Dead by Daylight is an online asymmetric multiplayer survival horror game developed by Canadian studio Behaviour Interactive. It is a one-versus-four game in which one player takes on the role of a Killer[a] and the other four play as Survivors; the Killer must impale each Survivor on sacrificial hooks to appease a malevolent force known as the Entity, while the Survivors have to avoid being caught and power up the exit gates by working together to fix five generators.
The game was released for Windows in 2016,[2] for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2017,[3][4][5] for Switch in 2019, and for Android, iOS, PlayStation 5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X/S in 2020.[6] It became Steam Deck Verified[b] in 2023.[7] Swedish studio Starbreeze Studios published the game from 2016 through 2018, when Behaviour Interactive bought the publishing rights.[8][9] Italian company 505 Games publishes the Nintendo Switch version, while Austrian company Deep Silver publishes physical copies for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions. The game received mixed reviews upon release, though it was a commercial success and has since attracted more than 60 million players.
A player (center) repairing a generator with a toolbox, with another Survivor on the right
Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical horror game where one player is the Killer and the other four are Survivors.[11] Matches are referred to as trials. The Survivors' objective is to escape the trial by repairing five of seven generators scattered throughout it to power the two exit gates. The Killer must impale all Survivors on hooks before they escape, which will cause them to be sacrificed to a malevolent force known as the Entity. If only one Survivor remains, an open escape hatch appears at a random location on the map. If the Killer closes the hatch or an exit gate is opened, the "Endgame Collapse" begins and the Survivors must escape within two minutes, with the timer being extended if there are any incapacitated or hooked Survivors. When the timer ends, any remaining Survivors are stabbed by and forcefully sacrificed to the entity where they stand.
When hunting Survivors, the Killer must capture them by either striking them with their weapon two times and picking them up off of the ground while they're in the dying state (one strike injures Survivors and a second strikes puts them into the dying state) or by grabbing them in one move by catching them unexpectedly while they perform an action. Although Survivors can attempt to escape the hook the first time they are impaled, success is unlikely and failed attempts lead to a faster death. They can also be saved by other Survivors. If they are hooked a second time, they enter a "struggle phase", where they must resist the Entity as it attempts to take them out of the game by performing skill checks until they are either killed or rescued. If they are hooked a third time, they will be sacrificed to the Entity.
The Survivors' movement options consist of sprinting, walking, crouch-walking, or crawling if they are in the dying state. They must elude the Killer by losing their line of sight in a chase or by successfully hiding from them. Most Killers can move at a pace that is moderately faster than that of a sprinting Survivor. However, the Killer is slower in other movements, such as vaulting obstacles, which can buy Survivors time. Survivors can throw down pallets of wood placed at key locations on the map, and if the Killer is inside or in front of the pallet when the Survivor throws it down, they will be stunned for a brief moment. The Survivor can then vault over the downed pallet, but the Killer may not, and must either spend time to break the pallet to pass through that area again or go around it. The Killer also has an aura-reading ability, constantly revealing the location of generators, hooks, and sometimes Survivors. Every Killer has their own unique power. For instance, the Wraith can turn invisible and move faster (though is unable to strike Survivors while hidden) and the Hillbilly wields a chainsaw which allows him to dash quickly along the map and instantly knock down any Survivors in his path. These powers can be altered using add-ons obtained through gameplay. A significant amount of the gameplay revolves around chases, with Survivors using their environment and wits to try and outmaneuver the Killer and escape them or at least buy time for their allies to complete objectives.
Survivors can search chests to find useful items or bring them in at the start of the trial, such as maps that highlight the locations of objectives, keys that can be used for certain aura-reading abilities with different add-ons and enable re-opening of the hatch after it has been closed, toolboxes that enable quicker generator repairs, med-kits for quicker healing, and flashlights that can be used to blind the Killer and stun them, which, if they are carrying a Survivor, will let that Survivor escape. All Killers have an innate "terror radius" that surrounds them, although the size of the terror radius varies depending on the Killer, the state of the Killer's power, and what add-ons or perks they may have. Survivors inside the radius will hear a heartbeat, which increases in intensity with proximity to the Killer. They can also see a red light (called the "red stain") emanating from the Killer's head onto the ground, which reveals the direction they are facing and can help the Survivors determine when the Killer is about to come around a corner. Some Killers have the ability to suppress their terror radius and red stain under certain conditions, enabling them to surprise unaware Survivors.
