletus Brimstone deals excessive damage and has an abnormally large area of effect.
• Text is missing from some terminals.
• For Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian players, crafting requirements display various Unicode character blocks.

Burning Springs provides good new content for regular players and lays the foundation for more content in the future. If you are a new player looking to try it out, given that Fallout 76 has been running for 7 years and frequently offers discounts, it is recommended to wait for a sale.