Hell Let Loose Update 22 is due in November 2026 with Lake Balaton (a winter map on the Eastern Front), a new class of vehicle the studio hasn't named yet, and an indirect fire mode for rifle grenades. Seelow Heights, the map the community voted for, has moved to 2027. There's no release day yet, so your server needs nothing today.
What's in the update
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton moves the fight to Hungary in the final months of the war in Europe, during Operation Spring Awakening. The studio describes it as "a distinct new Hell Let Loose battlefield, built around the scale, atmosphere and combined-arms combat that define the experience", set across a frozen landscape.
It wasn't the original plan for this slot. In Dev Brief #220 the team moved Seelow Heights into 2027 to give it more development time, and said "our winter update will now take players to the frozen landscape of Lake Balaton" instead.
A new class of vehicle
The studio hasn't named the vehicle or said what it does. Dev Brief #220 says "a new class of vehicle will also be rolling onto the battlefield with Update 22" and that the additions "will bring some serious firepower with them". Dev Brief #222 calls it "a brand new vehicle type". The armour balance discussion in Dev Brief #221 also mentions weighing tank changes against "new vehicles due to roll into the battlefield in Update 22", so tank and anti-tank balance may shift again when it arrives.
Rifle grenades: planting and indirect fire
Rifle grenades arrived in Update 21 as a hip- or shoulder-fired weapon. In Update 22, the studio says, "we're expanding Rifle Grenades with the ability to plant the weapon and use it for indirect fire". It's meant for when you know roughly where the enemy is but can't see them, such as enemies your squad has spotted behind a building, or for dropping Smoke or HE onto a Capture Point from a safer spot.
The studio says they won't compete with dedicated indirect-fire weapons. Planted rifle grenades stay limited by factors including:
- a small number of grenades
- smaller explosions than dedicated indirect-fire heavy weapons
- slow reload and preparation times
- ammunition that depends on role and loadout
Fixes promised for Update 22
The two Community Feedback briefs list several things aimed at this update:
- Tank HE damage. Update 21's change to the HE radius caused "a miscalculation on release, resulting in less damage being applied". The studio says this will be fixed in Update 22, with more detail on the HE kill radius and explosion size.
- MG34 audio. Further adjustments, plus a fix for a potential console audio issue, "have already been submitted and are currently planned to arrive with Update 22".
- Controls and keybinds. Conflicts such as the rifle grenade and fire selector controls overlapping bipod mounting on console are targeted for Update 22 "where possible, subject to development and testing".
- Map optimisation. Work "is underway across maps including Juno Beach and Smolensk, covering both runtime performance and memory usage". Some of the memory improvements in development are global changes.
Two problems are not on the Update 22 list. The studio still hasn't found the root cause of the severe FPS drops reported since Update 21, and the Level 1 loadout bug is planned for work going into 2027.
What your server needs to do
Nothing yet. Around release:
- Keep a note of your current map rotation, admins, admin permissions, VIPs and bans before anything changes, so you can put them back if an edit goes wrong.
- Get the server onto Update 22 as soon as it's out. After past updates the studio has told server managers to "contact your GSP and apply the update as soon as possible".
- Add Lake Balaton to your rotation. Rotation lines are layer IDs such as
foy_warfareorkursk_warfare, but newer maps don't follow one pattern and the studio's changelogs have never listed them, so get the Lake Balaton IDs from your host rather than guessing. - If you run CRCON, wait for the CRCON release that adds Lake Balaton before you use map voting or its rotation tools with the new map.
Hell Let Loose server files aren't a public SteamCMD download, so the update reaches your server through your host rather than a command you run yourself.
Tip: On LOW.MS, open a ticket from the control panel (Support, then New ticket) if you'd like help adding Lake Balaton to your rotation once Update 22 is live.
The Hell Let Loose map guide for server operators covers how the existing maps play in rotation, and the Hell Let Loose server hosting page has the plans.
What's coming next
- Before release: Lake Balaton on the Experimental Branch. The studio said "Experimental Branches will be hosted over the coming months" ahead of the map's full release. Update 21 had two Experimental Branch tests, from 7 August and 4 September, before it shipped on 23 September, so a Lake Balaton playtest post is the best early sign of the release day. During the Update 19 playtest the studio asked for Smolensk to be "the only map in rotation for this test", so expect a similar request.
- November 2026: Update 22. Dev Brief #222 says it "will be dropping just next month in November" and gives no day.
- Around the end of the year: the 2027 Roadmap. Dev Brief #220 says the roadmap will be revealed "closer to the end of the year and the release of Update 22".
- 2027: Seelow Heights.
FAQ
Can my community server join the Update 22 Experimental Branch?
Previously, yes. For the Conquest playtest the studio said "server owners can host their own community servers on the branch" and asked them to contact their GSP to be moved onto it. It hasn't said yet whether Lake Balaton's playtest works the same way.
Will CRCON support Lake Balaton on day one?
That depends on a CRCON release. CRCON keeps its own list of maps and layers, so a new map needs an update to it. Version 12.3.0, which added Update 21's Conquest maps, came out on Update 21's release day.
Will Update 22 fix the FPS drops from Update 21?
Not confirmed. The studio says its QA team can now reproduce the drops but hasn't found the cause yet.
Do I need to change my server config for Update 22?
Only to add Lake Balaton to your map rotation. The studio hasn't announced any changes to server settings, ports or config files for this update.
Sources: Dev Brief #222, Dev Brief #221, Dev Brief #220, Dev Brief #219, Dev Brief #213, Experimental Branch #1 for Update 19, Update 20 DX12 & WinStore, CRCON releases