Killing Floor 3 Gets Its 4th Seasonal Update: 'Operation: Shadow Hunter'

This latest free update adds a new class, map, boss, and more!

Since Tripwire's Killing Floor 3 arrived last year, the game has received several big updates. That's how things have to be if a developer wants a game's multiplayer modes active. The game launched with "perks" (classes) being locked to specific character skins, and fans weren't having it. Well, that issue has since been fixed, and the new "Operation: Shadow Hunter" update primarily adds lots of new content for loyal floor killers to enjoy. We took the game's 6-player online co-op for a  fresh spin and had a blast with it.

Narrative Missions - ‘Operation: Shadow Hunter’: Dr. Emmanuel Moorcroft has ascended to his final, most dangerous form. It's now up to Nightfall to chase down the mad scientist and stop him from opening an even larger rift into the alternate dimension called the Dreadzone—one big enough to swallow whole cities, and possibly the world.

Survival Map - Oil Rig: A routine oil-drilling operation in the frigid North Sea accidentally strikes mire, drawing the attention of Moorcroft and his followers, who quickly seize the platform.

Perk - Gunslinger: The legendary Gunslinger returns to the fray. Specializing in fast, dual-wielded pistol combat, this perk is for those with nerves of steel and the aim to match. Gunslingers carry futuristic gravity grenades that first implode to pull in nearby zeds before exploding with concussive force. Their gadget, Fatal Focus, is a pair of  deadly smartguns that fire homing projectiles when aimed at enemy weakpoints. The grenade, gadget and more can be improved and customized with a complete skill tree.

New Weapons: The update introduces four pairs of dual-wielded primary weapons and a sidearm for the Gunslinger perk, usable by all perks as well.

Boss - Moorcroft: It’s time to finally face the bad Doctor himself. After his experiments have failed to stop Nightfall’s year-long pursuit, Moorcroft has decided to handle things - directly. Rippling with muscle and bristling with organic armaments, Dr. Moorcroft has merged with his own mire experiments to become the ultimate doomsday weapon and must be stopped at all costs.

New Difficulty - Suicidal: This returning difficulty mode is designed to be a stepping-skull between Hard and Hell-on-Earth difficulties for a smoother transition to the toughest fights.

Dual-wield Sidearms Phase 2: The remaining trio of sidearms, the Medic’s KH-380, Sharpshooter’s Disciple, and Firebug’s Pyre .357 can now each be dual-wielded as well as wielded individually. All sidearms now support single or dual-wield functionality.

Season 4 Supply Pass: Play and earn 100 new rewards with the latest Supply Pass via both free and paid tracks, including the new Horzine Mark 8 Armor for all available specialists. Supply Passes can be purchased at any time while Supply Points are earned through gameplay, and neither expire.

Much More: New Daily Challenges, Wave and Weekly Mutators, Milestone Challenges, Quality of Life improvements including hot-joining friends in-game directly from the main menu, the ability to choose Tier 3 weapon mods during crafting, bug and crash fixes and ongoing balance and optimization work continues. The cosmetic store has also been updated and includes new items including the Ronin Outfit Bundle.

For more detailed update notes, see Tripwire's forums post.

Our co-op team enjoyed several matches on the new Oil Rig map. It consists of outdoor areas (including a central courtyard), several lower decks, and elevated areas as well. Two notable areas include a room with a drill trap that players can activate using a multitool, shredding any Zeds that pass by, and an indoors area that contains a glowing purple portal and various research equipment. The gunslinger is a fun class to play, with lots of dual-wielded pistols that pack a big punch.

The Moorcroft boss (who can also show up on other maps, not just Oil Rig) is a big, scary mutant guy who summons hordes of smaller enemies and periodically spawns a glowing shield over himself. Adding another new boss to the rotation is great for the game's longevity. Tripwire supported the previous Killing Floor games for years, and this latest update puts Killing Floor 3 even closer to matching the legendary quality of Killing Floor 2. The developer also released a roadmap that promises QoL improvements, seasonal Halloween content, and another new map will be coming throughout the year. We'll keep playing and hopefully deliver our long-delayed co-op review by then as well!

Killing Floor 3 costs $39.99 on Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Epic. It's on sale for half off through the end of July, so don't miss it!