This weekend is your last chance to try explosive new FPS Hell Let Loose Vietnam for free ahead of launch

Expression Games has just kicked off its final open beta for Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. The intense, strategic, and teamwork-driven multiplayer FPS will be whisking us away to the jungles and battlefields of the Vietnam War in just a few weeks, promising a fresh twist on the 100-player battles that won our hearts in its predecessor. If you've been curious but want to get a feel for the experience before you slap down your cash, now is the ideal opportunity, as you can join the fray without spending a thing. Move fast, though, because it's not running for long.

For all the grand chaos of Battlefield 6, it doesn't have that same sense of squad tactics that the series once thrived on. Hell Let Loose: Vietnam enshrines that at the very core of its 50-on-50 conflicts. The result is a multiplayer game with slightly less broad appeal, but one that hits much harder if you're tuned into the approach Expression Games is going for. Its first outing, set in World War II, was a big winner among the PCGamesN team, with Ian delivering a 9/10 review and praising the way it "rewards communication, coordination, and genuine leadership in a way few other games even attempt."

The shift into the setting of the Vietnam War introduces significant asymmetry between the two sides. The US Armed Forces roll through with helicopter support and heavy weaponry, giving them more explicit military might, while the North Vietnamese Army employs tunnel networks and guerrilla tactics to strike from unexpected angles. All the while, patrol boats on both sides run the rivers, establishing dominance to bring sectors under their control.

Choosing your role is therefore a big part of your experience, and that's already in full force in the beta. Whether you fancy yourself as a marksman sniper, the spotter that helps them track key targets, a heavy weapons expert, or even a helicopter pilot, you'll want to check in with the specific tutorial to learn the fundamentals of each job. In fact, you are required to complete the respective introductions to the squad leader and commander roles before you're even allowed to sign up for them, given the heavy weight of responsibility you'll be expected to shoulder.

The beta test is running on just one map, Than Hóa Bridge, but across both the Warfare and Offensive game modes. The former is a tug-of-war style struggle for five strongpoints across the battlefield, while the latter pits attackers against defenders. If the offensive team manages to secure each subsequent checkpoint before time or supplies run out, they'll push forward to the next stage. If they fail to do so, the defenders win the day.

The Hell Let Loose: Vietnam open beta is live now and ends on Monday June 1 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST. Head to the Steam store page and click the 'join playtest' button to jump in.

Expression Games notes that there are a small number of known issues, such as some video settings that are not working as intended. Motion blur is disabled, players can join full teams while auto-balancing is on but won't be able to deploy, and newly created units will sometimes pop up in the wrong section on the unit management menu. The developer is planning to run a survey after the beta concludes, so be sure to fill that out if you have any strong thoughts that you'd like to pass on.