After 5 years in early access, I didn't think hardcore FPS Ultrakill could surprise me more—but my jaw nearly hit the floor on seeing an upcoming levels

News
By published

The layer may be called "Fraud," but Ultrakill is legit.

In a new trailer at the PC Gaming Show 2025 today, New Blood gave a first look at one of the levels coming in Ultrakill's newest layer, Fraud. The sheer imagination and spectacle of the new FPS map honestly blew me away, and it's looking like Ultrakill's long early access will have been well worth the wait.

The trailer begins with protagonist V1 in a desolate, darkened room looking at a CRT readout of a lavish hallway. They then go through the TV into the hall seamlessly⁠ and proceed down the hall. It expanded like some kind of mechanical funhouse into a massive, well-appointed foyer, before the trailer cut to different scenes throughout what looks like a real maze of a level.

Then the real curveball. I initially assumed I had to be looking at footage of two different levels, because the action cut to what looked like the inside of an O'Neil cylinder⁠—one of those theoretical space habitats with livable space built on the interior surface of a giant rotating satellite. Mass Effect's Presidium or the end of Interstellar offer some pop culture examples.

But nope, it's all the same level, all Hurtbreak Wonderland. The cylinder visual calls to mind some of the great skyboxes Ultrakill's had already, like the city skyline in Layer 2: Lust, but I never would have guessed this combination of classico horror and surreal vistas as the visual style for Ultrakill's penultimate layer.

I probably should have guessed that I never would have guessed: The closest thing to a trad, fire and brimstone hell in Ultrakill so far has been the brief interlude of Layer 6: Heresy. Otherwise it's been stunning cities, ancient Egyptian ruins, or a vast and bottomless sea.

Most recently Ultrakill updated its graphics and art in anticipation of its 1.0 release, leading fans to joke that we got Ultrakill Remastered before we got Ultrakill. I've been saving my juice for a big playthrough once Ultrakill is out of early access, and if our first look at Layer 8: Fraud is any indication, the game will be ending on a high note. You can try out Ultrakill in early access⁠—it certainly already offers a value well beyond its $25 price tag⁠—by grabbing it over on Steam.

Check out every game, trailer, and announcement in the PC Gaming Show 2025

Ted Litchfield
Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.