Killing Floor: From Mod To Trilogy

Killing Floor 3 is one of my most anticipated games of 2025. While I never played the first game I've got countless hours in the second on my Xbox. What many don't know however is that this series that has now sold 10 million copies started as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 20 years ago.

That's right Killing Floor was originally a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament. It's kind of crazy to even think about it. Unreal Tournament was quite popular back then. Now? Well now it's a dead franchise while Killing Floor is about to get a third game.

It's really quite remarkable how developer Tripwire Interactive has turned Killing Floor into one of the bigger shooters in the industry. Originally Tripwire tried to get creator Alex Quick to port the mod over to their debut game Red Orchestra Ostfront 41-45. For whatever reason Quick never followed through until a few years later. Then in 2009 Killing Floor received a stand alone retail version and Tripwire took control. A new franchise was officially born.

Killing Floor 2 is where I picked up on the series. Released in early access on PC in 2015 before making its way to console in 2016. I was instantly drawn to its great gunplay and the fact that it was co-op. The premise is simple and been around forever. Fight waves of enemies (Zeds), earn money, buy better gear and survive as new areas of the map open up. Basically if you like old school Call Of Duty zombie modes, Killing Floor is for you.

Killing Floor 2 brought the intensity and carnage

Considering that's the only mode the game has you know the game play has to be solid to keep players hooked. And hooked it had me. The ability to change each level kept it feeling fresh. Did you want a long game of 15 waves or a more compact 9? And of course all the difficulties. The one thing it was really missing was a story. I mean there kind of was one built in, but it was an afterthought.

The Next Generation Of Killing Floor

Now as we sit here a mere month out from Killing Floor 3 I can't help but feel excited. Before it was announced last year I had all but given up hope on a third game. After the full release in 2016 Tripwire supported the hell out of the game. Killing Floor 2 received a staggering 23 free title updates since release, the last one coming out in October 2023. I had accepted the game would just be forever updated.

We're gonna need bigger guns

But here we finally are with Killing Floor 3. Everything we've seen from the game so far is looking like more Killing Floor. Sometimes a franchise needs something new to stay fresh and current. Killing Floor 3 doesn't need that, it simply needs to stick to the formula and just turn it up a notch, and it appears to have done just that.

Everything looks crisper and more detailed. It looks like the leap from budget title to AAA. It should be noted that the game is still priced at a budget price. A retail copy here in Canada is $59.99. But you can just tell Tripwire has upped its game.

The question many have is will there be more of a focus on the story. As I said earlier we have a bit of a story in the background. What the Zeds are and how they came to be. But we don't really have a traditional story, and it doesn't appear that 3 will have one either. I must say though I don't care too much about that, and that's coming from someone who almost exclusively plays single player games now.

The Zeds have evolved and that feels like a big enough change along with the different weapons. The Zed in Killimg Floor 2 got a bit too predictable at times so hopefully that is fixed. We will see how the wave combat works in 2025 but I'm not too concerned. Also I like that the classes don't feel too much like today's hero shooters. I prefer the traditional types of classes. We have enough hero shooters.

Every so often you just need a fun game to enjoy with friends and not worry about the story beats. With Killing Floor 3 I'll get exactly that for hours upon hours.

Dan Jackson

Founder of Gamer Social Club. Have had a passion for gaming since Pokemon Red and been gaming ever since. Over 1 million gamerscore on Xbox. Very passionate about physical media in gaming with over 700 physical Xbox games. Follow @danno_omen on X

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Killing Floor: From Mod To Trilogy

Dan Jackson

Founder of Gamer Social Club. Have had a passion for gaming since Pokemon Red and been gaming ever since. Over 1 million gamerscore on Xbox. Very passionate about physical media in gaming with over 700 physical Xbox games. Follow @danno_omen on X

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