Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetric multiplayer game from the Canadian studio Behaviour Interactive (Montreal). The formula is simple: four Survivors play in third person and repair five of the seven generators on the map to open the gates and escape. One Killer plays in first person, moves around the map, hunts the Survivors and hangs them on hooks. The goals are different and the cameras are different: this is not standard PvP, but two different experiences in one match.

Each Killer plays in a fundamentally different way. Freddy Krueger pulls Survivors into the Dream World, Hag teleports to traps, Spirit makes a phase step, Nemesis controls zombies through the Tyrant Virus, Vecna uses D&D-style spells. Survivors cannot attack directly: they stun the Killer with pallets, blind them with flashlights, rescue each other from hooks and heal. Sound is critically important: the heartbeat when the Killer is near, footprints on the ground, screams on the hooks. It is ideal to play with voice chat in Discord with friends.

The main reason for its popularity over 10 years is the licensed roster. By the 10th anniversary there are 41 Killers, ~50 Survivors and ~47 paid chapters. The Killers include Michael Myers (Halloween), Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, Pyramid Head (Silent Hill), Pinhead (Hellraiser), Chucky (2023), Dracula from Castlevania (2024), Vecna (Stranger Things, 2026), Nemesis and Wesker from Resident Evil, Xenomorph (Alien), Ghostface (Scream). The main event of the 10th anniversary is Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, with a full release on 16 June 2026.

The base game ($19.99) includes the core gameplay, ~5 original Killers (Trapper, Wraith, Hillbilly, Nurse, Huntress), ~5 Survivors, the base maps and all game modes: classic 1 vs 4, 2 vs 8 (limited), Lights Out (no HUD), Chaos Shuffle (random perks). Licensed characters such as Freddy, Jason, Pyramid Head and others are not included in the base game and cannot be unlocked with the in-game currency (Iridescent Shards). They are bought only with real money or Auric Cells. The full roster adds up to ~$300-400 cumulatively.

Activation takes no extra steps: Steam key, Steam client, library, install, launch. No third-party launcher is needed. A Behaviour account is needed only for cross-progression between PC and consoles (PS4/PS5/Xbox/Switch). It is created for free, and for playing on PC only it is optional. Cross-progression has worked since 2022: characters, cosmetics and Auric Cells sync across all systems.

Localization: the Russian interface, menus and subtitles are available. There is no full Russian voice-over: by design, Behaviour Interactive supports voice-over in only 6 languages (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish). This is not a cut-down localization but a studio policy since the game's launch.

The online audience is stable: ~50,415 concurrent players on average over the last 30 days (Steam), a peak of 76,845 (30 May 2026, the start of Jason's PTB), and an all-time record of 120,717 (26 June 2025, the 9th anniversary). Matchmaking is fast: 5-30 seconds for a Survivor, 1-2 minutes for a Killer. The Steam rating is Mostly Positive, 79% of all time (~252,410 reviews), 77% over the last 30 days, a stable delta for a live-service game after 10 years.

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetric cooperative 4 vs 1 horror game: four Survivors repair generators and try to escape, while one Killer hunts them. It has been on the market for 10 years and features 41 Killers from cult horror franchises: Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Pyramid Head, Dracula from Castlevania, and Jason Voorhees from 16 June 2026. Russian text and interface are available, but there is no Russian voice-over.