Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Launches June 18, Skips Early Access

The original Hell Let Loose spent two years in early access before hitting 1.0 in 2021. Its sequel isn't doing that. Team17 and Expression Games confirmed today that Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launches June 18 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, shipping directly as a finished product at $39.99 / £34.99 for the standard edition.

That's a confident move, and I think it says something about where Expression Games is at as a studio. Skipping early access means there's no safety net of "we'll fix it later" messaging. The game either works on day one or it doesn't. Given that fan reactions to the recent closed beta were mixed, with praise for atmosphere and tension but complaints about audio and visual bugs, going straight to 1.0 is a bet that those issues get ironed out in the next five weeks. A free open beta weekend running May 29 to June 1 on Steam should give a clearer picture of where things stand. You can sign up for it here.

The sequel moves the series from World War II to Vietnam, keeping the 50v50 format but adding helicopters for troop deployment and fire support, patrol boats, tunnel networks for the NVA, and overhauled player movement including swimming, climbing, and dragging wounded allies. Six maps based on real-world locations round out the package. A Deluxe Edition at $59.99 / £54.99 bundles in cosmetic uniform packs delivered throughout 2026. Pre-ordering either edition gets you a US Army Boat Crew Uniform. A physical edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X follows on August 5.

The Vietnam War setting has been criminally underserved in shooters for years now, so I'm excited to see a studio with Hell Let Loose's pedigree take it on. The open beta is PC-only via Steam, so console players will have to wait until launch day to find out if Expression Games' confidence was justified.