Why Fans and Players Are Hating Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight (DBD) has long been one of the most popular asymmetric horror games, but the relationship between its community and the developer, Behaviour Interactive, is at an all-time low aside from the 2v8 DBD Update.

What was once a game praised for its unique concept is now being heavily criticized for broken promises, ongoing technical issues, and a lack of genuine improvement despite repeated assurances.

The Quality of Life Initiative That Failed

Back in February 2025, Behaviour announced a Health Update that was supposed to focus on fixing the game. They promised to delay new content in order to address bugs, balance problems, and long-requested quality-of-life features like a surrender option, anti-slugging mechanics, and better anti-cheat systems. Players were hopeful at first, thinking this could finally be the turnaround the game needed.

Unfortunately, after nearly four months, the progress has been disappointing. Only minor changes arrived, such as anti-hostage adjustments, a gamma slider, and bloodpoint spending improvements. Big promises—like a surrender option and solutions to slugging—never materialized.

More Content, More Problems

Despite stating that content would slow down, Behaviour released three new DLCs during this “health-focused” phase: Tokyo Ghoul, Orela Rose, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. Each release introduced more bugs, making the game even less stable. To many fans, this showed where Behaviour’s priorities really lie—monetization over stability.

The Walking Dead Stream Disaster

The community’s frustration peaked during a special livestream celebrating The Walking Dead collaboration, featuring actor Chandler Riggs. The event was hijacked by cheaters using a known exploit to crash matches repeatedly. For over an hour, not a single game was played successfully.

What made it worse was that streamers and players already knew the simple fix—blocking spectator slots—but Behaviour ignored this advice. The result was a public showcase of just how poorly the game is being managed.

Ongoing Issues in Dead by Daylight

The game’s core problems remain untouched, including:

• Over 130 documented bugs still active in the game.
• Rampant cheating, fueled by the outdated client-side authority system.
• Severe optimization issues, from performance drops to stuttering.

These have been known for years, yet they continue to plague every update.

A Community Plea for Change

Rather than just criticizing, the community has laid out clear steps for Behaviour to fix the game:

1. Fix Client Authority – Move key systems like damage and movement to servers to cut down cheating.
2. Upgrade Anti-Cheat – Stop relying on the free version of Easy Anti-Cheat and invest in the full license.
3. Listen to Feedback – Take input from dedicated players and creators when making killer reworks and balance changes.
4. Prioritize Optimization – Address performance and stuttering issues that make the game frustrating to play.

Dead by Daylight still has the potential to be great, but Behaviour’s recent actions have deeply damaged trust. The game’s health should come before constant DLC releases, and the community is demanding proof that the developers truly care about the game’s future. Unless these problems are genuinely addressed, the divide between the devs and the players will only continue to grow.