Hardly any zombie series combines parkour movement and survival horror as elegantly as Dying Light. During the day you go on scavenging runs and climb over rooftops, and at night there’s an absolute adrenaline rush when the infected chase you. The game is driven by first-person parkour, improvised weapons, and the decision whether to fight or flee.

Summary

The franchise began its journey back in 2015. And now the release of Dying Light: The Beast is just around the corner. This game will be a standalone title featuring Kyle Crane and is set to launch on September 18, 2025. You’ll find all the information about the entire franchise and of course about the latest game here.

The beginnings of Dying Light

After Dead Island (2011), Techland wanted to radically rethink the zombie formula. As core features they wanted to add first-person parkour and a consistent day/night loop. The developers had creative differences with Dead Island publisher Deep Silver, which led them to work with Warner Bros. as their publisher. And so the starting signal was given for Dying Light.

The game launched in 2015 and you play as Kyle Crane, an undercover agent in the quarantined city of Harran. During the day you loot houses, craft melee weapons and use parkour to escape over rooftops and façades. At night the infected become more aggressive and faster – which means higher risk but also better rewards for defeating enemies. The result is an open-world survival horror with melee focus, crafting and progression. The flow created by the enemies and the movement is at the core.

Over time several DLCs and expansions were released for Dying Light. In 2016 the DLC “The Following” was released, which was later integrated into the game. The DLC expands the game with the events surrounding the cult “Children of the Sun.” The first game also had a co-op mode, allowing up to four players to play together.

Dying Light 2 – Stay Human

After the first game’s huge success, a second part was developed and released – Dying Light 2 – Stay Human. The game launched on February 4, 2022 for PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series. The story takes place in 2036, fifteen years after the “Fall” catastrophe in the European metropolis Villedor. You play as Aiden Caldwell, a pilgrim searching for his sister. The city features various factions: the military Peacekeepers, the civilian Survivors and the hostile Renegades. The world is significantly larger and more vertical compared to its predecessor.

The gameplay also saw many changes. The entire parkour system was reworked, featuring over 3,000 parkour animations, smoother movement, a paraglider and an improved grappling hook for even more freedom of movement.

In Dying Light 2 there are various story choices and you can assign facilities like water towers or power plants to different survivor groups, earning money and resources. This game also retains the day-night cycle and you can unlock hubs via facilities and increase health and stamina with Inhibitors. Once again it offers co-op for up to 4 players and a melee focus with weapon durability.

The game was especially praised for its parkour, combat and open world. Criticism focused on the story and writing. At launch weekend the game had 274,983 concurrent players on Steam. Within the first month it sold 5 million copies and the franchise reached 30 million sales by 2023.

Steps Between the Games / Expansions & Spin-Offs

Over time there have been several expansions & spin-offs to the franchise. In 2018, Techland tested a PvP/PvE hybrid approach for 12 players with Dying Light: Bad Blood. In the game you collect samples from nests, level up via PvE and fight at the endgame for the last helicopter slot. The game launched on Steam Early Access on September 13, 2018, but it did not find a large player base. In 2020 Techland made Bad Blood free for all Dying Light owners and now it is no longer available for regular purchase.

Over time there were also many modes and time-limited contents. In Dying Light 1 there was an asymmetrical invasion feature where a Night Hunter fought against 1-4 humans. This mode was initially only a pre-order bonus and was later made free for everyone. The mode became popular as a skill test of the parkour mechanics.

In 2017-2018 many free mini-DLCs with enemies, equipment and new modes came for Dying Light 1. The highlight was the Prison Heist in March 2018. This was a time-based break-in to the Harran Prison Armory. You can do it alone or in co-op and the faster you were, the more loot you got. For newcomers the mode was tough, but endgame players enjoyed this loop.

In 2020 Hellraid came as a spin-off DLC. The DLC was based on a cancelled studio project. It then offers a portal into a dungeon world with hordes, progression and its own loot cycle. The launch was muted as there was little content, but later missions and new rewards were added, making it a popular change of pace.

Preview & Focus on Dying Light: The Beast

Techland began The Beast as a second, story-focused expansion for Dying Light 2. But after a story leak in 2023 and the ever-growing scope, they decided in 2024 to make Dying Light: The Beast a standalone game. However, Techland promised owners of the DL2 Ultimate Edition to get The Beast for free, as it was originally meant to be in Dying Light 2. The game was to be released in summer 2025 on August 22, but was postponed to September 19 to allow for final polish. Subsequently, due to strong pre-orders, the game was moved up to September 18.

