How Dead by Daylight Keeps YOU Addicted — And Sold Over 24 MILLION Copies

Dead by Daylight has had an iron grasp on the world for the last 10 YEARS, and it has managed to keep people addicted for hundreds — to thousands — of hours. Right now, the team is celebrating their 10-year anniversary.

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Yet if you browse any kind of social media, you keep coming across the same headlines: Dead by Daylight is dying. This will KILL DBD. Behaviour has really messed up this time.

As I am writing this, Dead by Daylight has over 63,000 players in lobbies. I do not think the game is dying any time soon.

The Paradox — Simple Yet Complex

DBD has MASTERED the art of being a simple, yet complex, game.

The simplicity: you pick one of two sides, survivor or killer.

If you are a survivor, you are in a team of four and your goal is to fix five gens and escape through the gate. As a killer, your goal is to hook survivors twice and then kill them before they get away.

And yet — there are thousands of different strategies to win for both sides. The reality is you do not even have to hook survivors twice to get a kill, and as a survivor squad there are multiple ways to finish the gens faster and leave.

That means no matter how many times you play, there is always something new to learn. Progression, skill, and so much more is exactly what keeps a person hooked on a game.

Licensed Characters

You get to play your favourite characters. Stranger Things, Ghost Face, Nemesis — DBD has mastered the art of appealing to fandoms within the horror genre, much like Fortnite. You have a selection of over 43 playable killers, with 19 of them licensed. You are bound to find one you enjoy.

The Huntress, a Dead by Daylight killer in a rabbit mask, raising a hatchet in a dark, misty forest.
The Huntress — one of DBD’s original killers, proof the roster doesn’t lean on licences alone. Oh KAY Gamers

As a survivor, you can play over 52 characters, and 22 are licensed — such as Ellen Ripley from Alien, Lara Croft (my personal favourite), or even Steve Harrington (better known as Seagull Steve). With so many options, and many more to come, there is never really a dull day with Dead by Daylight.

Why All the Hate?

Because you cannot have a large community without a lot of hate. It is as simple as that.

Do I believe some of the criticisms are valid? ABSOLUTELY. But I also know hate is what brings the numbers on social media. Posting negative takes about Dead by Daylight gains far more traction than posting positive ones. It is social media 101. And it is less DBD’s fault and more the fault of social media fuelling a fire that I honestly think is too much.

Dead by Daylight does remain mostly balanced, with a few extra perks and realities that favour the survivor side. Yet even I, as a killer main, have found ways to overcome it simply by using strategies — thanks to some awesome YouTubers out there. Suddenly my frustrations with the game have been reduced.

And believe it or not, I think the hate is part of what keeps this community so big. People keep talking about the game, even years after they stopped playing it. Now that tells you something.

The Trickster, a Dead by Daylight killer in a neon-lit yellow coat holding a bladed weapon over his shoulder.
The Trickster — the kind of bold, stylised killer design that keeps the roster fresh. Oh KAY Gamers

Fascinating to Watch

I love playing the game, and I love watching it too. Dead by Daylight matches are interesting — much like a common sport. You root for the survivors or the killer depending on who you are watching. The stakes are high. Surprises are common.

Which is also what keeps DBD alive. People are not just motivated to play the game, they are motivated to stream it too.

As of right now, just checking Twitch alone, there are over 29,700 people watching Dead by Daylight streams. It changes from time to time, but the fact that it ranks that high tells you just how fun it can be to watch — and there are streamers only happy to oblige. It is truly ongoing publicity for the Dead by Daylight community.

Dead by Daylight Is FUN

No matter what anyone says, DBD at the heart of it can be a whole lot of fun to play. Everyone has their bad days and their good days, and the competitive edge can make it a miserable experience.

But only if you let it.

I still have a lot of fun playing this game. I like to play a match or two a day, then get back to focusing on my work. I honestly believe Dead by Daylight is a good game, one where the artists clearly put their heart and soul into it, and the developers are doing what they can to keep it as balanced as possible — which is precarious, because giving benefits to one side will always upset the other.

With that being said: congratulations to Dead by Daylight on their 10-year anniversary!

Dead by Daylight is available now on Steam.