Dead by Daylight is an intense horror action game that strongly appeals to fans of the manhunt genre. This four-player game calls for one person to take the role of a brutal killer, while the others are left trying to survive long enough to repair the generators that will allow them to escape.
The killer has a singular goal — to sacrifice their opponents to “the Entity”. The survivors have more complex tasks, including being subjected to skill checks that could get them closer to freedom or reveal their location.
Dead by Daylight is exciting, but if you would like to explore similar horror & manhunt style titles, Try these games next …
Dead by Daylight Game Features
 Release Date: | June 14, 2016 |
 Developer: | Behaviour Interactive |
 Publisher: | Behaviour Interactive |
 Platforms: | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Android iOS Stadia PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S |
 Genre: | Survival horror |
 Setting: | Real World |
 Game Modes: | Multiplayer |
1. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is another popular multiplayer horror game, just like Dead by Daylight — but this time, your goal lies in tracking down what kind of ghost your client, who has hired you as their ghost hunter, is dealing with.
If the ghost doesn’t kill you first, that is! Phasmophobia has two interesting modes. If you feel like playing solo, you can do that, but those gamers who are looking for another horror action game to play with their friends (or with strangers on the internet) can go for the game’s multiplayer mode, which is cooperative.
Ghosthunting can unfold in a variety of locations, ranging from suburban homes to farm houses, and players will be dealing with one of 24 ghosts — ensuring that the game stays exciting even after you have played it a few times.
The ghosts’ unique characteristics don’t emerge right away, so Phasmophobia is a puzzle game, too, which calls on gamers to discover clues. Your basic equipment likely won’t get you all the way to the answer, so you (and your teammates) will have to work to upgrade it along the way.
- Developer: Kinetic Games
- Publisher: Kinetic Games
- Release Date: September 2020
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
2. Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
The famous single player horror game Hello Neighbor calls on gamers to assume the role of Nicky Roth, a boy who has a creepy neighbor called Mr Peterson and wants to find out what’s lurking in his basement.
Players need to be careful, though, because the neighbor could catch them at any time.
As of 2018, Hello Neighbor has an exciting multiplayer sequel called Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer, and if you’re looking for a game like Dead by Daylight, it’s bound to be an absolute hit.
This version follows a group of Nicky’s friends on their mission to save him from the neighbor’s basement.
The twist? One of them is Mr Peterson in disguise, giving Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer a very similar vibe to Dead by Daylight as most players work to defeat the neighbor, while the “traitor” in their midst has an entirely different mission to carry out.
- Developer: Dynamic Pixels
- Publisher: TinyBuild
- Release Date: October 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
3. In Silence
In Silence is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game in which one player takes on the role of the monster — a terrifying creature that navigates by hearing but lacks sight.
The two to four remaining players are the survivors, who must be quick-witted and, above all, silent, to survive and beat the game.
This horror game is very reminiscent of the movie “The Quiet Place”, and will allow friend groups to take turns being the monster and see who is best at hunting.
- Developer: Ravenhood Games
- Publisher: Ravenhood Games
- Release Date: October 2021
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS (on Steam)
4. Project Winter
Friend groups who enjoyed Dead by Daylight for its competitive aspects may have a blast playing Project Winter, a deception-based multiplayer game with quirky graphics, as well.
Project Winter, developed by Other Ocean Interactive, is an eight-player game set in a frozen and polluted world.
Players will have to brave the elements and work together to have any chance of survival — but there are traitors in their midst, and to reach their objective, these gamers will have to kill as many survivors as they possibly can.
This task-based game calls on the survivors to collect resources and weapons to progress, and Project Winter is a complex game that you’ll have fun mastering.
- Developer: Other Ocean Interactive
- Publisher: Other Ocean Group
- Release Date: May 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows (on Steam)
5. GTFO
GTFO, released in 2021 by the Swedish Indie studio 10 Chambers, is a first-person shooter with a twist.
This survival horror game invites players to brave the scary underground world of the Chicxulub Crater, a crater formed by an asteroid strike that devastated the planet millions of years ago.
The four players are prisoners who explore the crater by force, and they have the objective of completing challenges for “the Warden”. To survive, they’ll have to work together and fight mysterious monsters along the way.
This coop multiplayer game is heavily strategy-based, making it a fun challenge for gamers who enjoyed Dead by Daylight but are cool with a PvE environment instead.
- Developer: 10 Chambers
- Publisher: 10 Chambers
- Release Date: December 2021
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
6. Last Year: The Nightmare
If you’re looking for games like Dead by Daylight, you really can’t get any closer than Last Year: The Nightmare.
This horror survival game has the fun twist of being entirely focused on horror tropes.
The players act out a group of teens, who have to rid their high school of a great evil on Halloween night — except, that is, for the one gamer who takes on the role of the killer.
Those who are bored of dying in multiplayer games and having to wait out the rest of the round twiddling their thumbs will appreciate the fact that Last Year: The Nightmare takes a different approach.
Once killed, you’ll be left behind in a hidden location. If your teammates find you in time, you’ll be able to rejoin the game after being revived.
