The U21 Experimental Branch playtest for Hell Let Loose is live on Steam now. It includes the Conquest game mode, five new weapons, rifle grenades, fire-mode selectors, loadout changes and armour/anti-tank changes. In this test, all new weapons are unlocked by default.

Switch to the branch in Steam via Hell Let Loose > Properties > Betas, then select Exp_Branch.

Share feedback in the U21 Feedback Form, report bugs through the U21 Bugs Form, and see the Dev Brief #220 post for the full breakdown of what's coming in Update 21.

The experimental build introduces:

• M1903A3 Springfield (US)
• ROKS 2 flamethrower (Soviets)
• M7 grenade launcher for the M1 Garand (US)
• Schiessbecher grenade launcher for the Karabiner 98k (Germany)
• No.1 MK I cup discharger grenade launcher for the SMLE No.1 MK III EY (Britain and Canada)

At release these will be locked behind their respective loadout levels, but they are fully unlocked for testing on the branch.

Rifle grenades are a new hybrid weapon type: players can use the weapon normally or fire grenades from it. Hold Caps Lock on keyboard or right d-pad on controller to open the radial wheel of available grenade types, or tap the button to quick-swap to the most recently selected grenade. Swapping takes time and depends on whether the weapon has been fired.

Available rifle grenades include frag grenades with an explosion radius similar to thrown frags, smoke grenades, and AT grenades with a smaller radius but light armour penetration — enough to handle lighter tanks from the rear, structures (but not garrisons), and the tracks of medium and heavy tanks. Although some historical rifle grenades used timed fuses, all of them act as impact grenades here.

The following weapons can now toggle between their historical fire modes:

• MG34
• FG42
• STG 44
• BAR (fast and slow auto)
• Thompson M1
• Thompson M1928a1
• Bren Gun
• Sten Gun Mk2
• Sten Gun Mk2 (Canadian)
• Sten Gun Mk5
• PPSH 41

Fire modes are currently toggled by pressing Caps Lock.

Factions with rifle grenades receive new loadouts:

• Rifleman — level 8, with a rifle grenade carrying 4 frag and 2 smoke grenades
• Medic — level 6, with a rifle grenade carrying 6 smoke grenades
• Engineer — level 8, with a rifle grenade carrying 3 AT, 2 frag and 1 smoke grenade

Other loadout changes:

• US Rifleman gains a new level 6 “Marksman” loadout with the M1903A3 Springfield and an explosive ammo box.
• US Tank Commander’s default weapon switches from the Thompson to the M3 Grease Gun.
• The blowtorch is now available on all default Crewman loadouts.
• The Technician wrench can now build nodes.
• Default US Anti-tank primary changes from the M1 Garand to the M1 Carbine; the level 3 loadout keeps the Garand.
• US Operator’s default primary becomes the Springfield M1903A3.

SPA gunner seats now have one additional zoom level. The default SPA in each team’s HQ will also auto-respawn after being destroyed, on a 7 minute 30 second timer, similar to most non-heavy tanks.

Hell Let Loose's 2026 roadmap is shifting. The community-voted Seelow Heights map is now planned for 2027, with extra development time set aside to deliver it at the expected quality. The winter update will instead feature Lake Balaton, a new Eastern Front map set in Hungary during Operation Spring Awakening. Experimental Branch playtests for the frozen map will run over the coming months, while bug fixing and performance work across all platforms continue. The next roadmap, covering 2027, is expected closer to the end of the year and the release of Update 22.

Update 21 remains the next major update. It adds the iron-sighted M1903A3 Springfield and an updated M1903A4 Springfield model for the US, plus the long-requested ROKS 2 Flamethrower for the Soviets. Rifle grenade launchers are also arriving for the M1 Garand (M7 Grenade Launcher), Karabiner 98k (Schiessbecher), and SMLE No.1 MK III EY (No.1 MK I Cup Discharger), with HE, smoke, and anti-tank grenades. They can be fired from the hip or shoulder in Update 21; planting and indirect-fire use is planned for Update 22.