You play as Kyle Crane again, who for years was forced into cruel experiments by the antagonist “The Baron.” Now Crane carries both human and zombie DNA. His revenge campaign begins, leading to an inner conflict: Man vs. Beast. The adventure takes us into the wooded valley “Castor Woods”, inspired by the Swiss Alps — rural, vertical, with national park, farmland and industrial relics. This makes the game feel very different from the otherwise urban settings of the series. The game loop also changes. By day you explore and climb over rocks and roofs, but at night you pass through dense forests and pitch-dark reserves that increase the horror. There are also vehicles for off-road sections.

The game offers a dual playstyle, as you actively switch between human parkour/combat and your beast powers (raw brutality, throws and dismemberments). Again this game features co-op for up to 4 players with shared progression across the entire campaign.

In the game, many old, familiar enemies return like Volatiles, as a nightly stealth test. New are Chimeras, experimental boss mutants with their own mechanics, which demand or counter beast powers. The core of the game remains the first-person parkour and is complemented by offroad driving.

New in the game are the switchable play styles and a tougher survival tone. The game offers more gore and more consistent nights. Firearms are also more present than in DL2. Familiar systems remain, crafting, melee combat, parkour, day/night, only more tightly staged.

Dying Light: The Beast releases on September 18, 2025 for PC (Steam/Epic), PS5 and Xbox Series. It is scheduled to launch at 6 PM CEST. The game comes in several editions and there is also a pre-order bonus. The standard price is €59.99. As a pre-order bonus you get the “Hero of Harran” follower crossbow, “In Jade’s Memory” pistol, Harran combat knife, outfit & skin set. The Deluxe Edition costs €69.99 and brings extra gear such as the Roadhog offroader, Survivalist SMG, outfit/goodies, OST/wallpapers.

The game already has over 1 million pre-orders, which is why Techland moved the launch up by one day. Dying Light: The Beast has a main story of about 18–20 hours plus 20–30 hours of side content. The game is therefore more compact than Dying Light 2, but more focused. The Beast bridges the gap between parts 1 & 2 (Crane comeback) and sharpens the brand DNA (parkour x night terror). This gives the game the potential to be interesting for both franchise fans and newcomers.

The Beast feels like the concentrated “horror edition” of Dying Light: Crane at the center, Castor Woods as a fresh horror playground, plus dual play style, 4-player co-op and a release that was even moved forward thanks to 1M+ pre-orders. If Techland nails the balance of the beast powers, this could become the most defining spin-off since part 1.

Comparison & Outlook

Dying Light: The Beast is more compact than DL2, but still full-fledged with around 20 hours of main story plus 20–30 hours of extras. DL1 was slimmer but with a clearer horror focus. Instead of dense urban cities we now have Castor Woods, a more rural area with national park and swamps. In return there are now offroad vehicles and classic rooftop parkour. Kyle Crane returns as the protagonist, who has human and zombie DNA and offers a revenge plot against the Baron. This creates a darker, more personal tone than Aiden from DL2 and emotionally ties back to DL1.

But despite all these innovations, the series DNA remains (parkour, day/night as risk-reward axis, crafting, co-op up to 4 players). New and defining is the dual play style (Survivor – Beast), which clearly differentiates it mechanically from DL1 and DL2. After DL2’s late return of firearms, The Beast wants to bring firearms on par with melee combat without losing the brutality/physicality.

The game comes with some risks not yet known before release. The Beast mode must be strong but not dominant – Techland named polish/balance as the reason for the recent date shift. They wanted to focus on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. Later the game is to be optimized so it can also be played on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is planned for end of 2025.

In the future we can expect ongoing post-launch support. Likely new hunting targets, event weeks, additional biomes/challenges. But none of this is confirmed yet. After experiments like Bad Blood and Hellraid another compact side spin-off is plausible. But this is all personal assessment and not confirmed.

Conclusion: Why The Beast Sharpens the Dying Light DNA

Dying Light has honed its identity since 2015: first-person parkour, day/night as risk-reward axis, melee brutality and co-op. Dying Light: The Beast distills exactly this DNA and adds a clear horror focus on top with Kyle Crane’s return, the Castor Woods as a fresh setting and the dual play style (Survivor – Beast). The more compact format (approx. 20h main story) promises less downtime without losing the flow of climbing, fleeing, hunting and improvised combat.

The decisive test remains the balance of the beast powers and how consistently the harder nights carry. If Techland manages the polish here, The Beast has the potential to be the most defining entry since part 1 – as a bridge between past (Crane) and present (DL2), appealing equally to fans and newcomers. On September 18, 2025 we will see if the mix of parkour flow, offroad exploration and gore-driven survival takes the series to the next level.

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