F.E.A.R. 3

F.E.A.R. 3 (stylized as F.3.A.R.) is a first-person shooter with psychological horror elements, released in June 2011 for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. It was developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. As the third installment in the F.E.A.R. series, it is the only one to include cooperative gameplay. The cutscenes and script benefited from consultation by filmmaker John Carpenter and were written by comic writer and novelist Steve Niles. The game later became available on GOG.com in 2015, and in 2021 it was added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program, allowing play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

The story occurs nine months after the events of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, with Alma Wade's pregnancy nearing its end. After a resurrected Paxton Fettel rescues Point Man from an Armacham Technology Corporation (ATC) prison in Brazil, the two distrustful brothers head back to Fairport. Point Man aims to save the missing Jin Sun-Kwon and prevent Alma from giving birth, while Fettel has his own motives. A new threat emerges that even Alma fears.

Originally conceived as F.E.A.R. 2 and set to be published by Vivendi Games as competition to Monolith Productions' Project Origin, the project was restructured as F.E.A.R. 3 after Warner Bros. acquired the franchise rights. Development proved difficult, with Day 1 and Warner clashing over gameplay and tone. Warner mandated a co-op focus and, inspired by the success of Call of Duty, pushed for more action and less horror—contrary to Day 1's original vision. Forced into crunch, many staff left before completion. After three delays, the game launched, but few at Day 1 were satisfied, feeling it was a decent shooter but not a true F.E.A.R. game.

F.E.A.R. 3 received generally mixed reviews. Critics praised the multiplayer, co-op, distinct play styles of Point Man and Fettel, graphics, gameplay, and combat mechanics, but criticized the plot, lack of genuine horror, and short campaign length. Sales were considered disappointing, and the franchise has been on hiatus since.

**Gameplay**

F.E.A.R. 3 is a first-person shooter playable in single-player or co-op, with online and offline split-screen options. In single-player, the player initially controls only Point Man, but after completing each level, they unlock the ability to replay it as Paxton Fettel.