Dead by Daylight System Requirements & PC Benchmark

Dead by Daylight is Behaviour Interactive’s landmark asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror title, pitting four Survivors against one relentless Killer in procedural Realm trials. Originally engineered in Unreal Engine 4 and continually upgraded with modernized lighting, foliage, and character geometry, the game requires rock-solid frame rate consistency for time-sensitive gameplay. Surviving or sacrificing demands low input latency and consistent frame pacing. Before stepping into the Fog, benchmark your rig against our verified hardware tests on PCRunIt PC games.

Dead by Daylight System Requirements Breakdown

The minimum system requirements target a 1080p 30 FPS baseline on Low presets, requiring an Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8120 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (1 GB VRAM) or AMD Radeon HD 6850, and 8 GB of RAM. While accessible, this entry-level specification will experience noticeable frame drops on modernized maps.

To achieve a competitive 60 to 120 FPS at 1080p on High settings, Behaviour Interactive recommends an Intel Core i3-4170 / Core i5 quad-core CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (4 GB VRAM) or AMD Radeon HD 7870, and 8 GB of RAM. Given extensive content additions, storage requirements have expanded to 50 GB. Installing on an SSD is strongly advised to prevent stuttering as new character assets, custom outfits, and environmental textures load seamlessly upon match start.

Hardware Bottlenecks & Unreal Engine Scaling

Dead by Daylight’s competitive nature makes frame pacing far more critical than raw average frame rates. Great Skill Checks feature a tight 30-millisecond timing window: any micro-stutter or sudden frame drop during skill checks or Killer lunges directly alters the outcome of a trial.

The ongoing visual overhaul has introduced dense foliage tessellation, volumetric fog, dynamic lighting, and high-polygon character models. In maps with dense atmospheric effects like the Red Forest or Eyrie of Crows, GPU fillrate and VRAM throughput become the primary bottlenecks. Graphics cards with less than 4 GB of VRAM struggle with texture caching, causing sudden hitches. Native support for AMD FSR temporal upscaling helps mainstream graphics cards maintain high frame rates, providing a crucial stability boost similar to cooperative horror experiences like Lethal Company and fast-paced survival action titles like Dying Light 2.

FPS Optimization Tips / Competitive Frame Pacing Settings

• Enable AMD FSR: Activating FSR in the graphics settings provides substantial GPU headroom, stabilizing 120 FPS targets at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.
• Lower Quality Preset to Medium or Low: Competitive players routinely select Low or Medium quality to reduce distracting particle clutter and optimize Great Skill Check timing.
• Unlock 120 FPS in Settings: Switching your frame rate limit from 60 FPS to 120 FPS halves input latency for both Survivor vaulting and Killer attack swings.
• Install on an SSD: Storing the 50 GB client on high-speed storage eliminates initial asset loading hitches during the introductory camera sweep.
• Keep GPU Drivers Updated: Regular driver updates ensure proper shader cache compilation and prevent shader compilation stuttering during killer power activations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is consistent frame pacing critical in Dead by Daylight?

Survivor skill checks and Killer attack lunges rely on precise millisecond input timing. Inconsistent frame delivery causes missed skill checks and dropped hits during close chases.

Can Dead by Daylight run at 120 FPS?

Yes. Dead by Daylight officially supports in-game frame rate selection up to 120 FPS, providing fluid motion and reduced input latency on high-refresh displays.

Does Dead by Daylight support DLSS or Ray Tracing?

Dead by Daylight does not currently support NVIDIA DLSS or Ray Tracing, but it natively includes AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) for temporal upscaling.