Multiplayer shooters often motivate you with the promise of more - more kills, more XP, more levels, more perks. It means games like Battlefield, Delta Force, and Escape From Tarkov are inherently selfish; it's all about what you can get as an individual, rather than what might be better for your teammates or companions. Hell Let Loose is different. Death is almost instant; whether you're dealing it out or on the receiving end, a single well-placed bullet means the end of life. On the contrary, the maps are large and each match is long. The goal here is to eke out marginal territorial gains through team play and tactics - if you go it alone, and try to be the one-person army, you'll get nowhere. If you haven't experienced Hell Let Loose before, now's the time.
It's not about sweaty sprinting and movement exploits, and it's not about killstreaks. In Hell Let Loose, you need to move slowly, communicate with your team, and pick your targets. Kills aren't even necessarily important, at least, not on their own.
In one of the best matches I ever had in Hell Let Loose, I was part of a defensive line, trying to stop the opposing team from advancing over a suspension bridge. I'd stand up, fire the entirety of my rifle's magazine in the general direction of the enemy, crouch behind the sandbags, reload, and repeat. I'm not sure I hit anyone. But it was being part of this overall effort to suppress and stockade that made the game feel meaningful. Combined with the booming audio, this is an FPS game where just being there is spectacular.
Originally released back in 2021, if you haven't tried Hell Let Loose yet, you can now play the WW2 game for the low price of absolutely nothing. Developer Team17 is hosting a new Hell Let Loose free weekend, which runs from Thursday June 12 until Monday June 16. If you like what you see, the shooter is also on a 50% discount until Thursday June 26, meaning you can buy and keep it for $24.99 / £24.99. All you have to do is head here.
Otherwise, you might want to try some of the best multiplayer games, or maybe the other best war games available on PC.
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