Behaviour Interactive is not building Dead by Daylight 2. Instead, the studio is rebuilding the existing game from the inside out, in a project large enough that the team is reluctant to call it a simple visual update. The plan was laid out as part of the game’s 10th anniversary celebration, which marks a decade since the asymmetrical horror title first launched on June 14, 2016.
Quick answer: The overhaul is a ground-up rework of Dead by Daylight’s visuals, animation, audio, and environments, targeted for 2027, and it sits alongside new game modes, official modding, and survivor voiceover. There is no confirmed exact release date for the overhaul yet.
Why there is no Dead by Daylight 2
The question of a sequel has followed the game for years. Behaviour’s answer remains the same. Executive Producer José Ramos said starting fresh would mean leaving too much behind, so the studio chose to evolve the current game rather than replace it. Creative Director Dave Richards framed the effort as a way to make the next ten years stronger than the first ten, rather than a straight continuation of what already exists.
The practical result is a single large update built by a separate team from the one handling the core game’s regular content. The studio chose to show early footage now for transparency, while stressing that everything shown is still work in progress. Dates may move, and individual features could be added or cut before release.
What the 2027 overhaul changes
The central goal is to sharpen the game’s sense of fear and suspense. Character models and animations are being rebuilt so survivors show emotion more clearly, with hair quality improved across the roster. The team is also upgrading the underlying character rig, which allows for smoother movement and more detailed facial animation.
Maps and environments are part of the same pass. Lighting, shading, and textures are being reworked, and a dynamic weather system is being added for the first time, including light rain, heavy rain, and storms. Fog and mist effects are being improved, the Entity will feel more present in matches, and an audio update is meant to make the whole experience sound more realistic.
| Area | What is changing |
|---|---|
| Characters | Rebuilt models, expanded animation, improved hair, new character rig |
| Faces | Realistic facial animation to better show survivor emotion |
| Maps | New lighting, shading, and textures across environments |
| Weather | New dynamic weather, including light rain, heavy rain, and storms |
| Atmosphere | Improved Fog and Mist effects and a stronger Entity presence |
| Audio | Sound update aimed at more realistic effects |
New game modes coming alongside the overhaul
The studio is prototyping several new modes, and two were detailed early. A 1v1 mode is set to launch in early 2027. It strips out perks and items in favor of pure killer-versus-survivor play, drawing heavily from the competitive scene. Matches are best of three, and the win condition is simple, since the player who survives the longest takes the round.
A zombie mode is also in development, described as still evolving. The intent is to drop players directly into the feel of a zombie apocalypse film. No firm release window has been attached to it yet.
Official modding and survivor voiceover
Dead by Daylight is opening up to sandbox modding. Behaviour is building a set of tools that will let players create their own maps, modes, and more, putting fresh content directly in the hands of the community. This support is planned to arrive in 2027.
Voiceover is the other long-running community request being addressed. New voice lines will be recorded and added over time for original characters who currently have none. Ramos described this as a long-term initiative with a slow rollout beginning at the end of 2026, so original survivors will not all gain voiceover at once.
Anniversary chapters and collaborations timeline
The overhaul sits inside a broader stretch of releases running from 2026 into 2027. The long-requested Jason Voorhees chapter launches first, followed by a survivor-focused chapter introducing Shane Wiigwaas, the game’s first Indigenous survivor, a lawyer from the Anishinaabe community searching for answers about a wrongfully convicted cousin. The anniversary event itself runs from June 25 to July 16, 2026, with the Black Banquet Collection.
| Release | Timing |
|---|---|
| Jason Voorhees chapter | June 16, 2026 |
| The Life Road chapter and Shane Wiigwaas | June 25, 2026 |
| Anniversary event (Black Banquet Collection) | June 25 to July 16, 2026 |
| Diablo Collection | October 2026 |
| Terrifier chapter with Art the Clown | November 2026 |
| Chorus of Sin (community-developed chapter) | August 2027 |
| The Casting of Frank Stone chapter | 2027 |
| Visual and systems overhaul | 2027 |
Several cosmetic collections round out the lineup. There is an Eddie Legendary outfit for The Hauntress tied to Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary, an Ice Nine Kills collection with a new themed track and music video, Walking Dead Legendary outfits for Rick (Glenn and Negan), a Silent Hill outfit for Cheryl based on Shimizu Hinako, and a long-requested Scooby-Doo collection. A Dead by Daylight film from Blumhouse is also in the works, with a completed screenplay and a director attached.
Taken together, the rebuild signals a deliberate shift after a quieter period spent on the game’s underlying systems. Nothing in the overhaul changes how the current game plays today, and the most consequential pieces, namely the rebuilt visuals, modding, and the 1v1 mode, are still ahead. For now, the firm near-term dates are the anniversary chapters and event, while the larger evolution is positioned for 2027.
