Overview
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a large-scale tactical multiplayer shooter developed by Expression Games and published by Team17. Set during the Vietnam War, the game pits 50 players on each side, the North Vietnamese Army against the US Armed Forces, across 6 maps drawn from real-world locations. The focus is on coordinated squad play, chain-of-command structure, and historically grounded combat across thick jungle terrain and winding river systems.
The game builds on the Hell Let Loose formula but reshapes it around the specific demands of Vietnam-era warfare. The NVA fights differently from the US forces, and that asymmetry runs through every system in the game. One side builds tunnel networks for stealth ambushes; the other calls in helicopters for fire support and supply drops. Both sides can deploy patrol boats along Vietnam's river network to hunt down the enemy. This isn't a reskin, it's a conflict with its own tactical identity.
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Gameplay and mechanics
At its core, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is built around squad cohesion and role specialization. Players choose from 17 distinct roles spread across 6 unit types, each with a specific function on the battlefield:
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- Infantry: Squad Leader, Rifleman, Grenadier, Engineer, Medic, Specialist, Machine Gunner
- Recon: Spotter and Sniper
- Armour: Tank Commander and Crewman
- Helicopter (US only): Logistics Officer and Pilot
- Mortar Squad: Observer, Support, and Gunner
- Command: Commander
No role is filler. A Medic who drags a downed teammate out of active fire keeps the squad functional. A Pilot delivering supply drops can shift momentum in a sector push. The chain of command isn't just flavor text; following it is how teams actually win.
What makes Vietnam different from other tactical shooters?
The asymmetric faction design is the clearest answer. The NVA's tunnel-building mechanic lets players construct underground networks that allow forces to surface behind enemy lines, creating ambush opportunities that purely above-ground games can't replicate. US forces counter with air assets, something most tactical shooters don't model at this scale. Helicopter units handle both fire support and logistics, which means a good pilot is as strategically valuable as a well-placed mortar team.
Enhanced player movement adds another layer. Swimming, climbing, and fast crawling are all part of the toolkit, and the ability to drag wounded teammates out of the line of fire adds a moment-to-moment tension that keeps engagements feeling consequential.
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Multiplayer modes and replayability
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam ships with multiple game modes designed to keep 50v50 battles from feeling repetitive. Warfare mode runs as a tug-of-war across 5 sectors, with both teams fighting for control simultaneously. Offensive mode splits teams into a dedicated attacking side and a defending side, which changes how squads approach positioning and resource management. Additional alternating modes adjust the gameplay parameters further, giving organized groups and casual players different ways to engage with the same maps.
Six large-scale maps inspired by real Vietnam War locations provide the terrain variety needed to make each role feel relevant across different sessions. Dense jungle favors NVA tunnel play and infantry ambushes; open river corridors shift the advantage toward patrol boats and US air assets.
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Technical experience and onboarding
Expression Games has included a revamped tutorial and updated player onboarding, which matters for a game this mechanically dense. New players learning the role system, chain-of-command structure, and faction-specific mechanics have a steeper curve than most shooters, and a functional tutorial is the difference between a retained player and an abandoned session. The updated UI reflects the same thinking, making battlefield information readable under pressure. Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is available on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox and PlayStation consoles.