Ultrakill

What is Ultrakill?

Ultrakill is a style-driven first-person shooter set in hell, where the goal is not just to survive but to look spectacular doing it. The game grades every encounter based on how aggressively, creatively, and efficiently you play - standing still and picking off enemies from distance earns low grades. Dashing between enemies at close range, deflecting projectiles, chaining weapon types, and using the environment earns the highest grades and the most points. The style system transforms every combat encounter from a survival exercise into a performance.

The game is routinely cited as one of the best action games available on any platform, and the browser version makes it accessible without requiring a download. Ultrakill's movement system is extraordinarily fluid - dashing, sliding, and jumping in combination lets you cover ground and change elevation with a speed and fluidity that most first-person games cannot match. Getting to grips with that movement system is what unlocks the game's full potential.

How to Play Ultrakill

WASD handles movement. Mouse controls aim and fire. Additional keys trigger the dash, slam, and weapon switching. The dash is the most important tool - it moves you quickly in any direction, dodges incoming fire, and is central to maintaining the aggressive close-range position the game rewards. Learning to dash reactively rather than using it as a panic response is one of the first skills the game develops.

Health regenerates when you deal damage at close range - the game literally requires you to fight aggressively to stay alive. There is no hiding and recovering in Ultrakill. The mechanics force engagement, which forces the fluid, aggressive style that makes the game so visually impressive when played well. This design decision is what gives Ultrakill its unique feel and separates it from slower, more defensive shooters.

The Style System and Score Grades

Every combat encounter is graded from D (Destructive) through C, B, A, S, SS, SSS (Sublime). The grade reflects the quality of play - variety of weapons used, enemy proximity during kills, speed of clearing the encounter, and use of environmental interactions. Chaining kills without pausing, using different weapons in combination, and deflecting projectiles back at enemies all contribute to a higher style metre that pushes your grade upward.

The style system is not just cosmetic - it affects the feel of every encounter. Playing for high grades changes how you approach each room, turning what could be a rote combat exercise into a creative challenge with a clear quality metric. Players who engage with the grade system find the game substantially more rewarding than those who treat it as a standard point-and-shoot experience.

Weapons and Combat Tools

Ultrakill's weapon roster is built for combo play. The revolver can charge shots and interact with other weapons in specific ways. The shotgun fires multiple projectiles and has an alt fire that propels you backward. The nailgun provides rapid fire and has a secondary that magnetises nails to enemies. Each weapon has distinct primary and alternate fire modes, and using them in combination is central to achieving high style grades.

The coin mechanic is one of Ultrakill's most celebrated tools. Tossing a coin into the air and then shooting it deflects the bullet into the nearest enemy - and multiple coins can chain deflections for massive damage. Mastering the coin fundamentally changes your combat toolkit and is one of the most skill-expressive elements in the game. It is difficult to execute reliably under pressure but deeply satisfying when it connects.

Why Ultrakill is Unmissable

Ultrakill earns its outstanding reputation through the quality of its core design: movement that feels extraordinary, a style system that makes every encounter a creative challenge, and a health system that enforces the aggression necessary to experience the game at its best. It is one of the rare games where being skilled feels genuinely impressive rather than merely efficient.

Play Ultrakill free on Classroom Connect with no download or login required. The game runs directly in your browser and delivers one of the most exhilarating first-person action experiences available online.