Dead by Daylight Mobile is back for round two. After its original release in 2020 had more issues than a slasher film has idiotic teenagers, the developers decided to remove the game from the Play Store in December 2022 in preparation for a complete overhaul. While the broad strokes of Dead by Daylight Mobile’s gameplay remain the same, some noticeable differences in the user experience will undoubtedly frustrate returning players.
In the above video, we explore the new menus and play a round of Dead by Daylight Mobile as a Survivor. The gameplay was recorded on an Asus Rog 6 Pro at 60FPS. I also tested the game on my Pixel 7 Pro and never encountered any performance issues or framerate drops on either device. However, if your device struggles to handle the game, plenty of graphics options are available to ensure evenbudget Android phonescan handle it.
The overhauled graphics and animations are the most obvious changes in Dead by Daylight Mobile’s relaunch. Dynamic shading and lighting have been added, and hair and clothing have rudimentary physics. The old game wouldn’t have been out of place on the PS2, and while the relaunch won’t win any visual awards soon, it’s a much more immersive experience overall.
Top: New graphics, Bottom: Old graphics
Characters' design has also been optimized for mobile devices, meaning details don’t get lost whether you’re hiding in a corner or sprinting from the Killer.
Controls have been overhauled, and not necessarily for the better
Frustratingly, Dead by Daylight Mobile still does not supportAndroid gaming controllers. I can’t quite fathom the reason for this, as the new controls are even more complicated to use than before. The overall experience is adequate, but it’s hard to call it an improvement.
Figuring out the customization screen is a game in itself.
The default layout is a mess. Buttons are smaller across the board and are crammed onto your screen, making for easy mistakes. The run, walk, and crouch buttons are separate buttons, and it’s easy to tap the wrong one by accident and therefore doom your character. Fortunately, the buttons' size and location are entirely customizable, which you’ll have to do if you intend to play Dead by Daylight Mobile for any length of time.
Once I customized the controls, my experience with Dead by Daylight Mobile drastically improved. However, a lack of controller support is still a significant drawback.
Dead by Daylight’s season pass, The Rift, is finally on mobile. It offers players a wealth of in-game currency and customization options, and each season will last for two months. It costs 900 Auric Cells (the game’s primary currency), worth about $10. (Of course, you can’t buy the exact amount you need). It’s not particularly egregious like some other games, but I can’t help but wonder if this was the main reason for the relaunch.
What’s more interesting than the Season Pass are the in-game events. The first of these, inspired by the novel Ringu and its movie adaptation, The Ring, is filled with genuinely cool costumes for Survivors and Killers alike and a new character for each group.
Dead by Daylight Mobile compensates returning players for their purchases in the old game, but as many players have noted, this still isn’t enough.
Dead by Daylight Mobile’s relaunch does not include all the maps, characters, costumes, and cosmetics from the old version. Players are being compensated with in-game currency but may be frustrated that their favorite content isn’t present in the relaunch.
In addition, players have noted numerous bugs regarding login issues. The Play Store is filled with reports of people unable to connect to servers, which may be due to classic launch day issues. I was unable to replicate this issue.
Despite massive graphical improvements and greater customization, Dead by Daylight Mobile’s relaunch seems to have caused as many problems as it solved. Returning players will assuredly grow frustrated with the unnecessarily complicated UI, and the removal of fan-favorite content will be a sore spot for many.
For new players, this is the perfect time to dive into Dead by Daylight Mobile (once you’ve tweaked the controls), and if they can stomach the changes, returning players can enjoy it too.