Objectives
Survivor interactions with many objects in the game can cause random skill checks to trigger. The player can either perform a good skill check which has no additional effect, a great skill check which speeds up the progression of the action the player is taking, or a failed skill check which usually notifies the Killer of the Survivor's location and may also cause a loss of progress. Great skill checks require more precision, and may not always be possible depending on the type of interaction or the perks being used by either the Survivor or the Killer. Killers have the ability to damage generators, which will slightly regress their repair progress and continue regressing them slowly over time until a Survivor resumes repairing it, and may trigger certain perks.
If the Killer catches a Survivor, the Killer can pick them up and carry them to one of many sacrificial hooks scattered throughout the map. While being carried, the Survivor can attempt to wiggle out of the Killer's grasp by successfully hitting consecutive skill checks before they reach the hook. When a Survivor is hooked, they gain a hook stage, progressing through summoning, struggle, and sacrifice stages. Whenever the Killer succeeds in impaling a Survivor on a hook, their hook stage increases by one. If a Survivor is left on a hook too long without being rescued, their hook stage also increases by one. During the summoning and struggle stages, the Survivor is immobile until another Survivor rescues them. During the summoning stage, the impaled Survivor can attempt to get off the hook by themselves. If a Survivor reaches the sacrifice stage, they die and are removed from the match.
Once five generators are repaired, the exit gates are powered, allowing Survivors to open the doors and escape from the match. The game only ends when all Survivors have either escaped or died; thus, while some Survivors may escape and finish early, those still inside must keep playing. Players who have escaped or died have the ability to observe the remaining players through the game's conclusion or return to the menu and join a new game.
If only one Survivor remains, repairing generators is typically not practical. When the other three Survivors have escaped or have died, an escape hatch will appear somewhere throughout the map. If the Survivor finds this hatch first, they may escape through it, but if the Killer finds it first, then they can close it. If the Killer closes the hatch, the exit gates become powered as though the generator objective was completed, allowing the remaining Survivor a way to escape the trial. A special item, the key, allows the Survivor one final way to escape by reopening the hatch to exit the trial.
If an exit gate is opened or the hatch is closed by the Killer, a system known as the "End-game Collapse" begins, which starts a timer. If the timer runs out, every Survivor that has not escaped is instantly killed by the Entity.
Perks
Survivors and Killers each have the option to use up to four perks in their loadout, which gives their characters special abilities. Perks differ between Survivors and Killers; a Survivor perk may not be used by Killers and vice versa. Examples of Survivor perks include a burst of speed when running from the Killer, the ability to self-heal without a medkit, disabling sacrificial hooks without a toolbox, and many more. Examples of Killer perks include seeing Survivors through walls, hindering the effects of struggling Survivors while taking them to a hook, preventing generators from being worked on, regressing generators, speeding up the recovery of their basic attack, and many more.
There are a number of "general perks" that start unlocked for any character to learn. Additionally, each specific character starts off with a set of three perks that are unique to them. Perks, add-ons, and items can be unlocked through the Bloodweb, a skill tree where each character can spend in-game currency. Advancing to level 50 in a character's Bloodweb allows the player to "prestige" that particular character. Doing so resets the character back to level 1 and unlocks the next tier (level) of the character's unique perks to every other character owned of the same role if there is a higher tier.
Setting
Premise
A group of four Survivors must elude one Killer bent on sacrificing them on hooks to a malevolent being called the Entity. The Survivors' perspectives are third-person, while the Killer's perspective is first-person.[9] The Survivors can only fight back by stunning the Killer or using items such as flashlights to blind them. Survivors can also vault over obstacles much faster than the Killer, providing a means of escape. Survivors use these obstacles and tools to help them elude the Killer for as long as they can. In order to escape, Survivors must repair five of the seven generators scattered across the map to power up the exit gates. They must then open the exit gates and escape through them; the final Survivor may also find an unmarked escape hatch to jump into, though the hatch can be shut if the Killer finds it first. Repairing generators can be made quicker with items such as toolboxes, or if the player repairs a generator alongside other Survivors, or if certain perks are equipped to help the process along.[12]
Plot
The Entity, an eldritch horror that exists between dimensions, is attracted to actions of great violence and malice. The Killers, mostly serial murderers or victims of terrible tragedy, are pulled out of reality by the Entity and convinced or forced to do its bidding. In order to maintain its existence, the Entity requires sacrifices and demands that they hunt and kill the Survivors so it can feed off their emotions and steal a piece of their souls upon death. In order to continue this hunt, the Entity blocks off the gateways of death and puts the Survivors into a dreamlike state that leads them back to the Entity's purgatory-esque world to get hunted again.
