Ultraviolent FPS Game is Blowing Up on Steam

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ULTRAKILL recently reached a new peak in players on Steam thanks to the release of its highly anticipated Fraud update, which players are loving. While the last big addition of a new Layer to the game was in 2023, the developers have consistently released updates and improvements since the game first launched. For instance, the ULTRA_REVAMP update in February 2025 enhanced both the graphics and performance.

The Fraud Layer update has been highly anticipated by players for the past two years, and now that it’s released, the game’s servers are packed with people eager to try it out. The excitement surrounding New Blood Interactive’s action-packed shooter, ULTRAKILL, led to the discovery of a hidden room within the Fraud Layer just hours after launch, and details are already being shared online.

ULTRAKILL Breaks All-Time Player Count Record with the Latest Update

After a recent update called the ‘Fraud Layer’ was released, the game ULTRAKILL saw a massive increase in players on Steam. On February 25th, it reached over 71,000 concurrent players, nearly tripling its previous peak of 28,000 from 2023 – a jump of almost 157%! This surge in popularity also boosted sales, making ULTRAKILL one of the top 40 best-selling games on Steam.

The Fraud Layer is the eighth major area added to ULTRAKILL, taking players to a bizarre section of Hell where appearances can be deceiving. Similar to previous areas, it’s inspired by Dante’s Inferno, but this time focuses on visual illusions. The update introduces rooms that rotate like in the movie Inception, challenging players to navigate walls and ceilings. Many areas are designed as complex illusions, creating a disorienting and surprising experience.

Image via New Blood Interactive

So, the February update for ULTRAKILL didn’t really shake up the gameplay itself, which is fine by me – I’m here for the fast-paced action! But the levels? Wow, they’ve gotten seriously tricky. It makes getting through them a real challenge, but honestly, that’s what I expect from this game. I was reading an interview with Hakita, the developer, and he said it’s not like they try to make each new ‘Layer’ harder. It just kinda… happens as they build them. He said it’s not a conscious decision to one-up the previous levels, it just evolves naturally as they design. Pretty cool, actually!

Fans Seem to Love the Fraud Layer

Image via New Blood Interactive

Players are thrilled with the recent update to the indie game ULTRAKILL. One Steam user called it a “masterpiece,” while another said it went from being one of the best first-person shooters they’d ever played to simply the best. These are just a few of the overwhelmingly positive reviews the game has received since the update launched in February.

Within a day of releasing the Fraud Layer update, ULTRAKILL received more than 1,800 Steam reviews, with an impressive 96% of them being positive. The game now boasts overwhelmingly positive ratings in both recent and overall review sections, which is a significant accomplishment.

Now the ULTRAKILL Fandom Is Waiting for the Treachery Layer

Image via New Blood Interactive

Now that the Fraud update has been well-received, players are eagerly anticipating the next big addition to ULTRAKILL: Layer 9, which will explore the theme of betrayal. Fans have come up with many ideas about what this new area might be like. However, judging by how long the Fraud update took, and how surprising it turned out to be, it’s safe to say that Layer 9’s development will take a while, and its final design will likely be a mystery until it’s released.

So, the folks at New Blood Interactive and the dev, Hakita, haven’t given us a date yet for when the Treachery update is dropping in ULTRAKILL. We’re all just waiting and hoping it’s soon!

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2026-02-26 02:04