Killing Floor 3: Everything We Know

The FPS co-op survival horror genre has exploded in recent years, thanks to games like Back 4 Blood, Sons of The Forest, and Redfall. Okay, that last title isn't the best example, but you get the idea: Co-op survival horrors are getting a lot of attention lately.

The genre itself, on the other hand, has been around for a while. One of the most influential titles from 2009 was Killing Floor, which had a much darker and more chaotic persona than its competition. That's consequently why the series stayed relevant to the present day. And, with the announcement of Killing Floor 3, the king of gruesome FPS co-op horror will live on for a little longer.

Announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Killing Floor 3 is marking the series trilogy, and if the thought of it gives you goosebumps, then read on to learn everything there is to know about the upcoming title below.

What is Killing Floor 3?

Developed by Tripwire Interactive, Killing Floor 3 is a co-op survival horror FPS. Since the original Killing Floor, which debuted back in 2009, the series has always prided itself in its wave-survival gameplay. There has never been a story mode in the series games, however, we did get objective-based missions in Killing Floor and a versus survival game mode of zeds vs. players in Killing Floor 2.

So, while the franchise does spread its wings, it is mostly a wave-like survival horror which is what you should primarily expect from Killing Floor 3. All of that being said, we wouldn't be surprised if Tripwire Interactive went a step further and added new game types to this sequel to keep things fresh and ever-evolving.

Story

Although there is no distinct campaign for each Killing Floor game, the series does have a dystopic narrative that it follows. That is, the Horzine Corporation has manufactured bloodthirsty psycho-robot monsters that are slowly but surely wiping out every living soul on Earth. Playing as some of the last known survivors, you and your friends have no choice but to face the onslaught head-on and exterminate them. That's pretty much the notion; after all, the series' emphasis is on wave-like gameplay.

Nonetheless, now that you're up to speed on the backstory, let's move on to the year 2091, where Killing Floor 3 takes place. In this day in age, “megacorp Horzine has produced the ultimate army: an obedient horde of bioengineered monsters called zeds. Now, only the rebel group Nightfall stands between these infernal creations and the future of humanity.”

Gameplay

Just like its predecessors, Killing Floor 3 will feature wave-like FPS survival gameplay. This time, however, it “puts you in the boots of a Nightfall specialist joining forces with up to five teammates to battle waves of zeds, earn dosh, unlock skills, and build the ultimate arsenal.” As a result, up to six players can participate in the co-op FPS action.

Unfortunately, since the game's announcement is so fresh off the shelf, that's all the specifics we have on Killing Floor 3's gameplay. Nonetheless, one thing we do want to touch on is the in-game screenshots we have included as part of this article. They primarily look to show off the new zeds, and one in particular looks like he's going to haunt us – can you guess who we're talking about?

In any case, we're confident that Killing Floor 3's gameplay will deliver on everything we've come to expect from the series: guns, nonstop waves of relentless zeds, and boss battles of epic proportions.

Development

Tripwire Interactive, the same team that created the series' first two games, is working on Killing Floor 3. So you may rest assured that the game is in good hands. Having said that, it's unclear how far along they are in the game's development. Obviously, they've accumulated enough in-game content to warrant a Steam page and a glimpse of gameplay alongside the official announcement trailer. Speaking of which, let's have a look at that trailer which we've embedded below.

Trailer

Embedded above is the official announcement trailer for Killing Floor 3 which was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live. In it, we get an up-close and personal look at the “ultimate army” megacorp Horzine has bioengineered, which looks to be the most terrifying and visceral version of zeds we've seen thus far in the series. So let's hope that the Nightfall crew has what it takes to defeat the masses of them that will be barreling their way.

near the end of the trailer, we get some brief peeks at the gameplay. The brutal finishing melee move (Timestamp: 0:57) is one detail that stands out. This is something that we've seen before in the Doom series, and we're hopeful that the reference in the trailer is a hint that it will be a new gameplay feature in Killing Floor 3.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Unfortunately, the Killing Floor 3 announcement didn't come with a release date. If we had to speculate, our best guess would be that the game will arrive no earlier than 2024, however, that's purely speculation. The good news is that we know Killing Floor 3 will arrive on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Aside from that, it's too early to speak on different editions of the game yet. Nonetheless, stay tuned to Gaming.net as we'll be sure to provide any updates and news on Killing Floor 3 when it sheds.

So, what's your take? Are you excited about Killing Floor 3? Will you be picking up a copy when it releases? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!