The Survivors are pulled into the Entity's constructed world when they wander into the woods or explore abandoned buildings, disappearing from the real world without a trace. More recent survivors have entered through other methods such as being taken right before they die, or sending themselves there by using magical symbols. They end up at a campfire in the woods, where they rest between trials until a Killer pursues them again. Each trial takes place in a series of realms constructed by the Entity of areas related to each Killer's history. Escaping from the grounds always takes the Survivors back to the campfire, and offerings can be created to be burnt at it and appeal to the Entity. Since the Entity feeds off of Survivors' hopes of escaping, it helps them just as much as it helps Killers, acting as an impartial observer of the hunt and stepping in only to claim those successfully sacrificed to it.
Each original Survivor and Killer also has their own individual backstory which explains their personality and their unique abilities, along with how they end up in the realm of the Entity. These backstories are expanded in "Tomes" where completing in-game challenges unlocks more information. These Tomes are released every few months alongside a battle pass known as "The Rift".
Downloadable content
Alongside original characters, the game licenses characters and settings from several franchises. As of November 2023, the game has featured 35 individual DLC releases in total. Most DLC releases include both a new Survivor and Killer, except for eight where only one character was introduced and four where three characters were introduced. 23 of the DLCs released have also introduced new maps that are accessible to all players. The DLCs release with an average of three months between each one. Prior to the release of every DLC since the Clown, a Public Test Build (PTB) is opened, which allows the developers of the game to test and receive community feedback on the major upcoming changes. Once the PTB has been out for roughly two weeks, it is disabled for further maintenance on the upcoming DLC, such as bug fixing, adding missing features, etc. The estimated time span between the opening of the PTB and a new DLC's release is approximately 2–3 weeks, and the DLC typically releases a few days after the shutdown of the PTB.
16 of the currently released DLCs have featured licensed Killers and Survivors from both popular horror franchises and other video games. The DLCs can be acquired by either purchasing them normally through Steam or non-licensed characters can be purchased through a shop within the game using an in-game currency called iridescent shards. This alternative way of obtaining the DLCs was introduced in the 2.0 update. Each DLC has its own trailer and a so-called "spotlight" that exhibits the Killer and Survivor as well as a new in-game map. The relevant DLC does not need to be purchased in order for any map to be played on. Three DLCs (The Last Breath, Left Behind, and A Lullaby for the Dark) have been distributed for free.
In August 2021, Behaviour announced that the Stranger Things DLC (including individual characters from the DLC and their cosmetics) would no longer be available for purchase after November 17 and that the Hawkins National Laboratory map would be removed from rotation. All characters from the DLC, as well as their cosmetics, were usable by players who purchased them before the removal date.[13] On November 6, 2023, Behavior announced that all previous content would be returning to the game.[14]
In October 2021, Behaviour collaborated with Boss Protocol to release the Pinhead character model from the Hellraiser DLC as an NFT as part of the Boss Protocol Masters of Horror NFT collection.[15] This led to criticism from players, with Steam reviews of the DLC falling down to a "Mostly Negative" rating.[16][17][18] However it was later revealed that Behaviour gave license holders access to character models and the license holder had collaborated to make the NFTs using the model without Behaviour's involvement.
