Killing Floor 3 Text Chat Update Released on May 14 via Patch 2.012
Tripwire Interactive has rolled out the highly requested text chat feature for Killing Floor 3 today, May 14. Called the Text Chat Update, console gamers will see this as Killing Floor 3 update 2.012 (complete version 2.012.000).
Alongside the new feature, there is also a huge list of improvements for both gameplay and technical aspects.
For the complete patch notes, read on.
Killing Floor 3’s May 2026 Update Brings Text Chat Feature
New Additions & Highlights
Welcome to the Text Chat update. This update introduces the Text Chat feature for all platforms and is a full cross platform feature allowing you to communicate with Nightfall operatives on the fly to expand communication and strategy within Killing Floor 3. This update also includes some pointed fixes such as Crashes, the Medic Pistol Dart recharge rate, and a handful of other targeted bugs.
Text Chat
A full text chat system has rolled out across the game! Features include:
- In-match text chat with team and public channels, configurable opacity, and fade-out for inactive messages
- Text chat in the Stronghold, Pre-Match (Ready Up) lobby and the After Action Report, in addition to gameplay
- Spectator text chat so spectators can communicate
- Command Wheel → chat integration: command-wheel selections (callouts, requests for healing, etc.) post as messages in chat
- Channel switching with Tab; Party / Public / Team channel separation
- Controller support: open chat from the gamepad, right-stick to scroll, virtual keyboard on Xbox & PS5
- Mute and unmute controls in the Social Menu now also apply to Text Chat
- Customizable keybinds: remappable Open Chat / Team / Public / Command Wheel switch keys on both keyboard and gamepad
- New Game Settings:
- Text Chat on/off
- Background opacity slider
- Profanity filtering settings (PC Only – Console players can adjust this via their console settings)
Performance Improvements
These performance improvements primarily target the CPU, specifically focusing on optimizing the game thread to ensure smoother execution. Key updates include refined multi-pass LOD bone-pruning for Zed models and more efficient handling of audio component ticking and occlusion services. Additionally, adjustments to VFX spawn counts and UI tick rates further reduce the processing load, minimizing CPU idle time. This should translate into up to a 14% improvement in base frame time (measured on a mid spec machine) in certain scenarios.
Skeletal/LODs
- Multi-pass LOD bone-pruning and refinement across all Zeds
- Fixed Siren inner-neck and Fleshpound pounder-tube meshes stretching at distance via Enforce Bone Boundaries
Audio
- Audio component occlusion services sharing a refresh rate no longer all tick on the same frame
- Batch Tick Subsystem register-order fix when changing tick intervals
- Turrets and similar stationary actors disable Audio component tick where occlusion isn’t needed
- Migrated destructible destroy SFX and limb SFX to a different event to reduce spawning audio components per tick
VFX/GPU
- Lowered toxic affliction VFX spawn count
- Corrosion VFX budget tuning
- Shockwave VFX budget tuning
- Cleaned up several unused child-actor components
Engine/CPU
- UI tick updated to reduce CPU idle time
- 1P camera update: New master camera-bob settings for smoother start/stop motion blending
Bug Fixes, Polish & System Improvements
Crashes and Stability
- Fixed crash when loading into R&D Labs solo on a new account with newly rebuilt shaders
- Fixed console crash on Suspend→Resume during a load screen
- Fixed an issue that could cause EGS users to not be able to receive any credits or premium upgrades after purchase
Online
- Fixed Xbox Unicode gamertags showing garbled — names are now properly UTF-8 decoded
- Fixed a case where muted players would be unmuted after map travel
- Fixed a return from rest state that left the native platform session alive after backend connection was lost (console)
- Fixed a case where a user losing connection would break the start-up timer
- Fixed a case where a user using the armory during matchmaking could get stuck in a failed state
- Reduced timeouts to prevent unresponsive cases while the game was still downloading in the background
- Resume from suspend now consumes pending invites/joins once friends service reconnects (console)
Gameplay
- Fixed medic darts failing to recharge when two updates happened on the same frame
- Fixed Zed Time bonuses (Sharpshooter, Engineer) persisting past Zed Time
- Fixed Specialist being able to walk freely while executing a Zed from a crouch
- Fixed Zeds becoming un-killable in certain edge cases
- Fixed progressive achievements not working in solo
- Fixed a case where players could see negative perk proficiency after playing several matches and returning to stronghold
Visual
- Fixed Chimera Phase 2 material LOD so crit zones stay consistent at distance
- Fixed Cyst spit textures showing placeholder due to wrong reflection sampling
- Fixed Queen Crawler Phase 2 mire-pool teleport material
- Fixed Prison ice trap textures disappearing at distance
- Fixed military star decal on the 4×4
- Decal replacements and cleanup on workstations, security cars, container transports, crates, fume hoods, 4×4, zed hauler, power box
If we receive a hotfix from Tripwire, we’ll let our readers know.
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