Update 22 will arrive in November with Lake Balaton and a brand-new vehicle type, with the development team’s current focus fully on the update. The update also outlines work on long-standing issues including severe FPS drops, Level 1 loadouts, crashes and freezes, microstuttering, ADS performance and hit registration.

Severe temporary FPS drops became considerably more prominent after Update 21. PC and console players have reported performance falling dramatically for several seconds before returning to normal. QA has reproduced the type of drop, giving the team an environment to capture and analyse performance data, but the root cause has not been identified. Targeted performance tests are isolating possible factors; QA and programming teams are actively working on one of their highest-priority performance investigations.

The Level 1 issue can temporarily show a player as Level 1 after joining, blocking previously unlocked loadouts until progression data reloads. The team has investigated before and added logging, but the problem remains difficult to reproduce consistently. The team initially believed crashes might be a main trigger; community reports showing it can also happen after regular game launches, map changes and between matches helped broaden the investigation. The issue remains high priority but needs dedicated engineering and QA time rather than a simple fix. More work is planned as part of wider quality-of-life and bug-fixing work going into 2027. The team is not promising a solution or date before that work is completed, but says the issue is known and not forgotten.

Crashes and freezes have multiple causes, so similar reports may require different fixes. A significant proportion, particularly on console, relate to memory usage. Memory optimisation is underway for Update 22 across maps including Juno Beach and Smolensk, covering runtime performance and memory usage. Some improvements are global and should benefit multiple maps; others are specific to individual environments. Not every crash will be resolved by these changes, and individual stability issues continue to be fixed when identified and reproduced.

Microstuttering is distinct from severe FPS drops, though the two can feel similar. It refers to shorter, intermittent hitches while moving through the world; some of it is tied to the challenges of managing Hell Let Loose’s large, detailed maps within the existing engine architecture. As players move, the game periodically updates how the world around them is positioned and processed, which can cause a brief hitch. Optimisation can reduce the impact by reducing and grouping the number of objects processed in an environment, but it cannot be fully solved with a single conventional bug fix; ongoing map and performance optimisation remains a focus.

Recent reports also describe stuttering or performance drops when aiming down sights. The team previously addressed a significant ADS-related performance issue and wants reports, including platform, map and weapon, to determine whether newer cases are related or different.

Hit registration is long-standing and complex because apparent problems can stem from player network conditions, server performance, server-client update timing and the game’s underlying architecture. An unstable connection, for example, can make the client represent an action differently from how the server processes it. Hell Let Loose now displays network warning indicators when connection quality deteriorates, and players are asked to note whether any were present when reporting hit-registration issues. Deeper technical limitations mean there is no single “hit registration bug” to fix. Ongoing server, map and general performance optimisation is intended to make client-server communication more stable and predictable, improving combat consistency. Confidence in gunfights is important to Hell Let Loose, and the area will remain under review.

When reporting an issue, players should include their platform, map, server population, what was happening immediately beforehand, whether the problem is repeatable, video or screenshots, and any network warning indicators shown in-game. VOIP reliability, visual and audio effects, network desync, Tactical Map behaviour and other UI and gameplay bugs are under internal review. The team will not necessarily cover every reported issue in community feedback posts and may not provide timelines where technical limitations prevent it, but it continues to review feedback and will share updates as development progresses.

Dev Brief #221 is Hell Let Loose's first Community Feedback update after Update 21, covering frame drops, controls, Practice Range/Explore Mode, stability, Armor/HE, Conquest, weapon audio, Rifle Grenades and Armor/Anti-Tank. Confirmed fixes and additions aim for Update 22 where possible, subject to development and testing. Future posts will appear when there is meaningful information.

• PC/console reports describe temporary significant framerate drops, especially on Carentan. No single cause identified; reports often involve higher-population servers.
• Optimisation continues across maps, vehicles, weapons, characters and memory. Juno Beach and Smolensk get specific map work; other maps follow later.
• Console reports cite crashes to title screen, connection losses and match completion issues, considered alongside performance.
• Server Browser filters often cause "No Compatible Servers"; check/broaden filters, especially on console.

• On PC, some custom bindings revert after death, redeployment or restarting.
• On console, new Rifle Grenade and Weapon Fire Selector controls can conflict with HUD controls and bipod mounting by layout; bipod overlap is known. Confirmed issues target Update 22 where possible.
• Practice Range and Explore Mode use listen servers, not dedicated multiplayer servers, so issues may not occur in standard matches. Under review: Rifle Grenade/Weapon Fire Selector problems there, including failing to return to standard rifle fire after using a Rifle Grenade launcher, plus Explore Mode weapon/screen shaking on some platforms.

• Update 21 Changelog tank HE values match implementation, but changing radius caused an unintended release miscalculation and less damage due to impact damage calculation. Update 22 fixes this, with more detail on HE Kill Radius and HE Explosion size.
• Conquest is not meant to replace Warfare, but another way to play. The team is reviewing feedback and gameplay data for future iteration, asking what works and what makes matches lose direction.

Weapon Fire Selectors required new audio handling; looping sustained-fire assets were replaced by single-shot assets, often edited from previous recordings with EQ matching to retain character and prevent cut-offs.

• MG34: previous looping audio plus sourced assets; further adjustments and a potential console fix planned for Update 22.
• Bren: very small changes; already used single-shot audio. Main Update 21 work addressed third-person issues.
• M1918A2 BAR: no audio changes in Update 21. Rate-of-fire changes may alter sound/feel; separate sound feedback from fire rate, recoil or handling.
• PPSh-41 and Thompson SMGs: moved from looping automatic-fire audio to individual-shot assets, using high proportions of previous assets. Feedback reviewed, especially character changes from Update 20 to Update 21.
• Breathing: assets updated to remove whistling and mouth sounds; trigger system unchanged, so some reports are longer-standing implementation and under review.

Audio feedback should include weapon, perspective, fire mode, platform and what sounds wrong.

Rifle Grenades were among Update 21's most positively received concepts, but feedback covers controls, selection, alignment, animation timings and balance.

• M1 Garand iron sights can appear slightly offset; this is a bug under investigation.
• Slower attach/detach is intentional: Rifle Grenades outrange hand-thrown grenades, reducing risk. For the Medic, this means choosing faster Smoke Grenades or Rifle Grenade range. Tuning is being reviewed for ammunition, range, grenade types and usability.
• Update 22: planting for indirect fire at approximate enemy positions without line of sight, e.g. Smoke or HE at a Capture Point from cover. Limits include few grenades, smaller explosions than dedicated indirect-fire weapons, slow reload/preparation and limited ammunition by role/loadout; they are not meant to compete with dedicated systems.

• Update 21's wider Armor changes got a mixed response. Crewman Blowtorches, improved tank smoke and expanded Luchs capabilities were generally positive. Armor versus infantry Anti-Tank is under review, plus new vehicles due in Update 22.
• US Anti-Tank standard loadout changed from M1 Garand to M1 Carbine. The previous loadout drew criticism for being too powerful. M1903A3 Springfield was tested on the Experimental Branch, but feedback suggested the M1 Carbine, introduced for Update 21. It is not necessarily final.

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!!