Hell Let Loose Update 21: Patch Notes, Rifle Grenades, Conquest and What’s Next

Hell Let Loose Update 21 went live on all platforms on 23 September 2026. It's one of the biggest updates the WW2 shooter has had in a while, adding rifle grenades, weapon fire selectors, a Soviet flamethrower, the M1903A3 Springfield, a new Conquest game mode and a large Armor and Anti-Tank balance pass.

On October 9, the developers followed up with their first Community Feedback update, explaining which Update 21 problems they're investigating and what's planned for Update 22. Here's everything you need to know.

Hell Let Loose Update 21 at a glance

What's new in Hell Let Loose Update 21?

Rifle grenades

Three rifle grenade launchers have been added: the Karabiner 98k with Schiessbecher, the M1 Garand with M7 launcher, and the SMLE No.1 Mk III with cup discharger. They work as normal rifles but can also fire HE, Smoke and AT grenades, depending on your role and loadout. HE grenades have the same blast radius as a frag grenade, and AT grenades can destroy Recon and Light Tanks and damage the tracks of heavier tanks.

Rifle grenades fly much further than thrown grenades and explode on impact, but take longer to load. The developers describe them as a side-grade to hand grenades, not a replacement.

Weapon fire selectors

Weapons that historically had more than one firing mode can now switch between them. That includes the MG34, FG42, STG 44, BAR (fast and slow auto), both Thompsons, the Bren gun, the Sten guns and the PPSh-41.

New weapons and loadouts

• ROKS 2 flamethrower for the Soviets, in a new Level 8 Support loadout.
• M1903A3 Springfield for the US, in a new Level 6 Rifleman loadout with an Explosive Ammo Box. The Springfield sniper is now the M1903A4.
• New rifle grenade loadouts for Riflemen (Level 8), Medics (Level 6, five smoke grenades) and Engineers (Level 8).
• The standard US Anti-Tank loadout now uses the M1 Carbine, and every default Crewman loadout includes a blowtorch.

Image: Team17

How does Conquest work in Hell Let Loose?

Conquest is a new game mode built around Morale. Both teams start with 1,000, and the first to reach 0 loses. Five objectives are active the whole match and can be captured at any time. Teams lose Morale when:

• players respawn (1 Morale each, so Medic revives matter);
• vehicles are destroyed (from 2 for trucks up to 17 for Heavy Tanks);
• they hold fewer objectives than the enemy (2 to 6 Morale every 10 seconds).

The developers have stressed that Conquest is not intended to replace Warfare. It's an extra way to play, and they're asking players to explain what does and doesn't work so the mode can be improved.

What are the Update 21 Armor and Anti-Tank changes?

• AT guns turn much faster (barrel rotation from 1 to 3 degrees per second) and have rebalanced damage.
• Tank HE radius is up across the board, for example Heavy Tanks from 15m to 18m.
• The Luchs can now damage the engines of all tanks and destroy Light Tanks from the rear.

Watch the Hell Let Loose Update 21 dev vlog

What's being fixed after Hell Let Loose Update 21?

In their October 9 Community Feedback update, the developers addressed the most reported problems:

• Frame drops: players on PC and console report temporary framerate drops, especially on maps like Carentan. No single cause has been found yet, and the team is asking for reports with platform, map and server population.
• Tank HE damage: a change to the HE radius accidentally reduced the damage dealt. This will be fixed in Update 22.
• Controls: some PC keybinds reset after death or redeploying, and on console the new rifle grenade and fire selector controls clash with bipod and HUD controls. Fixes are aimed for Update 22.
• Weapon audio: new single-shot sounds were needed for fire selectors. The MG34 has already been adjusted for Update 22, and the BAR's audio wasn't actually changed.
• "No Compatible Servers": this message is often caused by server browser filters. Widen your filters, especially on console.
• M1 Garand sights can appear slightly offset. This is a known bug.

What's coming in Hell Let Loose Update 22?

The headline feature is planted rifle grenades: you'll be able to plant your launcher and use it for indirect fire against enemies you can't see, such as behind a building or on a capture point. The developers say it will stay limited by small ammo counts, smaller explosions and slow reloads. Update 22 will also bring new vehicles, the HE damage fix and control fixes, and optimisation work continues on maps such as Juno Beach and Smolensk.

More Hell Let Loose on iGame Magazine

• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is out now – the Vietnam War spin-off
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam release date – how the launch was announced
• Hell Let Loose Patch 17.1 – the big Medic changes

Hell Let Loose Update 21 FAQ