The eagerly awaited survival horror zombie co-op FPS, Killing Floor 3, has been delayed to later in 2025, announced just three weeks before its scheduled release. This unexpected delay follows a disappointing closed beta phase. Dive in to learn more about the reasons behind this decision and what it means for fans.
Killing Floor 3 Delayed For Later 2025 Release
Cites Disastrous Beta Test Phase
Image from Killing Floor 3’s official Bluesky account
On March 7th, 2025, Tripwire, the developer behind Killing Floor 3 (KF3), took to the game’s official Bluesky account to announce that the highly-anticipated survival horror co-op shooter would be delayed to an unspecified date later in 2025. This announcement comes on the heels of a closed beta test that failed to meet expectations, just three weeks before the game’s planned launch on March 25th.
In their statement, Tripwire explained, "We’ve made the decision to postpone Killing Floor 3’s launch to an undecided date later in 2025. After taking the time to gather and discuss feedback from our recent closed beta, we’ve realized that we missed the mark. Our goal isn’t just to make Killing Floor 3 an ambitious step forward for the franchise, but also to maintain the core experience that you’ve come to know and love." They assured fans that the team is now focusing on resolving the issues identified during the beta, which included concerns about performance/stability, UI/UX, lighting, and weapon feel.
The community's response to the beta was overwhelmingly negative, with players voicing their frustrations on social media. Many described the beta build as "insanely clunky and clumsy," and a "unpolished, glitch-ridden, vomit-inducing wreck." On the game’s subreddit, a user named Captain_Pugman criticized the developers, stating, "At what point did you forget what made Killing Floor special? Because right now, Killing Floor 3 looks like it’s trying to be everything except the one thing it should be: a Killing Floor game." Other criticisms focused on the shift away from the series' traditional horror elements towards a more futuristic sci-fi theme, as well as the inability to choose characters and classes separately during the beta.
Despite the setback, Tripwire remains optimistic, concluding their post with, "We look forward to another opportunity to show you a more polished version of Killing Floor 3, and when we’re ready to share more details, you will be the first to know. Until then, we thank you for your continued patience and overwhelming support."
Pre-Orders Will Be Refunded Automatically Except For Steam
In response to the delay, Senior Community Manager Yoshiro provided details on the Tripwire Interactive Killing Floor 3 forums about the handling of digital pre-orders. Once the delay is updated across all platforms, the refund and cancellation processes will commence.
For users on PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Game Store, pre-orders will be automatically canceled and refunded without any action required from the user. However, PlayStation users in the United States will have the option to either cancel their pre-order for a refund or keep it for the new release date. If no action is taken within a specified timeframe, the pre-order will automatically be canceled and refunded.
Steam users, however, will need to manually cancel their pre-order and request a refund through the Steam support system. Those who pre-ordered through third-party platforms or vendors not mentioned above will need to coordinate directly with those services, adhering to their respective refund policies.
