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Killer Klowns from Outer Space guide

The Killer Klowns from Outer Space game is a colorful and well-balanced '80s inspired mix of Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed and Friday 13th.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space release date: Chubby, one of the Killer Klowns, holds his fists out, ready to hit.

When was the Killer Klowns game release date? 1988 – the year that gave us this writer (you’re welcome), we were all playing the Sega Genesis, and the internet wasn’t publicly available yet. It was a banner year for movies too, thanks to classics like Cocktail, My Neighbour Totoro, Die Hard, Beetlejuice, Child’s Play, and too many more to list. 1988 was also the year of the kitsch, camp B-movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space, a sci-fi, horror comedy that became a cult classic and is probably even better today thanks to the nostalgic imprint of the ‘80s.

2024 – the world would stop functioning without the internet; it feels like almost every new movie is a Marvel movie; Disney owns, well, everything; and videogames are taking over the world. Luckily, some killer clowns brightened the year with their own videogame, taking on the film-adapted, asymmetrical multiplayer genre as the likes of Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday 13th have attempted before. Made by Illfonic and Teravision Games, Killer Klowns from Outer Space the Game puts you in the shoes of either the creepy killer clowns themselves or the survivors trying to avoid falling victim to their colorful sci-fi weapons in this horror game – and we can’t remember the last time we had more fun.

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Killer Klowns of Outer Space The Game release date

The Killer Klowns from Outer Space game release date was Tuesday, June 4, 2024, having launched in early access for those with preorders on May 28.

Illfonic took over publishing duties from Good Shepherd Entertainment, and they confirmed the release date in February 2024, alongside confirmation that the multiplayer game is coming to Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles.

Illfonic are one of the the teams behind the ill-fated asymmetrical horror game Friday 13th, as well as Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed and Predator Hunting Grounds, are co-developed the game with Teravision Games.

Teravision itself helped create the Texas Chain Saw Massacre asymmetrical game with Illfonic’s Friday 13th co-devs Gun Interactive, and both are experts in the genre. It’s easy to see see the influence of many of these games in Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and we’ll go into a bit more detail on this below.

Shorty sizes up to two humans in Killer Klowns from Outer Space the game.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space gameplay

Again, playing Killer Klowns from Outer Space, it’s easy to see the influence of many of the games listed above. In particular, though, it feels like an homage to Illfonic’s Friday 13th, which came as good news to fans of the now-defunct asymmetrical game. Killer Klowns from Outer Space involves more intricate interactivity for the survivors, such as fueling cars as a means of escape, something we loved from Friday 13th. In fact, there are a range of different Killer Klowns from Outer Space exits, including a bridge, a portal, a boat, and – the best by far – the Terenzi brothers’ ice cream truck.

The most well-known and successful asymmetrical horror game remains, without a doubt, Dead by Daylight. As fans ourselves, we’re not criticizing DBD, but some things we do miss from Friday 13th are its larger maps and multiple methods of escape, which we thought we’d get from Evil Dead The Game and Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

While these games did offer those things, the balance had yet to be found like it was in Friday 13th, leading to dwindling player numbers and matchmaking issues in Texas Chain Saw, and Evil Dead falling into stasis, as developer Saber announced in September 2023 that there are to be no more content updates for the game. It’s certainly been a rough few years for us fans of the genre. As we discuss in our Killer Klowns from Outer Space review, though, this game is the closest we’ve come to asymmetrical perfection.

The Lighthouse location from Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the game.

With a seven-versus-three format of survivors to killers, Killer Klowns advances on most asymmetricals we’ve seen so far, usually a simple 4v1. Hopefully, this balance feels better than the sometimes overwhelming 4v3 of Texas Chain Saw, and similar to the popular DBD mobile 8v2 mode which is essentially two lobbies in one.

The three Killer Klowns each wield some form of sci-fi weapon from the movie, some of which are able to hinder the humans at long range, while others hit hard up close. Meanwhile, the four survivors can fight back with weapons of their own, looted from the surrounding areas, and can actually knock out the Klowns – don’t forget, aim for the nose. Killers aren’t out for good, though, as they respawn after 45 seconds.

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Killer Klowns from Outer Space trailers

The release date trailer further up the page gave us a glimpse of some of the survivor escape methods we later saw from the Killer Klowns from Outer Space release date, including the sci-fi portal and powered bunker door. However, In this trailer, we can also see some of the map POIs from around Crescent Cove, such as the Lighthouse, Amusement Park, and Hillside Park and Campground.

Spikey finds some survivors with the help of his balloon dog in Killer Klowns from Outer Space the game.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space editions

Including the standard edition, there are three versions of Killer Klowns from Outer Space available. The pre-order edition and deluxe upgrade come with bonus features and early access.

Killer Klowns Standard Edition

The standard edition of the game features just the game itself, with no early access or downloadable content.

Killer Klowns Deluxe Upgrade

If pre-ordered, the Deluxe Upgrade also includes the items listed above, plus:

  • 2 Human Costumes
  • 2 Klown Skins
  • 1 Movie Klown Skin
  • Digital Soundtrack
  • Digital Art Book

So, we’ll see you in Crescent Cove. As you head out to kill or (hopefully not) be killed, prepare yourself with our guides to every Killer Klown weapon, Killer Klowns the Game proximity chat, or just the KKfOS tips for success.