diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/package.json b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/package.json
index 498ac49eedce..e699262781d7 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/package.json
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/package.json
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@
     "jquery": "^3.3.1",
     "jasmine-core": "~2.8.0",
     "jasmine-spec-reporter": "~4.2.1",
-    "karma": "~3.0.0",
+    "karma": "~3.1.1",
     "karma-chrome-launcher": "~2.2.0",
     "karma-coverage-istanbul-reporter": "~2.0.0",
     "karma-jasmine": "~1.1.0",
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/karma/index.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/karma/index.ts
index 3479edf21f68..ef3f17acd508 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/karma/index.ts
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/karma/index.ts
@@ -108,15 +108,14 @@ export class KarmaBuilder implements Builder<KarmaBuilderSchema> {
 
         // Complete the observable once the Karma server returns.
         const karmaServer = new karma.Server(karmaOptions, () => obs.complete());
-        karmaServer.start();
+        const karmaStartPromise = karmaServer.start();
 
         // Cleanup, signal Karma to exit.
         return () => {
-          // Karma does not seem to have a way to exit the server gracefully.
-          // See https://github.com/karma-runner/karma/issues/2867#issuecomment-369912167
-          // TODO: make a PR for karma to add `karmaServer.close(code)`, that
-          // calls `disconnectBrowsers(code);`
-          // karmaServer.close();
+          // Karma only has the `stop` method start with 3.1.1, so we must defensively check.
+          if (karmaServer.stop && typeof karmaServer.stop === 'function') {
+            return karmaStartPromise.then(() => karmaServer.stop());
+          }
         };
       })),
     );
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/test/karma/rebuilds_spec_large.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/test/karma/rebuilds_spec_large.ts
index 494823bf121a..6d08de627625 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/test/karma/rebuilds_spec_large.ts
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/test/karma/rebuilds_spec_large.ts
@@ -10,64 +10,18 @@ import { runTargetSpec } from '@angular-devkit/architect/testing';
 import { debounceTime, take, tap } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { host, karmaTargetSpec } from '../utils';
 
-
-// Karma watch mode is currently bugged:
-// - errors print a huge stack trace
-// - karma does not have a way to close the server
-//   gracefully (https://github.com/karma-runner/karma/issues/3149)
-// TODO: fix these before 6.0 final.
-xdescribe('Karma Builder watch mode', () => {
+describe('Karma Builder watch mode', () => {
   beforeEach(done => host.initialize().toPromise().then(done, done.fail));
   afterEach(done => host.restore().toPromise().then(done, done.fail));
 
-  it('works', (done) => {
+  it('works', async () => {
     const overrides = { watch: true };
-    runTargetSpec(host, karmaTargetSpec, overrides).pipe(
+    const res = await runTargetSpec(host, karmaTargetSpec, overrides).pipe(
       debounceTime(500),
       tap((buildEvent) => expect(buildEvent.success).toBe(true)),
       take(1),
-    ).toPromise().then(done, done.fail);
-  }, 30000);
-
-  it('recovers from compilation failures in watch mode', (done) => {
-    const overrides = { watch: true };
-    let buildNumber = 0;
-
-    runTargetSpec(host, karmaTargetSpec, overrides).pipe(
-      debounceTime(500),
-      tap((buildEvent) => {
-        buildNumber += 1;
-        switch (buildNumber) {
-          case 1:
-            // Karma run should succeed.
-            // Add a compilation error.
-            expect(buildEvent.success).toBe(true);
-            host.writeMultipleFiles({
-              'src/app/app.component.spec.ts': '<p> definitely not typescript </p>',
-            });
-            break;
-
-          case 2:
-            // Karma run should fail due to compilation error. Fix it.
-            expect(buildEvent.success).toBe(false);
-            host.writeMultipleFiles({ 'src/foo.spec.ts': '' });
-            break;
-
-          case 3:
-            // Karma run should succeed again.
-            expect(buildEvent.success).toBe(true);
-            break;
-
-          default:
-            break;
-        }
-      }),
-      take(3),
-    ).toPromise().then(done, done.fail);
-  }, 30000);
+    ).toPromise();
 
-  it('does not rebuild when nothing changed', (done) => {
-    // Start the server in watch mode, wait for the first build to finish, touch
-    // test.js without changing it, wait 5s then exit unsuscribe, verify only one event was emitted.
+    expect(res).toEqual({ success: true });
   }, 30000);
 });
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index dce6f3949ebd..8954881a1391 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -4999,10 +4999,10 @@ karma-source-map-support@1.3.0:
   dependencies:
     source-map-support "^0.5.5"
 
-karma@~3.0.0:
-  version "3.0.0"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/karma/-/karma-3.0.0.tgz#6da83461a8a28d8224575c3b5b874e271b4730c3"
-  integrity sha512-ZTjyuDXVXhXsvJ1E4CnZzbCjSxD6sEdzEsFYogLuZM0yqvg/mgz+O+R1jb0J7uAQeuzdY8kJgx6hSNXLwFuHIQ==
+karma@~3.1.1:
+  version "3.1.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/karma/-/karma-3.1.1.tgz#94c8edd20fb9597ccde343326da009737fb0423a"
+  integrity sha512-NetT3wPCQMNB36uiL9LLyhrOt8SQwrEKt0xD3+KpTCfm0VxVyUJdPL5oTq2Ic5ouemgL/Iz4wqXEbF3zea9kQQ==
   dependencies:
     bluebird "^3.3.0"
     body-parser "^1.16.1"