Although Last Year: The Nightmare is a horror-themed game, it focuses around lighthearted gameplay that you’ll have a lot of fun with.
- Developer: Elastic Games
- Publisher: Elastic Games
- Release Date: December 2018
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
7. Deceit
Deceit is an exciting cooperative first-person shooter game with a horror theme. Four of you will be working together, while the other two are secretly “infected”.
These traitors turn into flesh-eating monsters whenever the lights are off, but return to their human selves whenever the other players can see them.
Deceit is, in short, essentially the horror version of Among Us, and thanks to a very active community on Steam, you’ll be able to play with your friends or learn new strategies from total stranger whenever you feel like a challenge.
- Developer: World Markers, Automaton Games
- Publisher: World Markers, Automaton Games
- Release Date: March 2017
- Platform: Microsoft Windows (via Steam)
8. Among Us
Among Us might not be a horror game, but this social deduction game still deserves a spot on the list of games similar to Dead by Daylight, for the simple reason that this sensational multiplayer game calls on crewmates to work together to complete their tasks.
The imposters, meanwhile, are trying to kill and lie their way to victory. Can you work out who the traitors are in time?
While the hype around Among Us has now largely died down, it remains a popular game — and one that’s always fun to play with strangers and friends alike.
The simplistic top-down graphics keep the focus entirely on the gameplay, and if you haven’t played this game before, Among Us will suck you in in no time.
- Developer: Innersloth
- Publisher: Innersloth
- Release Date: June 2018
- Platform: Microsoft Windows (via Steam), Android, iOS, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S
9. Friday the 13th: The Game
Friday the 13th: The Game is an open-world survival horror game that can be played in singleplayer as well as multiplayer, from a third-person perspective.
Those looking for games like Dead by Daylight will want to play with their friends, of course, and Friday the 13th: The Game allows for up to eight simultaneous players.
One of these will assume the role of psychokiller Jason Voorhees, who has the advantage of special perks that allow the villain to teleport and sense the rest of the players, who act as counselors working at Camp Crystal Lake.
The survivors can win in a variety of ways — by surviving long enough, by escaping the camp, or even by overpowering and killing Jason.
The player who was randomly given the role of the killer only has one objective: slaughtering as many counselors as possible before the time runs out.
Friday the 13th: The Game remains exciting even after you have played it countless times before, in part because this thrilling open-world game makes five very different maps, which correspond to the locations featured in the Friday the 13th movies.
Don’t worry, though, because you absolutely don’t have to have watched the films to enjoy the game, which has quite an immersive story line that can hold its own.
- Developer: IllFonic, Black Tower Studios
- Publisher: Gun Media
- Release Date: May 2017
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
10. Devour
Gamers who would like to branch out from Dead by Daylight while staying within the horror genre might also have a blast playing Devour.
This exciting cooperative PvE game can be played alone, but as arguably at its best with the maximum amount of players, which is four.
Players are members of a frightening cult in Devour. With time, they learn that the cult leader is getting ready to raise the demon Azazel.
Though they try to stop her, cult leader Anna has already become possessed. They now have to destroy totems as a form of exorcism. Along the way, they’ll meet plenty of challenging mini bosses as well as the main demon.
The vast world makes Devour endlessly interesting, and players will have to choose from among a range of possible tactics to beat the game.
- Developer: Straight Black Games
- Publisher: Straight Black Games
- Release Date: January 2021
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS
11. Left 4 Dead
The famous first-person shooter game Left 4 Dead, which has a thrilling horror theme, will keep players on their toes and again features a four-player team.
After a highly contagious pathogen dubbed the Green Flu ravages the world, the survivors find themselves fighting hoards of zombies and trying their best to stay alive.
Left 4 Dead offers several different modes, and campaign mode makes it possible for killed players to be revived and resume the fight.
Because Left 4 Dead is a cooperative game, outlines are available to help players keep track of their teammates.
Players start with pistols, and will have to fight their way through enemies to access increasingly powerful weapons as the game progresses.
Although Left 4 Dead is available to singleplayer gamers, who will instead be teamed with AIs, this PFS horror game really shines when you can play it as a team.
Left 4 Dead is the perfect choice for Dead by Daylight fans who are fed up with deception-based games and would love to work together to achieve victory.
- Developer: Valve South
- Publisher: Valve
- Release Date: November 2008
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Xbox 360
12. Crawl
Crawl is a Gothic multiplayer crawler which up to four gamers can enjoy playing together. As with Dead by Daylight, not everyone will be on the same team.
One of the players assumes the role of the hero, who tries to beat the bosses and advance through the many dungeons. The others are spirits — but this game has a twist.
When one of the spirits kills the “human” character, by setting traps and possessing monsters, they’ll take over that role and the defeated hero now becomes a ghost.
Crawl is a genre-defying and fast-paced game that will feel like a breath of fresh air to players who enjoyed Dead by Daylight but who quickly get bored of staying in the same role.
- Developer: Powerhoof
- Publisher: Powerhoof
- Release Date: April 2017
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
13. Hunt: Showdown
Hunt: Showdown is a gorgeous first-person shooter with two exciting game modes to explore. Set in an alternate version of the 19th century, Hunt: Showdown places gamers in a terrifying world where a mysterious force is causing everything that breathes to mutate.
