With Hell Let Loose: Vietnam taking the spotlight over the last few weeks, we also want to reaffirm our continued commitment to Hell Let Loose and share an update on what’s coming next for the game.
There is still plenty on the way, including new maps, weapons, vehicles, game modes, and more. We also want to provide an update on our progress against the 2026 Roadmap, including a change to our plans for the remainder of the year.
Alongside our work on new content in the 2026 Roadmap, we also continue to focus on addressing community-reported bugs and improving performance across all platforms. This is ongoing work that will continue across future updates as we identify, investigate, and implement improvements over time.
As we’ve reviewed our plans for the remainder of 2026, we’ve also taken another look at the development timelines for our upcoming maps and the time needed to deliver them at the quality we expect.
With that in mind, we’ve made the decision to move the release of Seelow Heights into 2027.
We know how highly anticipated this map is, particularly after the community voted for its inclusion earlier this year, however the additional development time will allow us to give this brutal battlefield the attention it deserves.
As a result, our winter update will now take players to the frozen landscape of Lake Balaton, which we’re incredibly excited to share with you. Experimental Branches will be hosted over the coming months, giving players the opportunity to help us test and refine this new Eastern Front map ahead of its full release.
We’re also already hard at work planning our 2027 Roadmap, with a number of community-requested features and improvements already being prioritised in it’s development.
If there are features, fixes, performance improvements, or other changes you would like to see us focus on, let us know in the comments. Community feedback will continue to play an important role in shaping our plans as we work to make 2027 the best yet for Hell Let Loose.
Update 21 will be the next major update for Hell Let Loose, bringing a number of new additions to the battlefield. Here’s a look at some of what you can expect:
Update 21 will introduce a selection of new weapons for players to get their hands on.
An iron-sighted variant of the bolt-action Springfield
A model update for the existing Springfield Sniper
The long-requested Flamethrower for the Soviets
On top of this Update 21 is adding Rifle Grenade launchers. Modified variants of existing guns, that on top of being used as regular infantry weapons, are capable of firing several different types of grenade (High Explosive, Smoke, and Anti-Tank). These are the following weapons:
The M7 Grenade Launcher for the M1 Garand (US)
The Schiessbecher Grenade Launcher for the Karabiner 98k (Germany)
The No.1 MK I Cup Discharger Grenade Launcher for the SMLE No.1 MK III EY (Britain and Canada)
This update allows players to fire the Rifle Grenade from the hip/shoulder. Coming in Update 22 the aim is to expand this feature to allow players to plant the Rifle Grenade and also use it for indirect fire.
Due to the addition of new weapons, new loadouts have also been added to include them.
A new Level 6 loadout for the US Rifleman, armed with the M1903A3 Springfield and an explosive ammo box
A new Level 8 loadout for the Soviet Support with the ROKS 2 Flamethrower
New Level 8 Rifleman loadouts for all appropriate factions with a Rifle Grenade equipped with 4 HE and 2 Smoke Rifle Grenades
New Level 6 Medic loadouts for all appropriate factions with a Rifle Grenade equipped with 6 Smoke Grenades
New Level 8 Engineer loadouts for all appropriate factions factions with a Rifle Grenade equipped with 3 AT, 2 HE and 1 Smoke Grenade
Some changes have been made to certain pre-existing loadouts, these are detailed below:
Based on Experimental Branch feedback the primary weapon of the default loadout on the US Anti-Tank role has been changed to the M1 Carbine
The primary weapon for the default Tank Commander role for the US has been changed to the M3 Grease gun
All default Crewman roles across all factions now include a Blowtorch
The primary weapon for the default Engineer role for both British factions has been changed to the Rifle No 4 MK 1
For historical reasons all German DAK M43 grenades have been replaced with the M24 grenade
The option to toggle fire-modes has been added to all historically appropriate weapons. This allows players to freely swap between two different fire modes, semi-auto and fully automatic (or slow auto and fast auto for the BAR).
Below is the full list of weapons getting this feature:
MG34
FG42
STG 44
M1918A2 BAR (fast and slow auto)
M1A1 Thompson
M1928A1 Thompson
Bren Gun
Sten Gun Mk.II
Sten Gun Mk.II (Canadian)
Sten Gun Mk.V
PPSH 41
Due to the addition of fire selector modes, both the STG 44 and Bren have had their recoil slightly increased. An issue has been fixed with the Bren where almost all it’s recoil was applied as visual screen shake.
Conquest will also make its way to Hell Let Loose in Update 21.
The mode has gone through significant iteration since it was first tested at the beginning of the year, incorporating feedback and lessons from our Experimental Branch sessions.
We’re excited to see how the latest version plays once it reaches the wider community.
You can learn more about how Conquest works in our previous Dev Briefing: Dev Brief #216 | Conquest v2 Playtest
For Armor in Update 21, we are introducing improvements and balancing to a range of different features. The Luchs has been reworked to improve its combat capabilities against enemy armor, while still keeping its key role as Anti-Infantry.
Tank smoke launchers will also receive improvements, providing larger smoke screens with longer lasting coverage. These changes will be supported by a wider balance pass across armored vehicles, including HE splash radius, ammunition counts, fuel costs and more.
SPAs have also had some changes, with a single zoom level added for the Gunner seat. On top of this the default SPA that spawns at each team’s HQ will now auto-respawn after 7 minutes and 30 seconds once it is destroyed. Much like other auto-respawning vehicles, this will not count towards the team’s maximum vehicle limit.
For Anti-Tank players, buildable AT Guns have been adjusted and balanced to make them more effective against enemy armor. These changes include faster turning speeds, updated angle limits when rotating and a damage balance pass.
These changes have been shaped through testing and feedback from the community, with the aim of improving the overall armor and anti-tank experience.
There is plenty more coming with Update 21.
For an early look at some of the content and changes currently being worked on, we recommend checking out the Dev Briefing from our recent Update 21 Experimental Branch test: Dev Brief #219 | First U21 Experimental Branch Test | Weapon & Armor Changes
Update 22 is currently planned for later this year and will take Hell Let Loose back to the Eastern Front with a brand-new map, alongside the arrival of some devastating new vehicles.
Lake Balaton takes the fight to Hungary during the final months of the war in Europe, as part of Operation Spring Awakening.
Across its frozen landscape, players can expect a distinct new Hell Let Loose battlefield, built around the scale, atmosphere and combined-arms combat that define the experience.
We’ll be sharing much more about Lake Balaton, including opportunities to playtest the map through the Experimental Branch, in the months ahead.
A new class of vehicle will also be rolling onto the battlefield with Update 22.
We’re not quite ready to reveal everything just yet, but these new additions will bring some serious firepower with them.
We’ve probably said enough for now… any guesses?
There is still plenty more ahead for Hell Let Loose.
In 2027, we’ll be bringing the highly requested Seelow Heights to the game, alongside a focus on many community requests updates, improvements, and additions that we’ll be sharing as part of our next Roadmap.
Between now and then, our focus remains on delivering Update 21 and Update 22, improving performance across all platforms, and continuing to work closely with the community as Hell Let Loose moves into its next year of updates.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support and feedback. We can’t wait to show you more of what we’re working on, and we look forward to revealing our next Roadmap closer to the end of the year and the release of Update 22.
See you on the battlefield.
As always, our War Correspondents have been on the front-lines in both Hell Let Loose and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam creating some incredible content. Check out some of their latest releases below:
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https://www.reddit.com/r/HellLetLoose/s/3MbCAlZbMy
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