Helldivers II is a third-person squad-based shooter where elite Helldiver troops fight for victory in an intergalactic battle to free the galaxy from the growing threat of aliens. From a third-person perspective, players utilize a variety of weapons, such as pistols, machine guns, and flamethrowers, as well as strategies like turrets and airstrikes to eliminate the extraterrestrial threats. Players can also aim down sights for a more precise first-person camera view. The combat is accompanied by frequent blood splatter and dismemberment as players wipe out alien forces or as players and teammates are hit by environmental explosions or friendly fire. Enemy camps and battlefield environments display bloodstains and dismembered bodies.