The latest campaign for the co-op shooter Helldivers 2 was meant to unite players in a fight to protect Super Earth against a common alien threat, but it accidentally turned into something of an international diplomatic incident.

The game's official Steam listing just went from a rating of "overwhelmingly positive" to "mixed" after it was review bombed by disgruntled Chinese players just days after people posted memes about the game "fixing" U.S.-Chinese relations.

So, how did Helldivers players go from defending the in-game equivalent of Shanghai to writing thousands of negative reviews, many that read "99.98% complete"?

Here's a recap of the game's "Heart of Democracy" campaign, the great siege on Equality-on-Sea, and why the video game is currently getting review bombed.

What Is the 'Heart of Democracy' Campaign, and What Was Equality-on-Sea?

Released on May 20th, 2025, the "Heart of Democracy" campaign brought the Illuminate faction out of retirement to crash the party on Super Earth. Players were tasked with defending sprawling megacities like York Supreme (the universe's version of New York City), Prosperity City (the capital) and Equality-on-Sea (Shanghai) from an alien onslaught.

Helldivers had to protect civilians and prevent total collapse, but by May 28th, most cities had fallen, leaving only two holding firm: Prosperity, supposedly protected by scripted plot armor, and Equality-on-Sea, protected by an unexpected deluge of Chinese and international players.

What’s With All the Memes About “Chinadivers”?

With megacities like Eagleopolis and York Supreme obliterated, Helldivers from across the globe rallied to Equality-on-Sea. Soon, evidence of their valiant battle against the invaders began making its way online.

On May 21st, 2025, Bilibili user 三音の老刀 posted a highlight reel of a Chinese squad downing a Leviathan, drawing cheers on Reddit from user /u/Ok-Garbage5011's repost, which earned over 30,000 upvotes over the last nine days with the caption, "Chinese players taking down leviathans."

On May 28th, Redditor /u/leoooooooow shared an image from Chinese forum NGA of a U.S. and Chinese Helldiver shaking hands, one saying, "Sorry it took me so long," the other replying, "You’re right on time bro."

Also on May 28th, Redditor /u/Furphlog's Chad Xi Jinping meme about Chinese Helldivers defending Equality-on-Sea gathered over 17,000 upvotes on the subreddit /r/Helldivers in just two days.

Why Did Chinese Helldivers Review Bomb the Game?

Despite a valiant 99 percent defense rating by May 29th, Equality-on-Sea remained under siege by design. The city was part of an Illuminate-only Invasion Campaign, where the goal was to hold the line until the campaign ended, as the city couldn't be liberated until the Illuminate were defeated.

A mistranslation in the Chinese version misled many players into thinking they were fighting for full liberation, leading to widespread confusion and mounting frustration.

When the city didn't flip, some players accused Arrowhead of rigging the campaign. Amid the backlash, Redditor /u/HelloHelloItsMe_ begged for cool heads to prevail, sharing a Steam screenshot showing 2,000-plus negative reviews in a mere 24 hours, writing, "Can we not review-bomb the game because we’re losing a city? Please and thank you."

Also on May 29th, Redditor /u/Valkyrie_Yukikaze gave an extended rundown of why several Chinese players were review bombing the game on /r/Helldivers, explaining that an influx of new players and a mistranslated graphic led several Chinese players to believe that they were being treated unfairly by the game developers.

In the end, the "Heart of Democracy" campaign ended with Equality-on-Sea and Prosperity City barely surviving the Illuminate siege. Super Earth's president was reportedly killed in action, but for now, the planet stands, held by players who refused to let it fall.

As of May 30th, the recent Steam reviews, roughly 15,000 total, still hold at a "mixed" rating with 65 percent of players recommending the game, almost entirely due to the ongoing controversy.

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For the full history of Helldivers 2 Equality-on-Sea Chinese Review Bombing Controversy, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.