It's Time For Dead by Daylight To Shake Things Up in an…

Summary

Dead by Daylight should embrace new game modes to add variety and keep players engaged.
A new core mode where survivors have to find pieces of a weapon to eliminate the killer could provide a thrilling gameplay experience.
Casual modes like Prop Hunt and Hide and Seek could add some fun alternatives to the game for players looking to goof around a bit.

When it comes to post-launch support, Dead by Daylight has done a fine job of giving players a reason to keep coming back. A solid version of the ever-popular battle pass system, new Chapters that provide characters and maps every few months, and important changes like DBD’s anti-camp system help to keep the game relevant. However, alongside these types of content and regular skin additions, Dead by Daylight should embrace new game modes.

Dead by Daylight only offers one mode, and while that simplicity has certainly helped the game attract more players and work well across all platforms, it can get a bit old over time. With so many survivors that boast unique backgrounds, and have experience fighting monstrous killers, a mode that flips the usual concept on its head could be entertaining. Similarly, giving survivors some new objective types or embracing classic party games could add some much-needed variety to the experience.

Types of Game Modes That Could Add Depth to Dead by Daylight

To be clear, Dead by Daylight’s main gameplay type should always be its existing one. While those who put countless hours into the game may grow tired of repairing generators, maps are designed around this mechanic, and the accessibility makes Dead by Daylight something that anyone can pick up and play. Still, having some additional game modes would be a massive help, as players could have something else to do when they want a change of pace.

Much like Battlefield’s smaller-scale Rush mode compliments the main mode Conquest, a new core mode could come to Dead by Daylight. Instead of working on generators and opening doors to escape, survivors could need to eliminate the killer. Similar to Tommy being able to kill Jason in Friday the 13th, this could be a fun way to flip the usual gameplay experience on its head. While it would need to be difficult for Survivors to pull off the kill for the sake of balancing, seeing the killer hide in fear or run away near the end of the match would be satisfying.

Perhaps this hypothetical Dead by Daylight mode could task players with searching the map for pieces to craft weapons. A nice touch could see players building a weapon that was used to kill a specific killer in their film or game franchise, and it could appear if said killer is in the game or if players are on certain maps. Once they have found all the parts, they could have to go to a crafting table to assemble the tool, giving the killer a chance to stop survivors from building it. The match could then end when the survivors kill the killer, or the killer escapes to fight another day. With so many fighters in the survivor lineup, like Jill Valentine and Ash Williams, letting them pick up a weapon and dish out some damage is long overdue.

While a different core mode would be nice to see in Dead by Daylight, and could easily be the best addition to the game yet, some more casual modes would be fun to see as well. Whether it is featured in Garry’s Mod, Call of Duty, or Overwatch 2, Prop Hunt is always a fun time. Killers and Survivors alike have Dead by Daylight's many maps memorized by now, so tricking them with prop spots could be legitimately challenging. If players can disguise as things like lockers and hooks, though, it could be competitive. Having a creepy Dead by Daylight Killer hunting for props would certainly make this version of Prop Hunt scarier than others.

Hide and seek could be another fun party mode for Dead by Daylight, as this is an element of the core game already. Even something like Call of Duty’s Gun Game could work, as Killers would need to cycle between figures like the Xenomorph and Nurse with every single person they hook. This would keep them and the Survivors on their toes, as the experience would evolve as the match progresses. While a new core game more should take priority, and faster Dead by Daylight load times would be an awesome update to see, limited time event modes or permanent party games could make for some casual fun.