Playing with friends in Helldivers 2 is a lot of fun, but the game also has a good matchmaking system that connects players from around the world for missions. Joining a public lobby in Helldivers 2 is simple.

If you’re playing solo, you can use SOS Beacons to make your missions available on the map for others to join.

In this article, I will show you How to Public Matchmake in Helldivers 2.

How to Public Matchmake in Helldivers 2?

In Helldivers 2, you can join public matches early in the game through the Quick Play queue. This feature matches you with a random lobby, whether it’s a mission in progress or one waiting to start.

Quick Play doesn’t consider enemy preferences, so you won’t know if you’ll fight bots or bugs until you’re on the host’s ship. The game supports crossplay, but you can turn it off in the Options menu if you prefer.

To help with the current Major Order from Super Earth Command, manually check active warzones for lobbies.

Other players’ sessions show up as selectable missions on the global map screen. You’ll know it’s a multiplayer session if a player list appears when you hover over the map icon. If you don’t see any, try looking at a different planet or changing the mission difficulty.

How to Play Public Games Using SOS Beacons?

If you’re hosting a game and no one joins you on your ship, try picking a mission, dropping planetside, and using an SOS beacon. This makes your lobby more visible to other players looking for a match.

When an SOS beacon is active, your mission will show blue waves on the mission select screen, indicating that you need help. Ensure your Matchmaking Privacy in the Options menu is set to Public.

The launch of Helldivers 2 had some connectivity issues, especially with matchmaking. While most of these were fixed shortly after launch, some problems may still occur.

If you’re having trouble with Quick Play or joining lobbies manually, it might be due to your internet connection or the game’s backend.