Dead by Daylight is “the most performed horror recreation in historical past,” developer Conduct Interactive has stated forward of its tenth birthday.
Whereas Conduct hasn’t revealed an up to date gross sales quantity for the asymmetrical 4v1 multiplayer, stay service horror recreation, it did say it had greater than 70 million gamers over the course of the decade, and presently averages over 1 million gamers a day throughout all platforms. Dead by Daylight is especially robust on Steam, the place it’s remained amongst the prime 15 best-sellers for 9 years.
Different contenders for the most-played horror recreation crown embrace titles in Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise, Konami’s Silent Hill sequence, the 5 Knights at Freddy’s video games, Phasmophobia, and Outlast. However it’s value noting that Dead by Daylight’s declare to fame pertains to participant numbers for a person title, not a franchise as a complete — and there aren’t many horror video video games which have confirmed so common over the course of 10 years to compete with it.
And Dead by Daylight seems to be rising, with Conduct saying revenues have elevated by greater than 50% over the final 12 months. When Dead by daylight launched again in 2016, 30 folks had been engaged on it. Now, the workforce is almost 500 robust. Conduct says it’s the largest Canadian gaming studio with greater than 1,200 workers unfold throughout its places of work in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Dallas, Middlesbrough and Rotterdam.
“When Dead by Daylight launched in 2016, it pioneered a style: the uneven multiplayer horror recreation, the place one killer faces 4 survivors,” Rémi Racine, Behaviour co-founder and CEO, stated.
“Preliminary forecasts predicted gross sales of round 300,000 copies. 10 years and greater than 70 million gamers later, I’m astounded by how the recreation continues to succeed in new heights. 2025 was Dead by Daylight’s most profitable yr up to now. We welcomed over six million new gamers and delivered report efficiency. This progress has continued into 2026 — over the final 12 months, the recreation’s revenues have elevated by greater than 50%. For any recreation to endure 10 years is an achievement. To succeed in that milestone and nonetheless be rising is unbelievable. I deeply respect each certainly one of the gamers who’ve supported us on this journey.”
A part of the purpose Dead by Daylight has loved such enduring enchantment is its high-profile crossover occasions. It’s collaborated with various well-known horror franchises, together with Alien, 5 Nights at Freddy’s, Resident Evil, Friday the thirteenth, and Stranger Issues.
The announcement comes as Behaviour prepares to welcome greater than 3,000 followers to Montreal for a 10-year anniversary occasion the place the way forward for the recreation will likely be revealed throughout a livestream. It’s set for 5pm PT / 8pm ET on Sunday, June 14.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.