Helldivers 2 players on Steam are facing an unexpected new hurdle: starting June 4, they must link their Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to keep playing. Sony insists this move is crucial to protect players from harassment and enable effective bans, but the announcement has ignited a firestorm of backlash, with thousands of negative reviews flooding Steam and many players threatening to quit or seek refunds over the forced PSN integration.
“Due to technical issues at the launch of Helldivers 2, we allowed the linking requirements for Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account to be temporarily optional,” the publisher wrote. “That grace period will now expire. See details below in this post.”
Sony claims account-linking with PlayStation Network is “critical” to the “safety and security” of Helldivers 2. “This is our main way to protect players from griefing and abuse by enabling the banning of players that engage in that type of behaviour,” it said. “It also allows those players that have been banned the right to appeal.”
Starting on May 6, all new Helldivers 2 players will be required to connect their Steam and PlayStation Network accounts before playing the game. Current Helldivers 2 players will begin to see the mandatory PlayStation Network log-in on May 30, and will need to have their accounts linked by June 4. You can sign up for a PlayStation Network account on the PlayStation website if you don’t have one already.
From these dates on, Helldivers 2 players will be prompted to link their accounts when the game is launched. You’ll see a QR code and a link to the sign-in page for PlayStation Network, according to an FAQ page on Arrowhead’s website. By signing in there, you’ll have your accounts linked. If you haven’t created a PlayStation Network account before you follow the QR code or link, you’ll then follow the instructions to make one – and the account will be automatically linked, Sony said.
There’s no way to link your accounts outside of this, so you won’t be able to do so as a current player until you start seeing the prompt pop up in-game.
Some Helldivers 2 players using Steam are furious – particularly that this wasn’t a requirement from the beginning, and that players are suddenly forced to link up. One of the bigger problems is that some people won’t be able to create PlayStation Network accounts if they don’t live in a region supported by Sony; South Africa is the only African country that’s got PlayStation Network, for instance. Belarus and Lithuania aren’t on the list. Based on Steam’s download statistics, there’s not a ton of Steam traffic from these areas over the past seven days, but it’s still there. Sure, you could pick a different country, but that could require a VPN or risk a ban. There will likely be a number of players who purchased the game on Steam who will soon be unable to play.
The Helldivers 2 page does have a notice alerting players of the third-party account linking, however. It was just unenforced until now.
Other players are simply unwilling to give their information to Sony. Since Arrowhead posted the update, Helldivers 2 has received an influx of negative reviews on Steam – at the time of writing, hours after the post went live, Helldivers 2 has more than 6,000 new negative reviews, a dramatic increase from the 2,500 seen on April 25.
Why did Sony reverse its decision on requiring PSN accounts for Helldivers 2 on Steam
Sony reversed its decision to require PlayStation Network (PSN) account linking for Helldivers 2 players on Steam after an overwhelming backlash from the community. The mandate sparked a massive wave of negative reviews on Steam-over 200,000 within days-because it would have blocked players in more than 100 countries where PSN is unavailable from accessing a game they had purchased, and raised concerns about potential lawsuits and unfair restrictions.
The intense player protests included review bombing and refund requests, which pressured Sony to reconsider. Additionally, the game’s launch issues had initially delayed the enforcement of the PSN linking, but when Sony pushed to reinstate it for moderation purposes, the community’s reaction was swift and fierce.
Acknowledging the feedback, Sony publicly apologized and announced it would no longer enforce the PSN account linking requirement for Helldivers 2 on PC. They stated they are still learning what works best for PC players and thanked the community for their input, effectively restoring access to the game worldwide without the PSN mandate.
What specific player protests led Sony to reverse the PSN account requirement
The specific player protests that led Sony to reverse the PSN account requirement for Helldivers 2 on Steam included a massive wave of negative user reviews-over 200,000-on Steam, known as review bombing, which tanked the game’s rating and drew widespread attention to the issue. Players also voiced their frustrations loudly on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit, organizing under hashtags such as #NoPSNForHelldivers2, and creating dedicated discussion threads to amplify their opposition.
The backlash was fueled by concerns over forced account linking being an unnecessary barrier, potential gameplay disruptions due to connectivity issues, and data privacy worries about sharing personal information with Sony. The policy was seen as anti-consumer, especially since it retroactively affected players who had already purchased the game on PC, and it also made the game inaccessible in over 100 countries where PSN is unavailable, further enraging the community.
Influential community figures, including developers and community managers, helped organize and focus the dissent, turning individual complaints into a coordinated movement that pressured Sony to reconsider. The combined effect of review bombing, social media campaigns, and vocal community leaders created a strong, unified front that Sony could not ignore, ultimately leading to the reversal of the PSN account linking mandate.
