Painkiller is a reimagining of the 2004 first-person shooter originally directed by Adrian Chmielarz at People Can Fly, now rebuilt by Saber Interactive and published by Prime Matter. The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. A new "Demon Awakening" DLC launched as a free download for Deluxe Edition and Season Pass owners, or as a standalone purchase, adding four character skins and six weapon skins alongside a patch that lets players turn off bots in offline modes.
The pitch is simple and the game knows it. You shoot demons. You shoot a lot of demons. Painkiller runs on speed and volume, throwing hordes of enemies at you across gothic environments while you tear through them with an arsenal of weapons both new and returning from the original game. Movement is built around jumping, dashing, and hooking across large arenas, keeping you airborne and aggressive rather than hiding behind cover waiting for health to regenerate. Weapons can be upgraded and customized in multiple configurations, and tarot cards layer additional abilities on top, letting you tune your loadout toward whatever flavour of destruction suits you. The whole thing supports up to three players in online co-op, which scales the chaos accordingly.
The setup puts you in Purgatory, sentenced for transgressions against Heaven. The Voice of the Creator offers a deal: redemption in exchange for service. You play as one of four Champions, each with distinct perks affecting energy, health, power, and damage. The mission is to stop Azazel, a fallen angel preparing to unleash his demonic armies on Earth. Standing between you and him are hordes of lesser demons, enemies with unique powers, and three massive bosses called the Nephilim, Azazel's monstrous children. Four playable characters, Ink, Void, Sol, and Roch, give the roster some mechanical variety, though the core experience remains the same: point at something horrible and make it stop existing.
Purgatory here isn't a featureless void but a series of richly detailed gothic biomes designed to unsettle, spine-chilling landscapes that serve as arenas for the constant combat. The game moves between these locations with the understanding that each one exists primarily as a killing floor. Secrets are scattered throughout for players willing to explore between firefights, but the levels are built around the fights first and everything else second.
Beyond the main campaign, Rogue Angel mode pushes the combat loop into roguelike territory. You and up to two friends advance through handcrafted randomized arenas, collecting tarot cards, weapons, and items while facing escalating boss encounters. It's a survival gauntlet that strips away the narrative framing and leaves you with the raw mechanical question the whole game is really asking: can you keep moving fast enough to stay alive? The Deluxe Edition bundles a Season Pass that includes the Demon Awakening DLC along with two additional post-launch content drops still to come.