I had high hopes. Not the “this will change my life” kind, but more like “hey, maybe I’ve finally found a new co-op shooter to grind with friends without hating my GPU”.. Killing Floor 3, after all, had all the right ingredients on paper: Tripwire pedigree, a legacy of messy but lovable mayhem, and a promise of next-gen blood-soaked chaos. Instead, I got a reminder that hype is the first to die in a zombie apocalypse.
Let me say this straight: Killing Floor 3 isn’t a bad game. It’s just painfully, frustratingly, bewilderingly… unfinished. And that’s probably its biggest sin.
My first hour with KF3 was a rollercoaster of emotions. It started with a tutorial that felt like an AI therapist cheering me on for reloading my gun. “Great job, soldier!” – thanks, I’ve been doing this since 2009, but I appreciate the confidence boost. After the glorified boot camp, I was dropped into the so-called hub, which feels like someone tried to combine a JRPG town with a menu. Except without the charm. Or purpose. It’s empty. Functional? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely not.
Then came the matchmaking.
Why, Tripwire? Why does clicking on a helicopter trigger matchmaking that cannot be canceled? If your session bugs out — which happened to me multiple times — you’re forced to go back to the main menu like it’s 2006. Also, where is the text chat? This is a PC game in 2025. The fact that I have to ping or scream into the mic to say “run, idiot!” is a design flaw, not a feature.
But okay, maybe I’m being harsh. What about the actual gameplay?
Well… it’s fine. That’s the nicest thing I can say.
The shooting is serviceable. My main was the medic, and I actually loved how well his weapons balanced damage and healing. You’ve got a semi-auto rifle that injects your teammate with life juice if you shoot near them — sounds goofy, but it works. Other classes also have their fun moments: Engineer can deploy turrets, Firebug sets the world on fire, and Ninja… well, slices through everything with finesse.
But if you’ve played Killing Floor 2, you’ll notice a drop in quality where it matters most — the feel. Gun recoil, audio feedback, the visceral oomph when you nail a headshot — all feel dialed back. It’s hard to explain, but KF2 had a chunky, almost gritty rhythm. KF3 is cleaner, more polished… and somehow less satisfying.
What did leave an impression? The performance — for better or worse.
On my rig (RTX 4070 Super, Ryzen 7 5800X), I expected smooth sailing. And for the most part, I got it. With DLSS 4 on, I was pulling over 150 FPS on 4K. But turn that off, and we’re talking 40 FPS on 1440p — a brutal drop. Worse still, stuttering hits hard during boss fights, which makes an already boring bullet-sponge encounter even more annoying. I don’t know if it’s their anti-cheat kernel doing the tango with my CPU, but something’s not right here.
And while we’re on bosses: they suck. Bland AI, no reactive damage, occasionally getting stuck in walls like they’re protesting crunch time. Not to mention, every one of them feels like they were designed during lunch breaks.
There are also missions, in the loosest sense. These are little objectives assigned only to you during a match. “Collect samples!” Sure, but your teammates don’t share the goal, so good luck wandering alone on a map full of cyber-zeds while your buddies ignore you. It’s not fun. It’s not smart. It’s anti-coop in a co-op game.
Also missing is the ability to choose wave length (a staple from KF2), and in case I forgot: yes, still no way to cancel matchmaking. Just saying.
That said, there is fun here. When a squad actually works together — sticking close, covering flanks, holding a chokepoint — it clicks. Watching zeds explode into pixelated meat confetti is still satisfying. Running for the shop between waves for ammo and upgrades feels old-school and comforting. And I do believe newcomers who’ve never touched KF2 might actually enjoy this.
But if you’re a veteran? You’ll feel it. The constraints on weapon freedom. The hero shooter undertones. The awkward hub. It’s like someone tried to mix Overwatch with Left 4 Dead and forgot the spice.
Killing Floor 3: Killing Floor 3 is the kind of game you want to love, especially if you’ve got three friends and two hours to burn on a Friday night. But it's impossible to ignore the technical hiccups, the design regressions, and the missed opportunities. It’s not a disaster – more like a rushed B-movie remake of a cult classic. – Alicia
Would I recommend it?
Yes — but only on a deep sale or if Tripwire commits to meaningful updates. Otherwise, grab Darktide or revisit Killing Floor 2 or even KF1. You’ll have a better time. And you won’t have to talk to a helicopter.
