Updated August 1: this post originally went up in mid-May built around a June 18 release date. Team17 has since delayed the game, so I've rewritten it around what's actually true now. The short of it: Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launches August 13, 2026.
Team17 and Expression Games locked the original date in on May 14, then moved it on June 2 – the day after the open beta wrapped – saying the extra time goes on performance, stability and overall gameplay quality. Given that performance was the beta's loudest complaint, that reads as the right call rather than a worrying one. Meanwhile I've kept getting asked the same five or six questions about the game on tickets and Discord, so here's everything we actually know in one place – and honesty about the bits that still haven't been confirmed.
If you want the TL;DR before you scroll:
- Release date: August 13, 2026 digital, delayed from June 18.
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store.
- Editions: Standard £34.99 / $44.99, Deluxe £54.99 / $59.99. Pre-orders get a US Army Boat Crew uniform.
- Testing so far: the open beta ran May 29 to June 1 and pulled over 350,000 players. A full crossplay playtest followed on July 24 to 27.
- Crossplay: yes, and bigger than anyone expected in May – PC, PS5 and Xbox in one pool, with server-level platform controls.
- Hosting/dedicated servers: no public server tool announced. We're watching, and I'll come back to this one.
Is this a sequel, an expansion, or what?
It's a standalone game. You don't need the original Hell Let Loose to play it, and it's a separate Steam app ID (3079210 if you want to find it). The "Vietnam" subtitle and the trailer dropping into the same franchise has confused a lot of people – I've already had a few tickets asking "do I need to migrate my server", and the answer is no, this is a brand new product on a brand new SKU.
It's built on Unreal Engine 5 rather than UE4 (which the original still runs on), so under the hood it's a different beast. Expression Games are the developer and Team17 publish, same combo as the original.
The dates, take two
May 29 to June 1: the open beta. Done and dusted – over 350,000 players joined across the weekend, which is exactly the kind of load a 50v50 game needs testing under. It also surfaced enough performance issues that Team17 decided launch needed more time.
June 2: the delay announcement. Launch moved from June 18 to August 13. The stated reasons are performance, stability and gameplay quality, which matches what beta players were reporting.
July 24 to 27: the crossplay playtest. The first cross-platform test, with PC, PS5 and Xbox players in the same matches. More on what that revealed below, because it settled the crossplay question properly.
August 13, 2026: full digital launch. All three platforms simultaneously, including both PC storefronts plus the Microsoft Store version on PC.
Physical editions: boxed PS5 and Xbox copies were originally slated for August 4, back when that meant six weeks after digital. Team17 hasn't re-confirmed the physical schedule since the delay, so if you must have the disc, check the official store closer to launch rather than taking the old date as gospel.
What's actually in the Deluxe Edition?
Team17 hasn't published a full content breakdown yet, but from the Steam listings and the studio's announcement posts:
- The Standard edition is the base game at £34.99 / $44.99 (10% off currently as a pre-order discount).
- The Deluxe edition is £54.99 / $59.99, and includes the base game plus a content bundle whose exact contents the studio has been a bit cagey about. Historically Team17's HLL deluxe bundles have been cosmetic uniform packs, season-pass-style content drops and bonus loadout options. I'd expect something in that ballpark, not gameplay-altering items.
- The Boat Crew uniform is a pre-order bonus on both editions, not a deluxe exclusive.
If you're on the fence, nothing about the deluxe bundle has emerged as essential, and you can always upgrade later if you're loving it.
Crossplay – this changed completely, in a good way
When I first wrote this post, the honest answer was the original HLL's architecture: consoles together, PC separate. That's dead. Vietnam launches with full crossplay between PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S – all three platform families in one player pool, which is exactly what the July playtest existed to prove out.
The more interesting half for anyone who runs servers: platform access is a server-level choice. During the playtest Team17 ran console-only servers alongside the default full-crossplay pool, and in the July 31 developer Q&A they said it outright: server owners will be able to configure which platforms can access their servers – full crossplay, PC-only or console-only. The reason they gave is input parity, mouse-and-keyboard against controller. If you're planning a community server, that's the single most interesting setting this game has, and I'll have a proper piece on how to think about the choice before launch.
One caveat from the playtest worth knowing: progression, XP and unlocks earned in the playtest don't carry into the full game, and the playtest ran as a separate app entirely.
What about dedicated servers and hosting?
Here's where I still have to be straight with you: Team17 hasn't announced how community servers will work in Vietnam. The original runs a partner-program model where only approved hosts can rent out servers, and we're one of those partners. Everything public still points at the same model for Vietnam – and the confirmed server-side platform controls above tell us server-level configuration is real, they just haven't said who gets to run the servers.
Will my vanilla HLL server "upgrade" to Vietnam?
No. They're separate products and will be separate server SKUs if Vietnam ever opens to hosting. Your existing original-HLL server will keep running on the original game, and a Vietnam server (if and when that exists) will be a fresh order.
Same goes for save data, ranks and unlocks – nothing carries over.
Hardware – the real numbers are in
The Steam page finally lists system requirements, and they confirm what the beta suggested: UE5 wants a modern rig. Minimum is an Intel Core i5-11600K or Ryzen 5 5600X with an RTX 2060 or RX 5700, targeting 1080p at 60fps. Recommended climbs to an i5-12600K or Ryzen 5 7600X with an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT for 1440p at 60fps. Both carry a "subject to change" note, and you'll want 50 GB free either way.
If you're on AMD graphics, two more things worth knowing: some AMD GPUs hit crashes during the playtest that Expression Games attribute mostly to known driver issues, and FSR support is planned for launch.
Anti-cheat and account stuff
Vietnam uses Easy Anti-Cheat (same as the original), which runs at kernel level on PC. If you've played the original you already have it installed – no change. Console-side it's handled by the platform, nothing for you to install.
What I'd do if I were you
- Wishlist it on Steam now if you're a PC player – the 10% pre-order discount is still running as I write this.
- Read the playtest review post if you want to know exactly what's changing between the playtest build and launch – tunnel balance, VOIP fixes and a long list of audio work, mostly.
- Watch this space for hosting news. I'll update this post and ping our newsletter the day Team17 confirms how community servers work.
If you've already got a vanilla HLL server with us, our getting started guide and server configuration walkthrough still apply to the original game and nothing changes there on August 13. The Vietnam-specific articles will land closer to launch once we actually know what we're working with.
Anything I've missed? Drop us a note – the questions you're asking shape what I write next.