Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer (4vs1) horror game where one player takes on the role of the savage Killer, and the other four players play as Survivors, trying to escape the Killer and avoid being caught, tortured and killed.

Survivors play in third-person and have the advantage of better situational awareness. The Killer plays in first-person and is more focused on their prey.

The Survivors' goal in each encounter is to escape the Killing Ground without getting caught by the Killer - something that sounds easier than it is, especially when the environment changes every time you play.

The game features procedurally generated levels, so players never experience a repetitive map. Be the killer and massacre all your victims before they escape, by using your speed and power in 1st person, or team up with your friends to try and outwit the killer with your superior awareness and agility in a 3rd person's view as he hunts you through a nightmare world.

Players take on the role of both killer and survivors in a deadly game of cat and mouse. It’s a Mature Gamer take on the thrills of Hide & Seek!

Starting in April, Dead by Daylight will begin receiving significant gameplay and quality-of-life updates that the community has eagerly awaited, including:

• Anti-slugging/surrender option
• “Go Next” prevention
• Hiding and body blocking prevention
• A new quest system
• Bulk Bloodpoint spending
• Anti-camping
• Matchmaking rating update
• And much more

Dead by Daylight Quality of Life Initiative 2025: Phase 1

Dead by Daylight will be undergoing a substantial Quality of Life Initiative, which should address many longstanding concerns and frustrations our players have been experiencing.

This Initiative will take place over the course of two phases. The first runs from April to June, while the second runs from July to December. For a full look at what’s scheduled, check out the roadmap below.

To accommodate for the scope of this Initiative, we have decided to delay several of our upcoming releases – including Chapters, Rifts, Events Modifiers, and Collections. That means there will not be a PTB tomorrow, but rest assured that we did not make this decision lightly.

We feel confident that delaying our upcoming releases to prioritize this Quality-of-Life Initiative will ultimately make Dead by Daylight stronger than ever. We’re always listening to our players, and this has been a long time coming.

Looking for a more comprehensive breakdown of everything lined up in Phase 1? We’ve got you covered.

Surrender State

The team has been working on a Surrender feature, which should limit player frustration on both sides. To get it right, we first needed to identify the situations where its use would be most appropriate, leading us to two scenarios:

• All remaining Survivors have been slugged (Survivor)
• All remaining Survivors are bots (Killer)

Once these instances occur, players will be able to use the Surrender option, ending the Trial while retaining the Bloodpoints they’ve earned and escaping the Disconnect Penalty.

Gamma Adjustments

Dead by Daylight can get a little dark – not just thematically -- and sometimes excessive darkness can hinder playability. We’re introducing the ability to adjust Gamma settings on all platforms, allowing you to find a sweet spot without sacrificing the intended artistic direction.

“Go-Next" Prevention

The “Go-Next” expression refers to instances where a Survivor deliberately does everything in their power to quickly go to their next game – including walking up to the Killer and standing still, running to a Hook and repeatedly pointing at it, or most commonly, intentionally failing Skill Checks while on Hook.

To disincentivize and properly penalize this behavior, we’ll be implementing measures that will help us identify when a player is attempting to “Go Next.” Once identified, they’ll receive a Disconnection Penalty Point and lose an entire Grade. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this system to ensure its accuracy, but we’re confident that that this will help alleviate the issue.

On the other hand, we’d like to reward players who stick it out through those challenging matches, even when things take a dire turn. We’ll be moving forward with a new Emblem-based multiplier that grants additional Bloodpoints during your following match, with the bonus stacking over consecutive Trials.

Extreme Hiding & Body Blocking Prevention

“Extreme Hiding” refers to Survivors drawing out an unwinnable match by ignoring their objective and waiting out the clock.

To combat this, we’re changing the way AFK Crows operate, so they can more accurately identify when a player is deliberately avoiding engagement with their gameplay objective. Once a player receives Crows, their location will be immediately revealed to the Killer.

We’ll also be incorporating a feature that allows players to lose collision after receiving a third AFK Crow, which should prevent instances of Body-Block related griefing.

Map Offerings

We recognize that Map Offerings are a bit divisive; some players enjoy them, while others feel they can grant an unfair advantage. The fact that they automatically bypass both the Map and Realm repetition system can also add to that frustration.

Moving forward, Map Offerings will no longer guarantee the appearance of a given Map, but rather increase its chances by 20%. Note that they will not stack. We’re also looking to make it so Map Offerings, as well as several other types of Offerings, will remain a secret during load-in – that way, your decision to remain in the match will not be swayed by external factors.

Spawn Rules

Survivor spawn placements can have a significant impact on a Trial’s outcome, an observation that has been repeatedly recognized by our community. It’s become clear that Survivors spawning separately, and thereby covering more ground, allows them to gain a notable advantage in completing their objective.

We’re changing the default Survivor Spawn rules to ensure that each Survivor will spawn within 12 meters of one another, on the same floor (if applicable). To accomodate for this change, Shroud Offerings will be adjusted accordingly.

Bulk Bloodpoint Spending

To speed up general Bloodweb activity, we’re adding a button that will allow you to spend Bloodpoints in bulk.

Quest System

Previously announced last year, the Quest system is part of a larger update to The Archives and Rifts, so expect more information in an article specifically dedicated to that. For now, know that we will be reworking the Challenge system (as well as Daily Rituals) to reduce the grind, make it easier to earn rewards, and increase the overall level of fun.

Perk Loadouts & Preview

After a successful round of A/B testing, we’ll be allowing players to see their own Perk loadouts while in a lobby, as well as adding additional Perk loadout slots.

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We believe these changes will be an overall benefit to Dead by Daylight’s health, further establishing a positive gaming environment for all our players. We’d also like to thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

We’ll be back at our Anniversary Broadcast in May to recap Part 1 and provide deeper insight into Part 2 of our Roadmap, so keep an eye out for that announcement. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Thanks for spending time in The Fog,

The Dead by Daylight Team.

Behaviour has implemented Cross-Play across PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, allowing players on console and PC to face trials together, while Cross-Friends will let you create a friends list that is cross-platform and enjoy an unprecedented multiplayer experience in their favorite multiplayer horror game.  

Dead by Daylight is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.