Helldivers 2 now runs on Easy Anti-Cheat. On October 20, 2026, developer Arrowhead Game Studios moved its four-player co-op shooter off GameGuard and onto Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), and warned in the same post that some mods will stop working. By evening the Steam page looked like a Hellbomb had landed on it. If you play with a squad on PC, here is what changed, what did not, and what to check before your next drop.
This is a fast-moving story with a lot of heat and few technical specifics, so we split it into what Arrowhead actually said, what players reported, and what you can do. Our wider coverage of PC multiplayer platforms includes the Fortnite and Steam Deck anti-cheat story, which turns on the same EAC product.
TL;DR: the Helldivers 2 anti-cheat switch
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What changed? | Helldivers 2 moved from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat on October 20, 2026 |
| Why? | Arrowhead says GameGuard "wasn't as effective as it could have been" and it saw an uptick in cheat mods |
| Which mods break? | Mods that affect other players; some harmless cosmetic mods may need updates |
| Steam Deck and Linux? | Arrowhead's FAQ: compatibility "remains unchanged" |
| How bad is the backlash? | 846 negative vs 146 positive Steam reviews in one day, per PC Gamer |
| Is there a patch? | Update 7.2.0 (Devoid of Liberty) rolled out around the same time |
| Can I appeal a wrongful block? | Arrowhead says contact support via its Zendesk page |
What exactly did Arrowhead announce?
Arrowhead published a blog post titled around an "upcoming change to our anti-cheat" that also tackled modding for the first time. The studio says it has seen a recent uptick in cheat mods and wants to protect the Galactic War, the shared meta-campaign that every player contributes to.
The studio listed two steps. First, "implementing additional security measures to crack down on recent cheat mods that have been circulating." Second, "transitioning from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat today, October 20th, with additional security tools in place to enhance its effectiveness and improve game integrity protection."
Here is the line that explains the whole decision, as quoted by Rock Paper Shotgun:
"The implementation of GameGuard for Helldivers 2 wasn't as effective as it could have been. In the end we decided to take another path with EAC. EAC is an industry standard [tech] used in over 200 games, and we believe this will be an effective way to protect the Galactic War and will better protect fair gameplay and the integrity of the game."
Note the careful wording. Arrowhead is not saying GameGuard was bad software. It is saying its own deployment of it fell short. That is a rare admission from a studio, and it is also why this reads as an operations decision rather than a technology fight.
Which Helldivers 2 mods will stop working?
Helldivers 2 has no official mod support, and Arrowhead had never commented on mods beyond warning that it could not guarantee their safety or usability. This post changes that. The studio drew a line between two kinds of mods:
"We know mods are part of the DNA of PC gaming and gaming communities as a whole. In general, we appreciate the creativity behind cosmetic and non-gameplay mods, which players can enjoy without negatively impacting those who play alongside them. Where we need to improve is how we protect players against modifications that create unfair advantages or negatively impact others."
And the practical consequence:
"These changes mean that some mods, particularly the types that are affecting the experience of other players, may no longer function. It also means that some non-malicious cosmetic mods may require updates from their individual creators in order to keep working."
In plain terms, expect three buckets. Cheat mods are the target and should break. Cosmetic and audio replacements are tolerated in principle but may be caught in the net until their authors patch them. The grey zone is anything that changes what you can see, such as HUD and UI overhauls. Rock Paper Shotgun's writer flagged that category as a likely "contentious battleground" because such mods only affect the user but can reveal enemies or threats more easily. That is the writer's read, not Arrowhead's ruling.
If you believe EAC is blocking "a non-destructive mod or other software", Arrowhead invites you to contact its support team through its Zendesk page.
Does Helldivers 2 still work on Steam Deck and Linux?
Anti-cheat is the reason Fortnite is still waiting on Steam Deck, so this is the question to ask. According to GamingOnLinux, Arrowhead's FAQ states that "Steam Deck and Linux compatibility remains unchanged," and the site's author concludes Steam Deck and Linux players can keep playing. The site's owner also tested update 7.2.0, titled Devoid of Liberty, on Fedora KDE 45 and reported it continuing to work without issues, and updated its anti-cheat compatibility page.
Treat that as encouraging, not universal. One tester on one distribution is a data point. If you play on a Steam Deck, update, launch once before your squad is waiting, and watch for reports in the community thread if something misbehaves.
There is one more oddity. Both GamingOnLinux and Rock Paper Shotgun note that Helldivers 2 and Horizon Forbidden West have been missing from Steam in the UK since a Steam back-end problem in mid-September. Sony has said it is working with Valve, and the issue is still unresolved a month later. UK players cannot currently see the store page, which makes any dispute about the new anti-cheat harder to follow for them.
