Dead by Daylight
A young woman named Nea Karlsson stands in the dim light of a hospital ward, clutching a toolbox. She is one of four people trapped inside a nightmare constructed by an unseen force. Across the room, a figure known as The Nurse moves with unnatural speed, her eyes fixed on the group. Her goal is to impale each person on sacrificial hooks before they can escape. The survivors must work together to repair five generators scattered throughout the map. These machines power up two exit gates that lead back to reality. If all four players fail to open these gates, the Entity claims their souls.
An eldritch horror exists between dimensions and feeds on violence and malice. This being calls itself the Entity and demands sacrifices from those it captures. It pulls serial killers and victims of tragedy out of the real world to serve its purpose. Each trial takes place in dreamlike realms built around the history of specific Killers. A campfire sits at the center of this purgatory where survivors rest between hunts. The Entity blocks gateways of death to ensure the hunt continues indefinitely. It steals pieces of souls upon death while feeding off the hope of escaping. Players who wander into woods or abandoned buildings disappear without a trace.
Behaviour Interactive released Dead by Daylight for Windows on the 14th of June 2016 after a closed beta test ended on May 29. Swedish studio Starbreeze Studios published the game until Behaviour bought the rights in 2018. The title launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One during 2017 before expanding to Nintendo Switch in 2019. An iOS and Android version developed by NetEase ran from 2020 until March 2025 when it was permanently shut down. Unreal Engine 4 powered the initial release until April 2024 when the team upgraded to Unreal Engine 5. Cross-play functionality arrived in 2020 allowing users across different systems to play together. Cross-progression features were added in 2024 so players could access accounts on multiple platforms.
The game has featured forty-six individual downloadable content releases as of January 2026. Twenty-three of these chapters introduced licensed characters from films television series and video games. A Stranger Things chapter featuring Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler appeared on the 17th of September 2019. Another chapter brought Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th into the game on the 14th of September 2017. Players can purchase DLCs with real money or earn iridescent shards through gameplay since June 2018. Free updates have been provided continuously since launch including visual upgrades starting in 2020. The title is often called the hall of fame of horror due to its wide cast of icons.
Netflix decided not to renew the license for Stranger Things leading to removal of that chapter after the 17th of November 2021. All Stranger Things content returned to the game on the 6th of November 2023 following a surprise move. Boss Protocol released an NFT using Pinhead without Behaviour's involvement causing player backlash in October 2021. Clive Barker regained rights to the character two months later resulting in full Hellraiser content being removed on the 4th of April 2025. Attack on Titan cosmetics were added in July 2022 but pulled from stores in July 2023 before returning on the 9th of October 2025. A Halloween chapter became unavailable for purchase after the 19th of January 2026 ahead of a new film release.
Dead by Daylight sold more than 270,000 copies during its first week of availability. The title reached one million sales within two months and three million copies by the 16th of November 2017. By August 2020 the player count exceeded twenty-five million across all platforms. This number grew to thirty-six million by May 2021 and fifty million by May 2022. Sixty million players had engaged with the game by November 2023. Japan has become one of the biggest markets due to Japanese-themed chapters and expanded lore. An Entity Café opened on the fourth floor of Tokyo Skytree in August 2021 to celebrate the franchise.
A dating simulator titled Hooked on You released on the 3rd of August 2022 allowing players to date four original Killers. What the Fog launched as a co-op roguelike on the 14th of May 2024 featuring characters like Dwight and Claudette. The Casting of Frank Stone arrived as an interactive drama horror game on the 3rd of September 2024 developed by Supermassive Games. A pinball table from Zen Studios became available for Pinball M on the 30th of November 2023. Level 99 Games created a physical board game that was distributed by Asmodee starting the 7th of April 2023. Titan Comics published a comic series about The Legion beginning the 14th of June 2023 with a second series planned for April 2026.
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Common questions
When was Dead by Daylight released for Windows?
Dead by Daylight was released for Windows on the 14th of June 2016 after a closed beta test ended on May 29. The game launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One during 2017 before expanding to Nintendo Switch in 2019.
Who developed and published Dead by Daylight originally?
Behaviour Interactive released Dead by Daylight while Swedish studio Starbreeze Studios published the game until Behaviour bought the rights in 2018. Unreal Engine 4 powered the initial release until April 2024 when the team upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.
How many players have engaged with Dead by Daylight as of November 2023?
Sixty million players had engaged with the game by November 2023. Japan has become one of the biggest markets due to Japanese-themed chapters and expanded lore including an Entity Café that opened on the fourth floor of Tokyo Skytree in August 2021.
What downloadable content chapters were removed from Dead by Daylight?
Netflix decided not to renew the license for Stranger Things leading to removal of that chapter after the 17th of November 2021 though all content returned on the 6th of November 2023. Boss Protocol released an NFT using Pinhead without Behaviour's involvement causing player backlash in October 2021 before Clive Barker regained rights resulting in full Hellraiser content being removed on the 4th of April 2025.
When did Dead by Daylight reach fifty million players?
Dead by Daylight reached thirty-six million players by May 2021 and fifty million by May 2022. The title sold more than 270,000 copies during its first week of availability and reached one million sales within two months.