New loadouts include a Level 6 US Rifleman with the M1903A3 and an explosive ammo box, a Level 8 Soviet Support with the ROKS 2, and new rifle-grenade loadouts for all appropriate factions: Level 8 Rifleman (4 HE, 2 smoke), Level 6 Medic (6 smoke), and Level 8 Engineer (3 AT, 2 HE, 1 smoke). Existing loadouts also change. Based on playtest feedback, the default US Anti-Tank primary is now the M1 Carbine; the default US Tank Commander primary is the M3 Grease gun; every default Crewman role across all factions gets a Blowtorch; the default Engineer primary for both British factions is now the Rifle No 4 MK 1; and German DAK M43 grenades are replaced with M24 grenades for historical accuracy.

Fire-mode selectors are coming to historically appropriate weapons, letting players swap between semi-auto and full-auto (slow and fast auto on the BAR). The list includes the MG34, FG42, STG 44, M1918A2 BAR, M1A1 and M1928A1 Thompsons, Bren Gun, Sten Gun Mk.II, Mk.II (Canadian), Mk.V, and PPSH 41. The STG 44 and Bren get slight recoil increases, and a bug that applied almost all Bren recoil as screen shake is fixed.

Conquest also arrives in Update 21, following significant iteration since the earlier Conquest v2 playtest. For armor, the Luchs is reworked to better fight enemy armor while keeping its anti-infantry role; tank smoke launchers produce larger, longer-lasting smoke screens; and a balance pass touches HE splash radius, ammunition counts, and fuel costs. Buildable AT guns turn faster, have updated rotation limits, and received a damage pass. The default HQ SPA auto-respawns 7 minutes and 30 seconds after destruction without counting toward the vehicle limit, and the gunner seat gets a single zoom level.

See the first Update 21 Experimental Branch dev brief for an early look at other changes.

Update 22 is planned for later this year and returns to the Eastern Front with Lake Balaton. It also introduces a new vehicle class with serious firepower, though details are still under wraps. Seelow Heights remains slated for 2027, alongside community-requested features and improvements in the next roadmap.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam has officially launched across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The launch follows the Crossplay Playtest, with the team saying it has made performance, stability, gameplay, and audio fixes since then.

Players can fight across six maps at launch: Thanh Hóa Bridge, Huế Outskirts, Vạn Tường, Quảng Ngãi, Đắk Tô Airfield, and Cam Ranh Port. The maps span dense jungles, remote villages, waterways, and open terrain. Read the Launch Maps blog for a closer look at each battlefield.

The launch lineup includes four modes: Warfare, Offensive, Conquest, and Domination. Two return from the original Hell Let Loose, while two make their debut in Vietnam. The Game Modes blog explains how each mode works and what teams need to do to win.

The Hell Let Loose: Vietnam roadmap will be revealed on August 19. The team adds that known issues are already being addressed as part of upcoming live service updates. For a breakdown of changes since the playtest, check the Top 5 Things To Know Before Launch blog, or grab the game on Steam.

Hell Let Loose's first Update 21 Experimental Branch playtest goes live Friday 7 August at 6am PDT | 9am EDT | 2pm BST | 3pm CEST, and it's a substantial one. Update 21, due later this year, brings Conquest to the game alongside two new Springfield rifles, a fire-selector system, major armor changes, and a higher vehicle spawn limit. The branch will be live through the weekend on Steam, with the team asking players to fill in a feedback form after playing.

Conquest, previously tested in v1 and v2 earlier in 2026, is officially joining Hell Let Loose in Update 21 and is also one of the four game modes planned for Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. This playtest runs Conquest on Juno Beach – Day and Carentan – Day. The team points to an earlier Dev Diary with Matt and Xander covering the mode's fundamentals.

Two weapons join the test: the M1903A3 Springfield bolt-action for the US Forces, and the M1903A4 Springfield, which replaces the existing Springfield Sniper rifle. More weapons are planned for future Experimental Branches.

Weapons that historically had fire-select modes now support switching. The playtest maps feature US, Canadian, and German forces, so the available weapons in matches are:

• MG34
• FG42
• STG 44
• BAR (fast and slow auto)
• Thompson M1
• Thompson M1928a1
• Bren Gun
• Sten Gun MK2
• Sten Gun MK2 (Canadian)
• Sten Gun Mk5
• PPSH 41

Other weapons can still be tested in the Practice Range. Fire modes are currently toggled with Caps Lock, and the switch audio and animations are a work in progress.

• Rifleman: new level 6 US loadout "Marksman," equipped with an M1903A3 Springfield and an explosive ammo box. It has no level requirement in the Experimental Branch.
• US Tank Commander's default weapon changes from the Thompson to the M3 Grease Gun.
• The blowtorch is now available on all default Crewman loadouts.
• The Technician wrench can now build nodes.
• Default US Anti-tank primary weapon changes from the M1 Garand to the M1903A3 Springfield.

