Vanilla Killing Floor 2 seats 6 players, and 6 is also the balance target: the Zeds and the trader economy are tuned for it. You can go bigger on our servers, but it is worth knowing exactly what changes.
The three sizes
- Small (6 players): pure vanilla KF2, and the only ranked size. Perk XP counts here. This is the real game, untouched.
- Medium (12 players): a bigger squad, run through Server Extension (a well-known KF2 server mod). It lifts the 6-player cap the stock game clamps you to.
- Large (24 players): the same setup on our biggest box, plus more Zeds alive at once so the map is not empty. A chaotic horde party.
12 and 24 are a modded mode, not vanilla
The stock game hard-locks Survival to 6 players. The only way past it on the current build is Server Extension, and it does two things: it raises the cap, and it swaps in its own server-side perk progression (you buy stats and traits as you play, an RPG twist on the perks). So the 12 and 24 tiers play a bit differently from vanilla KF2. If you want the pure, untouched game, use the 6-player tier.
Unranked means no Steam perk XP
Any KF2 server running a mod is unranked, so it does not add to your normal Steam perk XP. That is a Tripwire rule, not ours, and it applies to the 12 and 24 player tiers. Server Extension keeps its own progression on the server instead. Either way, your existing Steam perk levels are stored on your account and are never lost, no matter which server you play on. If ranked leveling matters for the session, play the 6-player tier.
Big lobbies are a party, not a harder game
Zed spawns are built around 6 players. We raise the number of Zeds alive at once for the bigger tiers so 12 or 24 players are not standing around, but the game does not get harder the way Hell on Earth does. Treat 24 as a fun, hectic horde night rather than a serious challenge run. Turn the difficulty up to Suicidal or Hell on Earth if you want more bite.
How to use it
Pick the size on the deploy page. The player cap and the mutators are set up automatically, nothing to configure. Share the IP (and a password if you want it private) and everyone connects.