Introduction
Having waited months and faced delays from its original March launch date, Killing Floor 3 was released on July 24, 2025. Having trialed the beta back in February, the delay was the right thing to do - the state of the game back then was quite poor. What we've ended up with is much more polished and better quality, though by no means perfect in any way.
Gameplay & Co-op Experience
With its co-op FPS action, Killing Floor 3 delivers where it matters most: splattery, frantic violence, and co-op survivalist teamwork. The moment-to-moment action is pleasingly brutal, especially thanks to the M.E.A.T. system (Massive Evisceration and Trauma) that makes each fired bullet, slash, and explosion of a bomb look and sound important. It honestly gets at the "meaty" sensation of a shooter - something I enjoy a great deal.
Co-op play plays a significant role in the game - teammates must select complementary Perks (classes), keep each other alive through waves, and work together during boss fights. The co-op element is robust and well-rewarded.
But the game does have some issues:
- Enemy AI seems sketchy and sometimes buggy.
- Animations, especially enemies and some melee attacks, are still not polished enough.
- The hub feels wasteful and creates unnecessary struggle. Everything it does could be done through a menu.
- There's no text chat, and the voice chat is enabled by default, which is an oversight - particularly for players who use non-verbal communication.
- The current arsenal of guns and Perks is quite small, though that's to be expected upon launch. Killing Floor 2 began with a shallow content set and grew over time as well.
Visuals & Atmosphere
The game is visually pleasant. Lighting, gore effects, and textures are all improved from before. The enemy models are decent, and the maps have a gritty, oppressive feel appropriate for the setting.
The best graphical flourish again is the gore system, significantly improved, giving the game an ugly, violent feel that not many shooters can really pull off.
Content & Longevity
The current launch build contains:
- 7 maps
- 3 levels of difficulty
- 30 levels of progression per Perk
- 6 Perks (Specialists)
- 3 bosses
Not a bad attempt in an initial launch, but overall diversity is lean. Too early, some waves become too familiar, and loadouts lack the depth that seasoned players may be accustomed to. The bright spot is that Tripwire has already laid out a comprehensive roadmap for content, including additional perks, maps, and guns in upcoming seasons. The live service model might help fill the current content gap.
Another significant plus point is full crossplay compatibility between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. No matter what platform your friends have, you can group up and play together with no problems, which really boosts accessibility for a co-op game.
Verdict
Killing Floor 3 is the basis for a good co-op shooter - it's responsive, enjoyable, and gory. While it doesn't change the formula and has some odd design choices (like the unnecessary hub and missing chat functionality), it's still a good multiplayer game with potential to improve.
It’s not quite there yet, but it’s in a much better place than it was during the beta. With time and proper support, Killing Floor 3 could become a worthy successor to KF2.
The inclusion of full crossplay makes Killing Floor 3 that much more accessible and enjoyable, so that the community isn't split between platforms.
Final Score: 73/100
A solid start - but we’ll need to revisit the game after the first few seasonal updates to see if it truly evolves.