Killing Floor 3 Release Date Postponed Further into 2025 After Closed Beta Disappoints

The survival horror co-op FPS, Killing Floor 3, has been delayed to later in 2025, just three weeks before its anticipated release date. This decision follows a closed beta phase that left players unsatisfied. Read on to understand the reasons behind this significant delay.

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 eagerly awaited survival horror co-op shooter would be delayed to a yet-to-be-determined date later in 2025. This announcement comes just three weeks before the game's original launch date of March 25th.

"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," Tripwire stated in their Bluesky post. They reassured fans that the team is now diligently working to address many of the common issues identified during the testing phase, including "performance/stability, UI/UX, lighting, and weapon feel."

Players expressed their frustrations on social media platforms, describing the beta build as "insanely clunky and clumsy," and an "unpolished, glitch-ridden, vomit-inducing wreck." A Reddit user, Captain_Pugman, criticized the developers on the game’s subreddit, 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." Additional complaints highlighted the game's shift away from its horror roots towards a more futuristic sci-fi theme, which deviates from the series' traditional identity. Moreover, the inability to freely choose a character and a class separately, as classes were character-locked during the beta, was a significant point of contention.

Tripwire concluded their announcement with optimism for the future, noting, "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 what would happen to the game’s digital pre-orders. He explained that once the delay is updated across all relevant storefronts, the refund and cancellation processes would commence.

For users on PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Game Store, all 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 and receive a refund or keep their pre-order for the new release date. If no action is taken within a specified period, the pre-order will automatically be canceled and refunded.

Players who pre-ordered KF3 on Steam will need to manually initiate a refund by canceling their order and submitting a refund request through the Steam support system. Those who pre-ordered through third-party platforms and vendors not mentioned above will need to coordinate directly with those vendors, subject to their respective refund policies.