Painkiller Archives

AppWizard

January 9, 2026

Everwind devs are testing their ambitious Minecraft-like RPG on Steam Deck as it “makes sense for everyone to be this available”

Everwind is set to launch in late 2026 as an alternative to Minecraft and alongside Hytale. Players will explore floating islands and navigate the skies in airships. The development team is testing the game on Valve’s Steam Deck and other handheld devices, with early builds showing promising performance. They aim to support both handhelds and desktops, emphasizing the importance of PC handhelds in gaming. The team is also testing on the MSI Claw. The Steam Deck is becoming a benchmark for performance standards in the industry, with developers recognizing the benefits of optimizing for it.

AppWizard

December 29, 2025

“Triple-A is in crisis” and games “don’t have staying power because they’re bad,” says ex Gears of War director and Painkiller creator

Adrian Chmielarz, founder of Astronauts and People Can Fly, discusses the current state of the gaming industry, noting that 2025 is expected to be significant as indie and double-A games gain prominence. This year's Game of the Year nominations highlighted a balance between indie titles and high-budget games, with Metacritic's top-rated games including Hades 2, Expedition 33, and Blue Prince. Chmielarz emphasizes the rise of double-A games, attributing it to changes in the industry that allow developers to bypass traditional publishers due to platforms like Steam. He points out challenges for new releases in maintaining visibility, citing Theorycraft Games’ Supervive as an example of a quality game that struggled to stand out. Chmielarz also notes a lack of immersive single-player shooters in the market and criticizes the focus on gunplay over atmosphere in many indie games. He expresses enthusiasm for Witchfire's dark fantasy aesthetic and its emphasis on fun gameplay.

AppWizard

December 27, 2025

Gabe Newell wanted this cult-classic FPS to be one of the first games to launch on Steam, but its creator said “ehhh” nah

Steam was launched in 2003 as a platform for updates to Valve's games and became a full-fledged storefront in 2005. Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, reached out to Adrian Chmielarz in the early days to feature the game Painkiller on Steam, but Chmielarz was hesitant as they did not hold the rights to the game. Painkiller's Black Edition was eventually released on Steam in 2007. The emergence of digital storefronts like Steam has transformed game development, allowing smaller developers greater access to audiences without the need for traditional publishers. Steam has revolutionized video game distribution, despite challenges like game discoverability, and has become essential to the PC gaming ecosystem.

AppWizard

December 20, 2025

Painkiller’s creator isn’t a fan of its recent co-op reboot: ‘I disagreed with every single thing they’ve done in it’

A new Painkiller title was released by Anshar Studios, shifting from a single-player horde shooter to a cooperative experience similar to Left 4 Dead, incorporating elements from Doom Eternal. The game received a Mixed rating from nearly 600 reviews on Steam. Industry veteran Adrian Chmielarz criticized the reboot, expressing dissatisfaction with its direction and tone, arguing that the changes undermined the original's atmosphere and seriousness. He suggested that the decision to retain the Painkiller name may have negatively impacted its commercial success. Chmielarz is currently working on Witchfire, an RPG shooter that launched as an Epic exclusive in 2023, with a recent update requiring adjustments due to gameplay balance issues.

AppWizard

December 17, 2025

Painkiller’s creator “disagreed with every single thing” the reboot does, says it “wasted” the IP

Adrian Chmielarz, co-founder of The Astronauts, has contributed to the development of notable video games, including the Gears of War series, Bulletstorm, and Painkiller. He expressed concerns about the upcoming 2025 reboot of Painkiller by Anshar Studio, stating it lacks the essence of the original game. Chmielarz criticized the design choices of the reboot, noting that it feels disconnected from the foundational elements of Painkiller. He emphasized the importance of atmosphere in gaming, arguing that previous iterations had failed to capture the original's spirit by focusing too much on mechanics rather than immersion. He believes that rebranding the game could have resulted in a more positive reception, as many fans are disappointed with the current direction. The 2025 version has received a 'Mixed' rating of 55% on Steam, with negative reviews highlighting its disconnect from the original. Chmielarz is currently working on Witchfire, an early-access first-person RPG.

AppWizard

December 16, 2025

Steam Replay 2025 is live: I spent half my gaming time this year in Bongo Cat, and I regret nothing

Steam Replay 2025 provides a comprehensive look back at individual gaming activities over the past year, highlighting aspects such as most-played games, total achievements unlocked, percentage of new releases engaged with, and a visual representation of gaming style. The Painkiller RTX mod was notably popular in October. The Steam Replay is accessible to all users, including links to previous years' recaps, and can be shared among adult family members on Steam. The Steam Winter Sale is scheduled to start on Thursday.

AppWizard

October 28, 2025

GOG’s Fall Sale Is Live And Includes Over 4,000 PC Games

GOG's Autumn Sale started on October 28 and runs until November 4, 2025, featuring over 4,000 discounted titles. Notable games include Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, which is part of GOG's preservation program. Tron 2.0 is not included in this program. The sale includes various classic titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Dungeon Keeper Gold, and The Witcher series.

AppWizard

October 24, 2025

The new Painkiller is out now and it’s not great, but that’s okay because the old Painkiller still is and there’s a fantastic new mod that makes it look like a brand-new game

The latest Painkiller game has been released on Steam, continuing a trend of sequels that fail to capture the original's essence. It offers a competent but unremarkable co-op shooter experience, reminiscent of Doom, with decent graphics and smooth performance. The game has received a "mixed" user rating on Steam, with players expressing disappointment in its failure to deliver the promised experience. The original Painkiller from 2004 remains a cult classic, praised for its chaotic gameplay and unique style. Additionally, the RTX Remix mod for the original game has significantly enhanced its visuals, winning an award in Nvidia's RTX Remix contest, although it is still in development and has some stability issues. The new Painkiller does not stand out against contemporary titles, and the original is recommended as a worthwhile purchase for fans of the genre.

AppWizard

October 13, 2025

Your Intel GPU could see a 4x frame rate boost soon, thanks to this new tech

Intel has announced its new XeSS 3 technology, which enhances graphics for existing games that use XeSS 2. This technology introduces multi-frame generation (MFG), allowing Intel GPUs, especially integrated graphics, to generate up to three additional AI-driven frames between hardware-rendered frames. Gamers can choose frame generation modes of 2x, 3x, or 4x through the Intel Graphics Software app, with a recommendation for a base frame rate of over 60fps to avoid graphical issues. XeSS-MFG will be supported across Intel's entire Xe GPU lineup, starting with Intel Core Ultra 200 series CPUs with Xe2 cores and Intel Arc A and B-series GPUs, with plans for future support for older Xe1 GPUs. Performance tests showed significant frame rate increases in games like Painkiller and Dying Light The Beast when using the new technology.

AppWizard

August 24, 2025

The new game from Painkiller and Bulletstorm’s creators is a tropical survival shooter that looks a teensy bit like Far Cry, and it’s out in early access next month

Lost Rift is a survival game developed by People Can Fly, set in a tropical archipelago called Pioneer's Landing. It features cooperative gameplay and a PvP extraction mode where players can explore unstable islands for loot while competing against others. The game is set to launch in Steam early access on September 25th, offering at least 10 hours of PvE content alongside multiplayer expeditions. The studio has faced recent challenges, including layoffs and project reductions, making the success of Lost Rift important for its future.