Dead by Daylight the ‘Most-Played Horror Game in History’

Dead by Daylight is “the most played horror game in history,” developer Behavior Interactive has said ahead of its 10th birthday.

While Behavior hasn’t revealed an updated sales number for the asymmetrical 4v1 multiplayer, live service horror game, it did say it had more than 70 million players over the course of the decade, and currently averages over 1 million players a day across all platforms. Dead by Daylight is particularly strong on Steam, where it’s remained among the top 15 best-sellers for nine years.

Other contenders for the most-played horror game crown include titles in Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise, Konami’s Silent Hill series, the Five Knights at Freddy’s games, Phasmophobia, and Outlast. But it’s worth noting that Dead by Daylight’s claim to fame relates to player numbers for an individual title, not a franchise as a whole — and there aren’t many horror video games that have proven so popular over the course of 10 years to compete with it.

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And Dead by Daylight appears to be growing, with Behavior saying revenues have increased by more than 50% over the last 12 months. When Dead by daylight launched back in 2016, 30 people were working on it. Now, the team is nearly 500 strong. Behavior says it’s the largest Canadian gaming studio with more than 1,200 employees spread across its offices in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Dallas, Middlesbrough and Rotterdam.

“When Dead by Daylight launched in 2016, it pioneered a genre: the asymmetric multiplayer horror game, where one killer faces four survivors,” Rémi Racine, Behaviour co-founder and CEO, said.

“Initial forecasts predicted sales of around 300,000 copies. 10 years and more than 70 million players later, I’m astounded by how the game continues to reach new heights. 2025 was Dead by Daylight’s most successful year so far. We welcomed over six million new players and delivered record performance. This growth has continued into 2026 — over the last 12 months, the game’s revenues have increased by more than 50%. For any game to endure 10 years is an achievement. To reach that milestone and still be growing is incredible. I deeply appreciate every one of the players who have supported us on this journey.”

Part of the reason Dead by Daylight has enjoyed such enduring appeal is its high-profile crossover events. It’s collaborated with a number of well-known horror franchises, including Alien, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Resident Evil, Friday the 13th, and Stranger Things.

The announcement comes as Behaviour prepares to welcome more than 3,000 fans to Montreal for a 10-year anniversary event where the future of the game will be revealed during a livestream. It’s set for 5pm PT / 8pm ET on Sunday, June 14.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.