Hell Let Loose Vietnam is holding an open playtest this weekend, with a new map to boot

Paul's an expert in Videogames, Star Trek, flannel shirts - in that order.

Hell Let Loose Vietnam is opening up for a crossplay playtest this weekend, giving PC and console players a chance to go at it in the 50v50 ultra-tactical milsim for free - and on a new map, no less. This open playtest is the first time crossplay has been enabled in HLL:V, and the new map on show, Đắk Tô Airfield, looks to offer a couple of different angles to the usual hiding-in-the-undergrowth tactics I've seen playing so far.

The Hell Let Loose Vietnam crossplay playtest is open to all on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and begins today, Friday 24 July at 6AM PDT / 9AM EDT / 2PM BST / 3PM CEST. It runs through the weekend, ending on Monday 27 July at 6AM PDT / 9AM EDT / 2PM BST / 3PM CEST. It's a fair chunk of time to get stuck into the new map, and if you've never played a hardcore FPS game like this before, expect to be dying a lot.

Đắk Tô Airfield, available to the public for the first time during the playtest, is a slightly different affair than we've gotten used to with Hell Let Loose Vietnam. There's still the swathe of dense vegetation synonymous with the Vietnam conflict, sure, but this time around we have a large open area acting as the focal point for the attack.

The Airfield itself sits central to the to-and-fro you can expect with any Hell Let Loose battle, offering a much more sparse area compared to the jungle in previous maps. Anyone who has played a game like this knows that a lack of cover usually means death, so I'm going to have to figure out a way to get from A to B on the open runway without losing my head.

I'm excited for a map with a slight change of pace, and I don't mind adjusting my tactics to suit the surroundings - really, that's what makes a game like Hell Let Loose so special. It's all about tactics and improvisation, and that's exactly what we're getting here. If you want to jump into the Hell Let Loose Vietnam open playtest this weekend, head to the Steam page and request access. See you on the airstrip!