Hell Let Loose: Vietnam takes the brutal, team-driven framework of its World War II-era predecessor and extracts it into one of history’s most unconventional conflicts. Studio Expression Games, alongside publisher Team17, reckon the Vietnam War is underrepresented in games, so their upcoming game aims to both honour the conflict’s complex history while delivering a fresh, formidable new entry worthy of the Hell Let Loose mantle. With renewed focus on authenticity, with dense jungle firefights and river-based combat, to helicopter deployment and underground tunnels, this standalone entry is set to sharpen the series’ hardcore edges. Whether you’re a returning veteran or a curious newcomer, here are 16 key things you should know before buying Hell Let Loose: Vietnam.
A Standalone Experience
An all-new experience, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is not an expansion nor DLC. Instead, taking every element of its World War II-era forebear – brutal gunplay, shifting frontlines, real-time strategic teamwork – studio Expression Games has created a standalone entry that’s arguably more hardcore. Indeed, inserting into the sweltering Vietnamese jungle, you’ll experience the relentless intensity that defines one of the most brutal, unconventional conflicts in history.
Unreal Engine 5 Brings More Than Overhauled Visuals
While the WWII original runs on Unreal Engine 4, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam shifts to Unreal Engine 5, enabling fresh mechanics and gameplay systems alongside visual and performance overhauls. There are new ways to traverse the battleground, each offering new modes of attack, plus more dynamic equipment, squad, and environmental interactions, demanding stronger tactical decision-making beyond the introduction of better lighting and denser foliage.
A Fully Reworked Audio Engine
Audio has been fully reworked from the ground up, with a new system focused on piercing clarity. Enhanced spatialisation makes it easier to track enemy movements, while remodelled acoustics ensure custom weapon and vehicle sounds are authentic across different environments. Proximity chat and squad-based communication has also been refined, making coordination feel more immersive across vast, extreme landscapes.
50v50 Multiplayer With Defined Roles
Like its predecessor, matches are fought in large-scale, 50v50 battles where teamwork, communication, and tactical coordination are paramount. You can choose from an array of specialised roles – grenadiers, machine gunners, snipers, and more included – each contributing to the wider war effort. Whether fighting for the both factions which or the North Vietnamese Army – the NVA – clearing objectives, depends on understanding your role within the squad and broader battlefield strategy.
A “Sensitive” and Authentic Vietnam War Setting
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is aiming for a respectful yet authentic depiction of the conflict. For starters, there are unpredictable frontlines; indeed, 360-degree guerilla combat is amongst the war’s defining struggles, where battles could unfold across land, water, and air. The game’s skirmishes are spread across six expansive maps – from vast mountain gorges to dense jungle – each designed to reflect the real-life intensity brought by varied terrain.
Six Distinct Game Modes
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launches with six distinct gameplay modes. Warfare Mode returns with its sector-based tug-of-war for control, while Offensive Mode splits each side into either attackers or defenders. New additions include Conquest and Domination – the former a morale-based clash, with the latter a CoD-style objectives battle – and while two more modes are incoming, full details on what these entail are yet to emerge.
Fully Operational Helicopters
One of Hell Let Loose: Vietnam’s standout additions is the introduction of helicopters, and these aren’t just a flashy form of traversal but a fully operational support line which plays a varied, yet critical, role throughout combat. You can use them to deploy troops to sectors unreachable on foot, provide aerial firepower, or gather reconnaissance from above. For US forces, mastering air mobility will be key to controlling the battlefield, coordinating assaults, and countering the NVA’s shrewdest counters.
Vietnamese Tunnel Networks
And, speaking of the NVA’s most underhanded tactics, if you play as Vietnamese forces you’ll gain access to a subterranean tunnel system, offering unique if potentially overpowered advantages. Perhaps the key definer of Hell Let Loose: Vietnam’s asymmetrical multi-player design, these user-defined networks allow for stealthy movement, ambush tactics, and rapid, perhaps unknowable, repositioning. For US Army players, learning how to detect and counter these hidden pathways – possibly via a helicopter’s eye view – will be crucial to maintaining control of contested areas.
Combat Expands to Waterways
Now, while the US cannot access Vietnamese tunnels, both factions dominate the jungle’s waterways. Taking control of iconic US PBR boats, you can navigate extensive river networks that cut through thick jungle maps. Aquatic traversal opens new flanking routes and relocation opportunities, bringing a unique strategic edge for US forces which, when combined with the helicopter’s aerial dominance, should balance against the subterranean subterfuge.
Mortar Squads are Tactically Distinct
Three-man mortar squads look set to be one of the game’s most quietly pivotal support roles. Operating behind enemy lines, mortar squads can deliver suppressive, indirect fire on enemy strongholds, disrupt advancing opposition, or mount a defensive setup. When used effectively, three-man mortar squads have potential to directly influence the tide of battle without needing to engage in direct combat.
Royal Armouries Collaboration
Reinforcing authenticity further is Expression Games’ collaboration with the Royal Armouries – the UK’s foremost collection of historical arms and armour. This partnership aims to ensure that weapons, gear, and equipment are faithfully recreated, with the studio capturing video, scans, and audio recordings of period-correct weaponry from the museum’s extensive collection. This layer of historical accuracy grounds the game in the real-world, showing that the theatrical horror of war is enough to maximise immersion without relying on artistic exaggeration.
Refined Movement
Movement in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam has been significantly refined, expanded to encompass new mechanics like swimming, climbing, and fast crawling. You can also drag injured teammates out of danger, reinforcing the importance of teamwork. These additions are poised to make navigation frictionless and fluid while opening up new possibilities for combat and squad preservation.
Improved Onboarding for New Players
Recognising the steep learning curve for new players, for this game Expression Games has developed new and improved onboarding systems. Revamped tutorials and guidance aim to make the game’s mechanics and objectives clearer, with a reworked user interface helping you to understand your role more quickly without diluting the depth that veterans expect.
Launch Date, Platforms, and Price
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on 13 August. The Standard Edition is currently priced at $39.99, while the Deluxe Edition – including exclusive uniform packs – is retailing for $59.99. At the time of writing, a 10% pre-order discount is currently live. Other things to note: full cross-play will be enabled at launch, and the developers have confirmed that future DLC is planned although specific information hasn’t yet been shared.
PC Requirements
At a minimum, your PC setup will need an Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 GPU. Recommended hardware, however, details an Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 5 7600K processor and GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics which should yield 60fps performance at 1440p. Regardless of your setup, you’ll need at least 50GB or storage.
Open Beta Faced Performance Issues
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam had completed its open beta phase, and while the game’s visuals, gritty intensity, and broad tactical options received praise, there are numerous performance concerns which Expression Games will look to address. Notably, inconsistent texture loading, blurry environments, and staggered soldier animations point to a server-side issue, but there’s no need to raise the alarm just yet – this is why developers host betas in the first place, and one of the reasons why the game was delayed to August.