As bounty hunters, the team is after a specific monster. Catching it will, of course, require them to stay alive first.
This PFS with battle royale aspects (in Quickplay mode, which lasts just 15 minutes) and a distinctly dystopian horror setting relies on strategy and quick wits.
As many as 12 players can enjoy a match together, and each will have a chance to dethrone the current bounty holder by slaughtering them.
- Developer: Crytek
- Publisher: Crytek (PC)
- Release Date: August 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
14. Pacify
Gamers who are up for a mysterious challenge might enjoy Pacify, a multiplayer horror game in which gamers act as paranormal investigators.
Beyond that, you’ll have to figure most of the game out for yourself — you’re dumped outside a creepy house with even creepier dolls, and the fact that you won’t know what is going on half the time makes the atmosphere even more immersive.
Get ready for some genuinely terrifying jump scares.
Players who feel like they’ll need to hold someone’s hand just to make it through are in luck, as Pacify is a multiplayer coop game that you’ll be able to tackle with your friends.
- Developer: Shawn Hitchcock
- Publisher: Hitchcock Games
- Release Date: February 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS (via Steam)
15. White Noise 2
White Noise 2 is a fun horror game in which four players team up as paranormal investigators, who need to stay in stealth mode while they’re trying to find their way around the map.
The fifth player spawns as the monster, giving the game the same exciting manhunt feel as Dead by Daylight.
Should you not manage to make it through the entire game, and perish at the hands of the monster, you will still be able to participate.
Dead players become ghosts, and will indirectly be able to help the rest of their team out by destroying idols.
White Noise 2 features multiple different maps, keeping the game interesting. You can play White Noise 2 online with total strangers, or with your friends.
- Developer: Milkstone Studios
- Publisher: Milkstone Studios
- Release Date: April 2017
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, SteamOS/Linux (via Steam)
16. Evolve
Fans of the manhunt genre should also definitely check out Evolve, an asymmetrical multiplayer first-person shooter with a very different theme. Players spawn into the futuristic world of Shear, a far-away alien planet where they’re absolutely not welcome. The local aliens, called Monsters, are the enemies.
The four hunters have the job of killing the aliens and evacuating the planet, while a fifth player gets to crawl into the Monster’s skin, where they will have to evolve or die.
Players who quickly grow bored of a video game will enjoy the fact that Evolve offers five unique game modes, which each have very different challenges — whether you’re the Monster or one of the hunters.
In addition, gamers can choose different classes based on their skill sets and gameplay preferences.
- Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
- Publisher: Milkstone Studios
- Release Date: April 2017
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, SteamOS/Linux (via Steam)
17. Predator: Hunting Grounds
Predator: Hunting Grounds is another fairly new asymmetrical multiplayer game, and although it lacks the horror elements you might be craving, this game, which has alien elements, does tick all the other boxes.
Four players act as a team of special ops experts tracking down intel and trying to catch a drug lord. The fifth is the ominous predator. When the two meet, only one side will make it out alive.
Predator: Hunting Grounds has amazing graphics and is set in the wildest of jungles. As with other PFS games, players have a whole range of loadout options and a greta deal of customization, no matter which team they play on.
- Developer: IllFonic
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Release Date: April 2020
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
18. We Were Here Together
We Were Here Together is a great cooperative game for when you’re in a more cerebral mood and want to play with a teammate.
This two-player horror adventure game, which is played from a first-person perspective, calls for each of the two players to take on unique roles with divided responsibilities.
They’ll have to combine their skills to solve the puzzles and escape, while largely being hidden from each other’s view.
- Developer: Total Mayhem Games
- Publisher: Total Mayhem Games
- Release Date: February 2017
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS (via Steam), PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S
19. Identity V
Gamers who liked Dead by Daylight and who are looking for a free multiplayer horror game they can play on mobile on an especially boring day should try Identity V.
This multiplayer survival game has a 4v1 format. Each of the four survivors has unique responsibilities, and beating the game will require them all to work together seamlessly.
The hunter will, however, get in their way, attacking each survivor to thwart the team’s progress.
While there’s a story (a seasoned and beat-down detective is hired to find a missing daughter and discover the roots of a “killing game”), it’s largely irrelevant — players can just get stuck in trying to complete this fun game without thinking too deeply about it.
It’s good to note that, though Identity V is free to download and play, the game does have some microtransactions that you can easily opt out of because they won’t help you in any functional way.
- Developer: NetEase Games
- Publisher: NetEase Games
- Release Date: 2018
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS
A Final Word
Discovering Dead by Daylight might just set off an interest in the manhunt genre, and players looking for similarly asymmetrical games with a horror theme have plenty of great options — if you have a hard time choosing, it’s only because you’re spoiled for choice. Those who are bored of competitive games can explore the equally interesting world of cooperative games, though, and this genre also offers awesome horror games.
Our top picks from this list are Phasmophobia, Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer, and Friday the 13th: The Game, because they’re most reminiscent of Dead by Daylight while still providing brand new challenges.
