Behaviour Interactive confirms Dead by Daylight has surpassed 70 million players, making it the most-played horror game in history. Jason Voorhees joins the roster on June 16, 2026, as the game celebrates a decade of asymmetric horror.
Dead by Daylight has officially surpassed 70 million total players across all platforms, and developer Behaviour Interactive is calling it “the most-played horror game in history.” The announcement came on June 11, 2026, just days before the game’s 10th anniversary celebration in Montreal, revealing that the asymmetric multiplayer horror title now averages over one million daily active players and has remained among Steam’s top 15 best-sellers for nine consecutive years.
What Do the Numbers Actually Look Like?
Behaviour Interactive’s statement paints a picture of sustained, accelerating growth rather than a game coasting on legacy. According to the studio, 2025 was Dead by Daylight’s most successful year to date, welcoming more than six million new players. That momentum has carried into 2026, with revenues increasing by more than 50 percent over the past 12 months.
On Steam alone, the game hit an all-time concurrent player peak of 120,717 on June 26, 2025. Throughout 2026, the average concurrent player count has hovered above 50,000, with May 2026 averaging 51,050 players and reaching a monthly peak of 86,738. According to SteamCharts data, June 2026 is trending upward at roughly 54,768 average players, buoyed by the anniversary hype and the impending Jason Voorhees release.
Jason Voorhees Finally Enters the Fog on June 16
The headline addition for Dead by Daylight’s 10th anniversary is the one fans have been requesting for a decade: Jason Voorhees. The iconic Friday the 13th slasher was officially confirmed during a 13-hour cabin livestream on May 23, 2026, and entered the Steam Public Test Build (PTB) on May 26. He launches across all platforms simultaneously on June 16, 2026, as Chapter 40.
Jason arrives as a stealth-oriented Killer with a brutal playstyle. He can approach Survivors without making a sound, set up ambush attacks, and burst through obstacles from an invisible state for jumpscare moments. Wounded Survivors hit near walls can be pinned in place, left helpless until Jason finishes them off. He also has a unique spear mechanic and multiple Mori animations, including one tied to reaching up to 13 tokens earned by breaking pallets and walls.
Three cosmetic outfits ship alongside the base character: “Death Forsaken” featuring decaying flesh and a shovel, “Backwoods Terror” with a flannel shirt and heavy axe, and “Depths of Despair” covered in barnacles and seaweed as though resurrected from the ocean floor. The DLC is priced at $4.99 or 500 Auric Cells.
The 10th Anniversary Event: Montreal and Beyond
The physical anniversary celebration takes place on June 14, 2026, at the Grand Quay in Montreal’s Old Port, Behaviour Interactive’s hometown. More than 3,000 fans from around the world are expected to attend. The event features developer panels (including sessions on integrating licensed IPs and designing fear through sound), a cosplay showcase, gaming stations, an Art of Dead by Daylight mini-expo, meet-and-greets, and the Year 10 Anniversary Broadcast at 8:00 PM ET.
The closing party features a special DJ performance by Kavinsky, the French electronic artist known for the “Drive” soundtrack. For those unable to attend in person, the broadcast will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube. Twitch Community MeetUps are also organising creator-led watch parties across 10 global cities.
The in-game anniversary event runs from June 16 through July 7, 2026, offering exclusive cosmetics, limited-time challenges, and collectible rewards. A separate limited-edition 10th Anniversary merchandise collection launched on June 12 and runs through July 31, featuring a picture disc box set, cassette box set, signed framed artwork, an exclusive Youtooz figurine, and apparel. No restocks are planned.
Why “Most-Played Horror Game” Is a Defensible Claim
Behaviour’s claim specifically refers to individual title player counts, not franchise totals. Capcom’s Resident Evil series has sold over 150 million copies across dozens of titles, and Konami’s Silent Hill franchise maintains cultural significance, but no single horror game has maintained the sustained live-service player base that Dead by Daylight has built over 10 years.
Competitors like Phasmophobia, the Five Nights at Freddy’s games, and Outlast have each carved significant niches, but none match Dead by Daylight’s combination of longevity, daily active users, and cross-platform reach. The game’s roster now includes 51 Survivors and 41 Killers (42 with Jason), featuring licensed characters from Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Silent Hill, Stranger Things, Resident Evil, Dungeons & Dragons, and now Friday the 13th.
What Has the 2026 Content Roadmap Delivered So Far?
The year started strong with the Stranger Things Chapter 2 in January 2026, adding Vecna (The First) as a Killer alongside Eleven and Dustin Henderson as Survivors. March brought a new South Korean-themed realm tied to The Trickster’s lore, giving the K-pop killer a dedicated map for the first time. The All-Kill comeback chapter also returned with updated content, quests, and a new cosmetic collection.
Jason Voorhees on June 16 marks the climax of the Year 10 roadmap. Behaviour Interactive has confirmed that Dead by Daylight 2 is not in development, and the company is committed to long-term support of the original game. With over 1,200 employees across offices in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Dallas, Middlesbrough, and Rotterdam, Behaviour is now the largest Canadian gaming studio.
Where Can You Play Dead by Daylight?
Dead by Daylight is available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Windows), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Full crossplay and cross-save support are enabled across all platforms. Xbox Game Pass Premium and Ultimate subscribers can access the base game at no additional cost.
On Steam, the base game is currently priced at $7.99. The Five Nights at Freddy’s Edition bundle is available at $22.48, while the Stranger Things Complete Edition sits around $41.77. The game has received over 660,000 reviews on Steam with a “Mostly Positive” overall rating.
Players looking to buy or sell gaming accounts, including Steam accounts with extensive Dead by Daylight libraries, can explore the GamerMarkt Steam Accounts marketplace, which offers verified sellers, secure escrow payments, and 24/7 customer support.
A Movie, a Prequel Series, and What Comes Next
Dead by Daylight’s cultural footprint extends beyond gaming. A24 and Peacock’s Crystal Lake prequel series is set to premiere on October 15, 2026, keeping Jason Voorhees in the mainstream spotlight months after his Dead by Daylight debut. Meanwhile, a Dead by Daylight film is in active development, with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja hired to write the script in February 2026. Producer Jason Blum has indicated the project is moving forward, though no release window has been confirmed.
The game itself also holds the distinction of being the most-watched and most-streamed horror game across major streaming platforms, a claim supported by its consistent Twitch viewership spikes around every major content drop.
Things Players Usually Want to Know
Is Dead by Daylight really the most-played horror game ever?
By individual title player count, yes. With over 70 million total players and more than one million daily active users across all platforms, no single horror game has matched its sustained player base over a decade. Franchise-level comparisons (like Resident Evil’s cumulative sales across 30+ titles) operate on a different metric.
Is the Jason Voorhees DLC free?
No. Jason arrives as part of Chapter 40, priced at $4.99 or 500 Auric Cells. The in-game anniversary event (June 16 to July 7) will include free cosmetic rewards and challenges for all players, but Jason himself is a paid addition.
Will Dead by Daylight 2 ever happen?
Behaviour Interactive has publicly stated that Dead by Daylight 2 is not in development. The studio’s strategy is to continue expanding and improving the original game with new chapters, mechanics, and quality-of-life updates indefinitely.
What platforms support crossplay?
All platforms (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch) support full crossplay and cross-save. You can play with friends regardless of their platform, and your progress carries over if you switch devices.
How many Killers and Survivors are in the game now?
As of June 2026, Dead by Daylight features 51 Survivors and 41 Killers, with Jason Voorhees set to become the 42nd Killer on June 16. The roster includes both original characters and licensed icons from major horror franchises.
