If we’re talking about the greatest PC shooters ever, a few names will always come to mind. Half-Life is probably the easiest call. Counter-Strike definitely gets a mention. Go a little further back, and we have Doom to thank for basically the entire genre. But despite its devoted cult following, beaming reviews, and peerless reputation for bloodshed, one FPS game is often overlooked. With a new sequel on the way and updates coming to a close, this underexposed classic is briefly available to play for absolutely nothing, and you can buy and keep it forever for an extremely low price.
The history of Killing Floor 2 goes back to Unreal Tournament 2004 – the first KF, released in 2009, started life as a total conversion mod for Epic’s multiplayer opus. Vicious and bloody, the FPS game sequel pitches you and five pals against endless hordes of grisly monsters called ‘Zeds.’ The only thing more distinctive than all its guts and gore is Killing Floor 2’s arsenal, a deep toybox of realistic military firearms, jury-rigged makeshift heaters, and wacky experimental guns that wouldn’t look out of place in the original Prey.
There’s also a standalone PvP mode where you can take the role of the Zeds and try to hunt down your human rivals. The perk system is expansive, and the melee weapons provide pure brute-force spectacle – I personally recommend the katana. Eight years since it landed on Steam, Killing Floor 2’s developer Tripwire says that no more extra material will be released for the shooter going forward. It’s not going anywhere – the servers and services will all stay live – but with Killing Floor 3 on the way, Tripwire is putting everything into the sequel.
In commemoration of the first game’s 15th anniversary, Killing Floor 2 is completely free to play between Thursday May 16 and Monday May 20. The base game is also on sale with a 95% discount, bringing the price to a historical low. This will be the final free weekend for Killing Floor 2 ever – if you want to make the most of it, just head right here.
Otherwise, the best zombie games on PC provide plenty more head-squashing action, or you can get the best co-op games ever made.
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