Handling changes are also being tested:

• Weapon sway has been increased visually on the M1 Garand, M1903A3 Springfield, Kar 98k, SMLE No 1 MK III, and all non-sniper Mosin Nagant variants. The team says it should not affect accuracy when aiming.
• The STG 44 has received a small recoil increase.
• The Bren Gun has greatly reduced visual screen shake and slightly increased recoil, matching its actual recoil more closely.

• Commander ability vehicle spawn limit increased from 5 to 8.
• The Luchs can now damage the engines of all tanks, and can damage and destroy any Light tank from the rear. Recon tanks are work in progress but will behave the same.

Armor roles have been rebalanced:

• Heavy tanks now focus on anti-tank work, carrying more AP and less HE.
• Medium tanks focus on anti-infantry, carrying more HE and less AP.
• The Sherman Jumbo 75 remains the exception as a heavy anti-infantry tank.
• HE blast radius has been adjusted, with medium tanks getting a larger radius than most heavies.

Other armor changes:

• Increased turret rotation speeds for several German and British tanks.
• Firefly damage increased.
• Fuel costs adjusted for the Panzer IV and Sherman Medium.
• Improved low-speed handling for the Sherman Medium.
• Experimental collision and physics improvements for the Panzer IV, aimed at reducing unexpected tank flips and launches.
• All SPAs now have an extra gunner zoom level.

Survivability changes:

• Heavy tank front hull resistance: 32% → 36%; side hull: 16% → 28%.
• Panther upper side hull resistance: 16% → 23%.
• Medium tank front hull resistance: 16% → 30%.

All vehicles' salvaged fuel returns have been increased, landing between 1.5x and 2x their previous amount.

The test includes a work-in-progress prone collision system designed to reduce player models clipping into walls, terrain, and other objects. Players may be gently pushed when rotating near obstacles. The team acknowledges existing issues and wants feedback on the early implementation.

The Experimental Branch is live through the weekend. War Correspondents including SoulSniper, TheFreshBakedGoods, and RubberDuck are hosting a "Server Slam Community Event" on Saturday 8 August at 10am PDT | 1pm EDT | 6pm BST | 7pm CEST.

Latest War Correspondent videos:

- McBluffin
- SoulSniper
- IronHeart
- RubberDuck
- DasAltberg

I was banned from the server after merely pointing out to an admin that he doesn't have to yell around permanently. Instead of resolving the situation reasonably, they directly responded with a ban – without warning or comprehensible explanation.

Such a thin-skinned handling of absolutely justified criticism is simply inappropriate for a game that heavily relies on teamwork and communication. Especially from admins, one should be able to expect a minimum of professionalism and self-control.

Additionally, it is particularly negative that the provided Discord link does not work. Thus it is not even possible to question the ban or make contact. This not only seems disorganized but rather gives the impression that criticism is intentionally being avoided.

Overall, the server leaves a very bad impression: questionable admin decisions, admins acting like gods, no transparent handling of players, and no functioning communication channels. I absolutely cannot recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"The Best Hell Let Loose Experience I've Had – Hands Down."

If you're serious about Hell Let Loose, the UK Let Loose (UKLL) server is where you want to be.

From the moment I joined, I could feel the difference — active comms, real teamwork, and battles that feel like something straight out of Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan. This isn’t your average public server filled with lone wolves and chaos — UKLL is where strategy, communication, and intensity come together.

The community is top-tier — friendly, welcoming, but also deadly serious when it's time to push the objective. There’s a solid admin team keeping the server clean, and regular players who actually know how to play the game properly. No more getting frustrated with uncoordinated squads or silent SLs.

Want more than just pub games? UKLL also runs:

Competitive events (like Squad Line Battles and 49vs49 scrims)

Training nights and community events

And even UK vs the World showdown matches — total chaos, total fun.

Seeding starts early every day (16:00 UK time), so you’re almost always guaranteed a full server during peak hours. And if you're new? You’ll find veterans who are happy to guide you — it’s a perfect place to learn and level up your game.

Honestly, I’ve played on a lot of HLL servers… but UK Let Loose is the one I keep coming back to. If you want an immersive, action-packed, and community-driven experience — this is it. Nothing beats it!!