Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Is Officially Live After Nearly Two-Month Delay

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launched August 13, 2026, bringing Team17 and Expression Games’ hardcore 50v50 tactical shooter into the Vietnam War, nearly two months after its original June date slipped. Servers went live simultaneously worldwide at 9:00 AM PDT (4:00 PM UTC) across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, dropping players straight into jungle warfare between the US Armed Forces and the North Vietnamese Army.

The delay followed an open beta that drew more than 350,000 players and peaked at roughly 24,000 concurrent users on Steam, feedback the developers say directly shaped the finished game.

What We Know About the Launch

Expression Games and Team17 confirmed the delay back in June, pushing the release from its original June 18 date to give the team more time to address issues the open beta surfaced. The developers thanked the beta’s players directly in a June announcement, and the studio’s official blog confirmed the finished build addressed performance, stability, gameplay, and audio issues identified during that test period.

At launch, the game ships with six large-scale maps built around real-world Vietnam War locations, alongside buildable tunnel networks, helicopters, patrol boats, and tanks supporting combined-arms combat. Players choose one of 17 specialized roles within 50-strong teams, split into multiple squads per side. Four game modes are available at launch, with two returning from the original Hell Let Loose and two built new for the Vietnam setting.

The game is a current-generation release only, with no last-gen console version planned. The PS5 listing offers both a standard edition and a Deluxe Edition, the latter bundling the 2026 Field Supplies pack, an NVA Boat Crew Uniform, and two additional cosmetic packs scheduled for later this year: an ANZAC and NVA pack in Q3 2026 and a Green Berets and Navy SEAL pack in Q4 2026. Multiplayer requires PS Plus on console, and the game asks for roughly 30GB of storage on PC.

Why This Launch Matters for the Hell Let Loose Series

Vietnam marks the franchise’s first major departure from its World War II roots since the original Hell Let Loose released in 2021, and Team17 has been clear that building a second development team for this spinoff wasn’t meant to slow work on the original game. Choosing the Vietnam War as the backdrop also fills a gap the studio has pointed to directly, noting the conflict hasn’t been the centerpiece of a major release in years.

The extended delay carries its own signal about how the developers are approaching launch quality. Rather than shipping to hit the original June date, the team used direct beta feedback across performance, gameplay, and audio to shape the final build, a decision that should matter more to the hardcore tactical shooter audience this game is built for than a few extra weeks of wait time.

What’s Next

The developers have already started previewing future plans through a Command Post Developer Q&A series, covering both the development process so far and what could come next for the game. Players interested in the roadmap should keep an eye on that ongoing series for details beyond launch-day content.

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