In addition to DLCs, other collaborations have resulted in purely cosmetic items being added to existing characters. Collaborations with Crypt TV and Attack on Titan added cosmetic items to original characters in order to make them resemble characters from those franchises.[19][20] Other cosmetic items have been added from titles such as For Honor,Meet Your Maker, and Rainbow Six Siege. Similarly, original Dead by Daylight characters have appeared in other video games including For Honor, Deathgarden, and Move or Die.[21]
Key
† This symbol denotes DLCs that unveiled licensed characters
a.^^ The Stranger Things chapter was removed from the game on November 17, 2021, and was reintroduced on November 6, 2023. The characters introduced were still available to play for those who had purchased them prior to the removal, however the Underground Complex map was not accessible during this time.
b.^^ The Raccoon City Police Station map introduced in the Resident Evil chapter was reworked and split into two separate maps for the Resident Evil: Project W chapter due to issues with sizing and pathing. The original map is no longer accessible.
c.^ The Shelter Woods map was introduced with the release of the game in 2016. However with the release of the Tools Of Torment chapter, a new landmark, The Hunting Camp, was added to the map. This landmark is modeled after The Skull Merchant's lore and can be seen in the chapter's reveal trailer.
Dead by Daylight received "mixed or average reviews", according to review aggregatorMetacritic.[58]GameSpot awarded it a score of 9 out of 10, saying "At launch, Dead by Daylight suffered because of its reliance on peer-to-peer hosting and absent social features, but over time it rectified these issues. And while a brief and premature tussle with skill-based matchmaking turned the new player experience into a bit of a horror show (a problem which is now [was] fixed), thanks to its community of players Dead by Daylight is without peer in the asymmetrical competitive multiplayer arena, and has grown into one of the most robust horror experiences around."[63] Luke Winkie of PC Gamer awarded it a score of 88 out of 100, saying "In the five years since Behaviour Interactive released Dead by Daylight on Steam, the game has developed razor-sharp mechanical intrigue, an ultra-complex web of versatile builds and strategies, and a diverse suite of characters, each equipped with relative strengths and weaknesses."[64]
Sales
During its first week, Dead by Daylight sold more than 270,000 copies.[65][66] The game sold more than 1 million copies within 2 months.[67][68] On November 16, 2017, more than 3 million copies were sold.[69] As of May 2019, the game sold more than 5 million copies.[70] In August 2020, the game reached more than 25 million players across all platforms.[71] This number reached 36 million by May 2021,[72] 50 million by May 2022,[73] and 60 million by November 2023.[74]
Originally, the game had a "Deluxe Edition", that grants cosmetics for the game Payday 2 as a part of promoting the game, coming with a discount for Payday 2 owners who pre-ordered the game.[75]
Popularity and impact
Dead by Daylight has become increasingly popular in Japan due to Behaviour catering to Japanese players with the release of Japanese-themed chapters like "The Shattered Bloodline" and "The Cursed Legacy", as well as expanding the lore of its in-game universe, which the Japanese gaming community tends to favor in video games. In return, the country has become one of the biggest markets for the game,[76] becoming so popular that a Dead by Daylight-themed Entity Café opened on the fourth floor of the Tokyo Skytree in August 2021.[77]
From October 21 to November 11, 2021, a Dead by Daylight crossover event called "Survivors of the Fog" was held in Ubisoft's fighting game For Honor. The event featured Dead by Daylight-inspired cosmetic items and a limited-time game mode that featured the Trapper as an AI-controlled enemy.[78]
From October 21 to November 7, 2022, PUBG: Battlegrounds featured a crossover event with Dead by Daylight which saw the traditionally battle royale game introduce a new mode in which players would repair generators and escape from the killer, alongside cosmetics that emulate certain survivors and killers from the game.[79] In return, Dead by Daylight saw the release of a set of cosmetics for its Dwight Fairfield character, which are replicas of the outfit of the character on PUBG's cover art. By playing at least one match of the special PUBG game mode, players were given a unique code for use in Dead by Daylight to receive the cosmetic set.
