Dead by Daylight has just delivered one of the rarest achievements in live-service gaming: setting a new all-time Steam player record a full decade after release.
Dead by Daylight
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Genres: Strategy
Behaviour Interactive’s asymmetrical horror hit surged to 125,820 concurrent players on Steam on June 16, 2026, powered by its 10th anniversary celebration, a major sale, and the long-awaited arrival of Jason Voorhees.
TL;DR – Quick Facts
- Dead by Daylight reached a new all-time Steam peak of 125,820 concurrent players.
- The record was set on June 16, 2026, two days after the game’s 10th anniversary.
- Dead by Daylight originally launched on PC on June 14, 2016.
- The new spike followed the release of Dead by Daylight: Jason.
- Jason Voorhees joins the game as The Slasher.
- The Steam sale and free-play window also helped push the game up the charts.
- Behaviour is focusing on long-term expansion rather than a traditional sequel.
Table of Contents
Dead by Daylight Sets a New Steam Record
Dead by Daylight has hit a new all-time high on Steam, reaching 125,820 concurrent players on June 16, 2026.
That number is impressive on its own, but the timing makes it even more remarkable. Dead by Daylight is not a fresh release riding launch hype. It is a 10-year-old multiplayer horror game that has somehow managed to become more relevant with age.
According to SteamDB, the new record also beat the game’s previous peak by several thousand players, confirming that the 10th anniversary period has brought a real surge in interest rather than a small nostalgia bump.
Worth Knowing: This record only reflects Steam concurrency. Dead by Daylight is also available on consoles and other PC storefronts, so the full player picture is larger than Steam alone.
The Jason Voorhees Effect
The biggest reason for the spike is obvious: Jason Voorhees finally joined Dead by Daylight.
Released on June 16, Dead by Daylight: Jason adds the Friday the 13th icon as a new Killer known as The Slasher. Behaviour had previously described Jason as the game’s most widely requested character, so his arrival was always going to be a major moment for the community.
Jason’s chapter gives Dead by Daylight something it has been chasing for years: one of horror’s most recognizable slashers finally entering The Fog during the game’s milestone anniversary.
That combination is powerful. A legendary Killer, a 10th anniversary celebration, returning players, curious newcomers, and a discounted base game created the perfect setup for a record-breaking day.
10 Years Later, DBD Is Still Growing
Dead by Daylight first launched on PC on June 14, 2016. A decade later, most multiplayer games from that era have either slowed down, shut down, or survived through much smaller communities.
DBD is doing the opposite.
The game has grown through licensed horror crossovers, original Killers and Survivors, constant balance changes, cosmetics, events, new chapters, and a community that keeps coming back whenever Behaviour adds something big.
Its Steam peaks tell the story well. Dead by Daylight was already performing strongly years ago, but the player-count curve has kept finding new highs as major collaborations and anniversary events pulled more people into The Fog.
2016
Dead by Daylight launches on PC and introduces its original horror formula.
2021
The game is already capable of six-figure Steam peaks during major content moments.
2026
The 10th anniversary and Jason chapter push Dead by Daylight to a new all-time Steam peak.
Very few live-service games manage this kind of late-stage momentum. Even fewer do it in a genre as difficult as asymmetrical multiplayer horror.