Def Brief

Welcome to the Vietnam War

We are thrilled to announce our next chapter: Hell Let Loose: Vietnam.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is the first new entry in the Hell Let Loose franchise, transporting the series into the Vietnam War. It builds on everything that made our World War Two-based Hell Let Loose so popular, including large-scale 50 vs 50 battles, immersive realism, and deep strategic gameplay. This new title takes advantage of the change in setting to deliver fresh gameplay systems and new ways to fight. Expect era-specific weapons, environments, and challenges, from brutal jungle combat to tense tactical scenarios where success depends on coordination, strategy, and teamwork, reimagined for an entirely different battlefield.

Hell Let Loose sets itself apart in the FPS genre with it’s platoon-based, hardcore FPS gameplay where victory cannot be achieved alone. Only through teamwork, tactics, and clear communication with your squad will you secure objectives, outmaneuver the enemy, and fight for every inch of ground. Nothing else matters.

Launching in 2026, experience the Vietnam War next year and fight your way across Vietnam in sprawling, meticulously crafted maps inspired by real operations and locations from the conflict. This is a brand-new experience, bringing fresh gameplay systems and new ways to fight, all while delivering the immersive theatre-of-war atmosphere that players fell in love with in the original.

The Battle for Vietnam

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam covers the Vietnam War beginning in 1965, focusing on the conflict between the United States Armed Forces (US Forces) and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The game features a wide range of historically authentic uniforms, weapons, vehicles, and armor, faithfully recreating the equipment and atmosphere of the era.

Welcome to the Jungle

With Hell Let Loose: Vietnam taking us to a new conflict, we’ve introduced a range of features that give players fresh ways to fight, counter the enemy, and outmanoeuvre opposing forces.

The first major change is the setting itself. Battles unfold across dramatic terrain including dense jungles, rice fields, beaches, rivers, and rolling hills.

For map development, we drew inspiration from key events, locations, and operations of the Vietnam War. This approach has produced six distinctive maps for launch, with more to come in future updates.

While not exact recreations of real-world sites, each map is grounded in real operations and locations from the conflict to ensure authenticity. Maps have been chosen for both their significance and their varied environments, with each offering a unique identity and distinct gameplay experience. Map designs draw from pivotal moments in the war, such as Operation Starlite and Operation Piranha.

Traversing the Battlefield

Look Up!

When recreating the Vietnam War, one key element cannot be overlooked: helicopters. In Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, the US Forces will have access to fully operational helicopters designed for rapid troop deployment, dropping supplies, as well as extraction from the fight to reposition forces elsewhere. These versatile units play a critical role in transporting soldiers to landing zones, delivering supplies to tactical locations, conducting reconnaissance, and providing aerial firepower.

We will share much more detail on how helicopters function in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam in a future developer brief, so keep an eye out for upcoming news.

Helicopters HLLV Helicopters featured in the Hell Let Loose: Vietnam reveal trailer

Hidden Paths to Victory

While the US Forces dominate the skies, the NVA will operate more covertly with the ability to construct extensive tunnel networks across the battlefield. These tunnels expand on the existing Garrison system from Hell Let Loose, allowing troops to redeploy quickly across the map through player-constructed tunnel entrances.

These underground systems provide significant strategic advantages, enabling surprise attacks, hidden troop movements, and rapid redeployment. For the NVA, mastering underground tactics will be essential to securing victory.

Tunnel HLLV NVA tunnel featured in the Hell Let Loose: Vietnam reveal trailer

War on the Water

In Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, each map has been carefully designed around extensive river networks. The US Forces will command heavily armed vessels, including the iconic U.S. Patrol Boat River the PBR, as they face up against the Vietnamese boats, masters of stealth within Vietnam’s intricate waterways.

Control of the rivers could make the difference between victory and defeat.

PBR featured in the Hell Let Loose: Vietnam reveal trailer

What this means for Hell Let Loose?

Our World War Two-based Hell Let Loose is incredibly important to us and our players. We can reassure you all that Team17 remains fully committed to the franchise. To bring Hell Let Loose: Vietnam to life, Expression have built a second team in order to support both titles simultaneously. One game will never come at the expense of the other. Our focus remains on growing and improving both experiences for our players.

Running both games side by side allows them to benefit from shared updates and improvements, enhancing the overall experience for the players as we continue to support both titles.

The key differences between Hell Let Loose and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?

As Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a brand-new standalone entry in the Hell Let Loose franchise, it has allowed us to upgrade and overhaul many core systems that are challenging to change when supporting a live service title.

This includes a full upgrade to Unreal Engine 5, bringing significant improvements in performance, visuals, and gameplay systems. Much of the codebase has been reworked from the ground up to support fresh mechanics, features, visual and audio enhancements. These foundational updates are a major reason why Hell Let Loose: Vietnam stands as its own experience.

While the setting is different and there are fresh ways to traverse the battlefield and play, the core gameplay remains true to Hell Let Loose. Our aim was to never take anything away from what makes Hell Let Loose unique. Instead, this heading to Vietnam allows us to bring in long-requested features that the community have been asking for.

Expect overhauled tutorials for first-time players, expanded roles such as mortar squads, enhanced commander abilities, and much more.

FAQs

If you have questions about Hell Let Loose: Vietnam or what this means for Hell Let Loose, check out our FAQ page. We’ll keep it updated as new questions come in, so you’ll always have the latest information.

The Jungle Awaits - Launching in 2026

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is coming to players in 2026 and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC on Steam, Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store, and is available to wishlist now.

We will be able to give a specific release date closer to launch and will keep fans updated with the latest news along the way.

While Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is in development, Team17 and Expression Games remain committed to our amazing community. Players of the original Hell Let Loose can continue to expect new content and ongoing support.

You can join the community today on Discord and Reddit, and stay up to date with the latest announcements by following us on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

HLLV - Key Art

Introducing Hell Let Loose: Vietnam

Patch 1.3 | Full Changelog

Community Update #2 | Command Post | Hell Let Loose: Vietnam

2026 Roadmap | Hell Let Loose: Vietnam

Patch 1.2 | Full Changelog | Hell Let Loose: Vietnam