Not all impressions of the upcoming Painkiller reboot are glowing. In a hands‑on preview published by Loot Level Chill on July 30 2025, the writer noted that the new game feels more like a co‑op shooter in the style of Vermintide than a faithful remaster. Classic protagonist Daniel has been replaced with four new heroes—Ink, Void, Sol and Roch—and the focus has shifted to co‑operative play rather than the solo experience that defined the 2004 original.

The preview describes missions in which up to three players hack through hordes of zombies and demons while healing one another, freeing fallen comrades from locked rooms and collecting gold to upgrade weapons. Despite some fun combat, the build felt rough: enemies often popped into existence and vanished when killed, and the gothic arenas lacked environmental storytelling. Player characters communicate mostly through quips and one‑liners, leaving little room for personality.

One area that shows promise is the upgrade system. Each weapon has a branching tree with options like Bounce, Ricochet and Deadeye, and there are tarot cards that provide buffs such as increased health or energy regeneration. With a few months left until launch, the writer hopes Anshar Studios will polish the game’s mechanics and atmosphere. Painkiller is due for release on October 9 2025.

On March 22, 2025 The Gaming Outsider reported that Saber Interactive’s 3D Realms label and developer Anshar Studios officially revealed Painkiller, a high-intensity reimagining of the classic shooter. The new game is due to launch in fall 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC【249096247192688†L27-L35】.

The announcement explains that players enter a gothic purgatory and must fight for redemption. Guided by the Voice of the Creator, they wield brutal weapons inspired by the original game, along with new tools of destruction, to battle hordes of demonic foes. The heavy-metal soundtrack and gothic environments return, and players can tackle the campaign solo or team up online to stop the fallen angel Azazel from invading Earth【249096247192688†L37-L45】.

Mobility and customization are central to the new Painkiller. Players can jump, dash and hook across twisted biomes while facing grotesque enemies ranging from demonic hordes to titanic Nephilim. Using tarot cards lets them upgrade abilities and rank up to expand their arsenal, while four playable characters—Ink, Void, Sol and Roch—each provide unique perks that boost energy, health, power and damage【249096247192688†L54-L63】. Beyond solo play, the game includes online co-op for up to two friends or offline play with bots, encouraging exploration of diverse locations and secrets【249096247192688†L54-L67】.

A new fan mod brings modern lighting to the original Painkiller. DSOGaming reports that modder “capzor” has released a demo for a Painkiller RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod. The mod uses Nvidia’s RTX Remix tools to add path-tracing support and upscaled physically based rendering (PBR) textures to the first four levels of the 2004 shooter.

According to the report, capzor shared a video showing how the enhanced levels look with full path tracing and improved textures. The demo can be downloaded for both the GOG and Steam versions of Painkiller: Black Edition, making it accessible for long-time fans. DSOGaming notes that there will likely never be an official remaster of the original game, so this fan mod is a welcome upgrade.

The article also highlights quality-of-life improvements added by the mod. Because path-traced lighting can make scenes darker, the demo includes a new flashlight option; players can enable it via the in-game RTX Remix settings and adjust the “Fallback Lighting” parameter to always on. With modern lighting and high-resolution textures, the mod offers a fresh way to revisit Painkiller’s first levels while waiting for the upcoming 2025 reimagining.

A recent preview build of Painkiller from Anshar Studios and 3D Realms shows that the upcoming reimagining is not a straight sequel or remaster but a modern take on the 2004 shooter. According to a hands‑on report from GamingTrend (July 24 2025), the co‑operative FPS places players in a gothic hellscape where up to three friends can battle hordes of demons. The new version emphasises snappy movement—dashes, jumps and slides allow players to maintain momentum while navigating vertical arenas.

Gunplay remains at the heart of the experience. The preview notes that players start with a handful of weapons but can quickly unlock more, with each weapon offering branching upgrade paths and elemental effects. Combined with character perks and tarot card modifiers, this system encourages experimentation and allows fans to tailor their playstyle. Matchmaking is built around online co‑op, though bots fill empty slots and difficulty levels can be adjusted.

Early impressions suggest the new Painkiller has plenty of potential. The article praises the depth added by the weapon upgrades and tarot cards and anticipates that the final game will offer varied levels and epic boss encounters. Painkiller is scheduled to launch on October 9 2025 with pre‑orders already available.