Summary
Just five months after its initial launch,Dead by Daylightreceived its very first crossover. The second Chapter in the game’s lengthy history,Dead by Daylight’s first crossover sawHalloween’s Michael Myerscome to the asymmetrical horror title, setting a high bar for any future collaboration. Rather than shy away from the challenge,Dead by Daylighthas continued to raise that bar, delivering entire Chapters filled with new crossover Survivors, Killers, and maps, all of which have felt like natural fits forDead by Daylight’s horror atmosphere.
Today,Dead by Daylightseems to be entering a new era with its collaborations. The two most recentDead by Daylightcrossovers have taken a slight departure from the type of collaboration the horror game is typically known for, bringingDungeons and Dragons' Vecna andTomb Raider’s Lara Croft to the Trials, both of whom could open the floodgates for a new type ofDead by Daylightcrossover.
In atabletop RPG likeDungeons and Dragons, the DM has complete creative freedom in how they implement certain monsters or official characters. That being said, the iconicD&Dvillain Vecna is often used by DMs who are looking to create a more horror-themed campaign, with his Lich abilities allowing him to defy death and conjure up all manner of spooky magical threats. That being said, on the whole,Dungeons and Dragonsprobably wouldn’t be classed as a horror franchise, so Vecna’s appearance inDead by Daylightdoes mark a distinct shift for the game.
Up until Vecna’s addition toDead by Daylightback in June, the game’s crossovers had focused solely on horror properties, from movies likeSawandHellraiser, to shows likeStranger Things, to fellowhorror games likeResident Evil,Silent Hill, and more recently,Alan Wake. But Vecna isn’t the only non-horror crossover to graceDead by Daylightin recent months.
Already available in the public test build,Tomb Raider’s Lara Croftwill be officially added toDead by Daylightas a Survivor on May 31, 2025. Though this version of Lara Croft does resemble her appearance in theTomb RaiderSurvivor trilogy, which leans into some brief moments of psychological horror, she’s far from a horror icon, andTomb Raideris far from a horror franchise. It’s possible that Vecna and Lara Croft have just swung the door wide open for more non-horror crossovers inDead by Daylight, and there’s no shortage of ideas for future collabs.
Though Vecna and Lara Croft may have paved the way for more non-horrorDead by Daylightcrossovers, any future non-horror collabs would still need to fit the game’s darker tone and visual style. With this in mind, a Batman xDead by Daylightcrossover could work surprisingly well. Though Batman might be a little tricky to balance as a Survivor, the Joker would be a great pick for aDead by Daylightcrossover Killer, withMortal Kombat 11proving that a darker video game adaptation of the character can work very well. On the opposite side of the comic book fence, Marvel’s Venom would be another great choice for a potentialDead by DaylightKiller, with there being plenty of R-rated depictions of the anti-hero/villain already.
Dead by Daylight
WHERE TO PLAY
Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity.Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor.This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.