Why are Steam reviews tanking?
PC Gamer reported that the announcement drew more than 1,500 replies in the Steam discussion thread, and that 846 negative user reviews were posted that day compared with 146 positive ones. The site's headline put the count at over 1,000 negative reviews in a day.
Why would a cheat crackdown anger players? Our read, flagged as interpretation: mods in Helldivers 2 are mostly cosmetic and audio swaps, and the warning that harmless ones "may" break sounds like collateral damage to people who never cheated. Anti-cheat software also carries a long-standing privacy and trust debate, and moving to a new system always surfaces it. Neither Arrowhead nor the reviews prove whether EAC will be more intrusive than GameGuard, and we have not seen the studio publish those technical details.
A one-day review swing says nothing about whether the cheating problem improves. The test comes over the next weeks: whether Major Order exploits and pick-up-group sabotage actually fade.
Why does cheating hurt a co-op game so much?
Helldivers 2 is not a competitive shooter, so cheaters do not win ranked matches. The damage is subtler. A squad of four relies on each person pulling their weight, and one player with infinite resources or invulnerability changes the pace and takes the challenge out of the mission for everyone else. Random matchmaking in particular suffers when people stop trusting strangers.
The bigger risk is the shared war. Helldivers 2 runs a persistent campaign where the whole community's results move the front line. Someone manipulating that outcome would spoil the story for all players.
That is also why co-op games with a social layer are so sensitive to trust. If you run game nights with colleagues or friends, the same logic applies at small scale. See our guide to cooperative games for team building and the top friendslop games of 2026 for titles where nobody needs anti-cheat because the group is the safeguard.
What should you do before your next Helldivers 2 drop?
- Let the game finish updating. Update 7.2.0, Devoid of Liberty, rolled out alongside the EAC switch, and you need the current client to join matches.
- Audit your mods. Remove anything that changes gameplay, spawns items or alters enemy visibility. Keep cosmetic mods only if the author has a version posted after October 20.
- Launch before your squad is waiting. If EAC flags something, you want to find out alone, not mid-lobby.
- If a harmless mod is blocked, contact Arrowhead support through the Zendesk page the studio linked rather than hunting for a workaround. Bypass attempts risk bans.
- On Steam Deck or Linux, update, then test a solo mission. Arrowhead says nothing changes, but verify on your own setup.
- Review honestly. If you review the game, review the game. Bomb or not, Arrowhead still needs actionable feedback on mod handling.
What players are saying
We did not find a Hacker News thread for this story, so we are not quoting commenters. Public sentiment so far lives in the Steam discussion thread and review section that PC Gamer counted above, and in Rock Paper Shotgun's comment that a crackdown is easier to justify in a multiplayer-first game than a single-player one.
Other game news today
Shrek 2 Remastered gets online co-op. Aspyr's remaster launches November 10 on Switch, Switch 2, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X, with 4K visuals, a Photo Mode and a Cheat Mode. The original had four-player local co-op; the remaster adds up to four players online, according to Polygon.
Mycopunk hits 1.0. The online co-op looter shooter about robot rejects fighting mushrooms left early access on October 20 on PC and PS5, with a new Mycologist class, a Population Control mission and a diffraction driver scattergun, per Rock Paper Shotgun. The 1.0 launch is half price for now, and the developers' full patch notes are on the game's Steam page.
Abiotic Factor announces year two. Deep Field's sci-fi survival game gets official mod support (a mod launcher, tools and a browser, arriving with Community Update 5), a small winter update, and a paid Entropic Break DLC, Rock Paper Shotgun reports. No release dates were given in the article.
Cyberpunk 2077 gets a free update on October 22. CD Projekt Red says the update lands on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, with a Switch 2 version to "follow shortly", and includes content inspired by Edgerunners 2. A livestream on October 21 will detail it (Eurogamer).
EA teases Fight Night's return. EA created social accounts for the dormant boxing series and posted "Fight Night is coming back." IGN notes there is no developer, platform or window yet (IGN).
Related reading
- Fortnite is coming to Linux, but not yet to Steam Deck
- 10 games like PEAK: co-op climbing and physics chaos
- Cooperative games for team building
- Top 10 friendslop games of 2026
- Steam hits a 43.5 million concurrent user record
- Rock Paper Shotgun on the GameGuard to EAC switch
- GamingOnLinux on Steam Deck and Linux support
- PC Gamer on the Steam review fallout
Facts in this post are accurate as of October 21, 2026. Anti-cheat behavior, mod compatibility and review counts change quickly, so check Arrowhead's Steam news page for the latest.