"Killing Floor 3 Release Delayed to Late 2025 Following Beta Feedback"

Killing Floor 3, the eagerly awaited survival horror zombie co-op FPS, has been delayed to later in 2025, just weeks before its intended release date. This decision follows a disappointing closed beta phase that left many fans dissatisfied. Here's a detailed look at the announcement and its implications.

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 Interactive, the developers behind Killing Floor 3 (KF3), announced via the game's official Bluesky account that the release has been pushed back to a yet-to-be-determined date later in 2025. This announcement comes just three weeks before the originally planned launch on March 25th.

In their statement, Tripwire expressed their commitment to improving the game, stating, "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 are focusing on addressing key issues identified during the beta, including performance and stability, UI/UX, lighting, and the feel of weapons.

The community's reaction to the beta was overwhelmingly negative, with many players voicing their frustrations on social media. Descriptions ranged from "insanely clunky and clumsy" to an "unpolished, glitch-ridden, vomit-inducing wreck." On the game's subreddit, user Captain_Pugman criticized the developers, saying, "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." Players were particularly upset about the shift towards a futuristic sci-fi theme, which they felt strayed too far from the series' horror roots, and the limitation of not being able to freely choose characters and classes separately due to the character-locked system during the beta.

Tripwire concluded their announcement with a message of hope and gratitude, "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 clarity on the pre-order situation via the Tripwire Interactive Killing Floor 3 forums. He explained that once the delay is updated on all relevant platforms, the refund and cancellation processes will commence.

For users who pre-ordered on PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Game Store, refunds will be processed automatically without any action required from the user. However, PlayStation users in the United States have the option to either cancel their pre-order and receive a refund or keep it for the new release date. If no action is taken within a specified timeframe, the pre-order will be canceled and refunded by default.

Steam users, however, will need to manually initiate a refund by canceling their order and requesting a refund through Steam's support system. Those who pre-ordered through third-party platforms or vendors not mentioned above will need to follow the refund policies of those respective stores or platforms.