Mobile release
On June 19, 2019, Behaviour Interactive Inc. announced the plan to release Dead by Daylight to iOS and Android for free in an attempt to make the game more accessible to players around the world.[80] A different development team was formed that is fully dedicated to optimizing the game for the mobile experience. Dead by Daylight Mobile was initially slated for launch in 2019, however the developers had to push the release to 2020, citing their need for more time to work on bugs and optimize.[81] On February 27, 2019, Behaviour announced that the mobile versions will be published by Chinese video game publisher NetEase Games in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea.[82] It was released in EMEA, the Americas, and South Asia on April 16, 2020.[83][84]
In its 48 hours of release, Dead by DaylightMobile outnumbered 1 million downloads.[85] By October 2020, the game surpassed 10 million downloads.[86] By May 2022, the game reached 25 million downloads.[87] In December 2022, Behaviour Interactive announced that an improved global version is being developed co-operatively by Behaviour Interactive and NetEase Games. They removed the old global version from the mobile storefronts on December 16, 2022, and announced that the improved global version will be released in February 2023. Then, it got delayed for one month and finally the improved global version released on March 15, 2023.[88]
Spin-offs and other media
Games
Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim is a visual noveldating simulator game released on August 3, 2022. In 2021, Behaviour Interactive held a survey regarding Dead by Daylight, with one of the questions asked of the fans was about what type of genre they would like the company to explore in the future featuring Dead by Daylight's characters; one of the possible options was a dating sim.[89][90] On February 22, 2022, it was discovered that on February 16, Behaviour Interactive had filed a trademark for a project titled Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim.[91] The description for the trademark states that it covers video games, as well as comic books and graphic novels.[92][90] The game received an official announcement on May 17, 2022, during a developer livestream and officially released later that year on August 3.[93] The dating sim is a visual novel text-based game with an anime style. Created in collaboration with Psyop, Hooked on You allows the player to date four of Dead by Daylight's original Killers, the Trapper, the Huntress, the Wraith, and the Spirit, guided by original Survivors such as Dwight and Claudette.[94]
Two spin-off video games were announced on May 19, 2023. The first was described as a singer-player narrative game "filled with powerful life-or-death choices" and is being developed by Supermassive Games, known for horror video games Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures series.[95] The game was revealed as The Casting of Frank Stone at The Game Awards 2023 and is scheduled to release in 2024.[96] The second game was described as a four-player co-op PvE experience "centered around greed and the lust for power" with Midwinter Entertainment developing the game.[97]
Board game
A board game adaptation, Dead by Daylight: The Board Game, was created by Level 99 Games and distributed by Asmodee in the United States.[98] Featuring original characters up through the All Kill chapter from the original video game, one player takes on the role of the killer and two to four players take on the role of survivors. Players use perks, items, props, and powers to traverse the map in order to either repair generators and escape or hunt down and kill the survivors.[99] Following a successful fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, the game was released on April 7, 2023.[100]
Comic series
On October 29, 2022, Behaviour Interactive tweeted an announcement for a comic series featuring the four members of The Legion, which details more of their backstory. It is published by Titan Comics, written by Nadia Shammas, illustrated by Dillon Snook, and colored by Emilio Lecce. The first issue was released on June 14. It is a prequel that takes place before they become Killers.[101]
In the first issue, Frank stabs a man to death outside of a train, but he is soon woken up from this dream by his new foster parent. Later, he meets Julie and Susie, and Julie tells him about a party happening later. Joey arrives at the party, and then Frank surprises Julie by revealing that he broke in through an open window instead of using the front door. He shows off a bottle of alcohol and says that they should leave the party and hang out somewhere else. They play truth or dare in the woods, where Julie and Frank kiss. Later they decide to vandalize the school with paint and break a window, which attracts the police. They use paper plates to cover their faces as they escape the cops, then steal the cops car and go on a joyride where they steal hood ornaments. To end the night, they set the roof of the car on fire and then return home.
Film adaptation
In March 2023, it was reported by Variety that Jason Blum and James Wan were producing a film adaptation through their Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster banners, respectively alongside Behaviour Interactive.[102] In a January 2024 interview, executive producer Ryan Turek commented that the film would be informed by lessons learned from the studio's recent Five Nights at Freddy's film adaptation and to prioritize making "a video game adaptation for the fans".[103]
^Playable characters in the game are categorised as either Killers or Survivors, both capitalised.
^Games that are confirmed to be compatible with the Steam Deck, including those with Proton and any middleware DRM solutions, that by default meet minimum performance specifications, are marked as "Verified". Dead by Daylight was previously marked as "Unsupported" due to it using EasyAntiCheat which did not work on Steam Deck until 2023.
