Painkiller preview — Hell of a start.

We got to check out a preview build of Painkiller from developer Anshar Studios and publisher 3D Realms. Painkiller is a cooperative FPS set in a gothic hellscape where you and up to three friends will take on hordes of demons and giant monsters from the pits of hell. 

This isn’t the first Painkiller game, but it wouldn’t be right to call this a sequel or remaster of the original. It’s more of a reimagining of the game and built from the ground up to pay respects to the original but also to be something new that feels at home with modern gaming. 

After getting into the game, the first thing that stood out to me was the movement. When you are swarmed by monsters, being able to maneuver around the map is important. Character movement feels snappy, and the dashes, jumps, and slides at your disposal enhance the frenetic nature of the game. The level design incorporates plenty of verticality and other terrain to move around and over. If you are standing still, you are dying. 

Being an FPS, you can assume the gunplay is also pretty important. You start the game with access to three weapons but can quickly begin to unlock others. The typical archetypes are all present, but you also have elemental effects and a wide range of upgrades to customize your playstyle. Each weapon has branching upgrade paths that can drastically change the way the weapon operates and the effects it can have on enemies. Throw in character perks and tarot card modifiers, and you can lean into specific play styles. There are so many combinations that it’s impossible to balance the game around them all. Rather than try, the developers have encouraged you to experiment and find the combinations you find fun. What a refreshing idea. Just have fun with it. Who are we to stop you?

The game is designed around online co-op. You can host a game with friends or join open lobbies. If you’re playing solo or short one person, the game will fill in your squad with bots. The bots do actively engage in fighting with you and can be directed towards enemies, but don’t expect them to fight at the same skill level as another human player. You can customize the difficulty of your game, but the harder tiers are going to require friends or a high level of weapon upgrades to get through. 

Game sessions can be set in several different locations that each have distinct themes. Once you’re in the game, each raid has multiple areas to progress through with different objectives to complete before reaching the epic boss at the end. The bosses are massive, and you can expect a challenge to get past them. 

After spending a few hours with the early build, I think Painkiller has tons of potential. Blasting demons with friends would be fun on its own, but the added depth with all of the branching gun upgrades and tarot cards gives you plenty of content to unlock and play the game the way you want to play. I’m looking forward to seeing the remaining levels and how the game continues to develop. It’s off to a great start and should be on your list if cooperative FPS is your jam. Painkiller releases on Oct. 9th, 2025, and is available for Pre-Order now.