Is Dead By Daylight Worth It In 2023?

Dead by Daylight has solidified its title as the best 4v1 asymmetrical horror game of all time, with its roster of over 25 killers and over 30 survivors featuring some of the most iconic characters in horror. The game has been out for over six years now, though, and there are many alternatives on the market, such as the brand-new Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed and Evil Dead: The Game. As such, some players wonder if Dead by Daylight is worth it or if there are better games out there to invest your time in.

If you’re considering starting up Dead by Daylight for the first time in 2023, let’s go over whether the game is worth your time or if you should seek out something else to play. 

1 June 2023 - Following the new Chapter 27 - Tools of Torment, we have updated this article to reflect whether Dead by Daylight is playing in 2023!

Is Dead By Daylight Worth It For New Players In 2023?

Dead by Daylight may have been out for six years now, but it is still the best 4v1 asymmetrical horror game on the market. Thankfully, despite being out for so long, the game is more approachable for new players than ever. Recent updates to the game’s prestige and Bloodpoint systems make it simple to get started in Dead by Daylight, and players have various characters to choose from.

Reduced Grind

In the past, new players may have been put off by the game’s grind and prestige system, which required players to dump millions of Bloodpoints into raising a character’s prestige level before they would ultimately lose all their earned perks, items, and offerings upon prestige.

These issues were addressed in Dead by Daylight’s June 2022 developer update, which overhauled the prestige system and Bloodweb. Now, it takes fewer Bloodpoints to level up a character, and players’ items are not lost when raising a character’s prestige level. This makes it much easier to get started and accumulate perks, items, and offerings you can use to do well in trials.

Huge Killer And Survivor Roster

The game’s roster is also larger than it’s ever been, and it is only getting larger. Many of Dead by Daylight's characters are licensed, too, meaning that if you're a fan of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Ringu, Halloween, or a variety of other franchises, you are likely to find something you'll enjoy in Dead by Daylight. If you enjoyed running from Pyramid Head in Silent Hill 2, for example, you'll no doubt enjoy the thrill and nostalgia of wielding The Executioner's Great Knife in Dead by Daylight.

If you've never picked up Dead by Daylight but you've had your eye on the game, there is no better time than now to get started. The game not only remains the best 4v1 asymmetrical horror game out there after six years on the market, but it is only getting better thanks to developers' regular updates.

Is Dead By Daylight Worth It For Returning Players in 2022?

If you're a veteran Dead by Daylight player and have not picked up the game in a few years, there is no better time to get back into Dead by Daylight. Developer Behaviour Interactive has made some of the most major changes in the game’s history in the past year, with the June 2022 perk overhaul completely changing how the game is played. Many of the game's newest characters are also some of its best, with unique personalities and powers joining Dead by Daylight's roster.

Quality of Life Updates

As of March 2023, Dead By Daylight has undergone many Quality of Life updates that have made the game more enjoyable to play in recent months. Players' screams are now in 3D, making it easy for killers to discern their direction. Bots have also been added to Dead By Daylight, and players can even customize their loadouts.

Visual Updates

Dead By Daylight's graphics are currently undergoing some major updates, with Behaviour Interactive updating each map one by one. Veteran players who are tired of the existing maps will love the updated Shelter Woods and Red Forest maps, which look like a totally different game thanks to their enhanced graphics.

Perk Changes

One complaint many veteran players have is that the Dead by Daylight meta is too stale and encourages players to run the same four strong perks each match despite the wide variety of options available.

Old meta perks like Dead Hard were completely reworked in the perk overhaul, bringing new perks into the meta and allowing players to try new builds and experiment with new perks. Perks like Off the Record, which were previously obsolete, now have new power descriptions and are used more regularly by survivors. As such, players who found themselves jaded with using the same meta build every match will likely find that these updates breathed new life into the game.

Queue Times

Queue times were an issue for many long-time Dead by Daylight players, with both killers and survivors having to wait as long as ten minutes for a match when there weren't enough players online. In the past year, Dead by Daylight's queue times have decreased significantly. New content like Resident Evil Project W brought in a huge influx of new players, while Behaviour implemented Matchmaking Incentives to further encourage players to play a role (either killer or survivor) that will lessen queue times.

Character Updates And New Releases

Some of the game’s most recent characters, such as Albert Wesker from Resident Evil and The Onryo from Ringu, are arguably some of the game's best releases yet. These characters not only have rich lore but also feature perks that uprooted the game's meta and introduced new ways to play. Take The Cenobite's Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain, for example, which debuted the Scourge Hook perk type and brought killers a powerful new ability.

On the survivor side of things, Mikaela Reid also brought Boons to the table, giving survivors a brand new form of counterplay.

Old characters, too, are regularly updated to bring them up-to-date with the meta. If you loved playing The Clown or The Spirit, for example, you'll find many new features in their kits that will diversify gameplay and make trials more interesting.

Dead by Daylight has seen a lot of changes in the past few years, and almost all of them are positive. If you’re a veteran Dead by Daylight player, you won’t regret opening up the game and giving it another try in 2023.

That's everything you need to know about whether Dead by Daylight is worth playing in 2022. For more Dead by Daylight news be sure to check out our dedicated section, or some of our Guides & Tutorials, just below:

DBD Guides - Dead By Daylight Killers Tier List | Best Dead By Daylight Survivor Builds | Dead By Daylight Codes | Shrine of Secrets Perks This Week | Best Dead By Daylight Survivor Perks| Best Dead By Daylight Killer Perks | When Is Dead By Daylight Rank Reset | How To Get Bloodpoints Fast | How To Get Bloody Clothes | Does Dead By Daylight Have Bots | Dead By Daylight Roadmap | Dead By Daylight CrossProgression Explained | How To Track Dead By Daylight Stats

DBD Best Builds – The Artist | The Blight | The Cannibal | The Cenobite | The Clown | The Deathslinger | The Demogorgon | The Doctor | The Dredge | The Executioner | The Ghost Face | The Hag | The Hillbilly | The Huntress | The Legion | The Mastermind | The Nemesis | The Nightmare | The Nurse | The Oni | The Onryō | The Pig | The Plague | The Shape| The Spirit| The Trapper| The Trickster| The Twins | The Wraith

Featured image courtesy of Behaviour Interactive.