Can I Run Dead by Daylight on My PC / Laptop?
A four against one online horror game that cares more about steady frame times than graphical horsepower.
Check if your PC can run Dead by Daylight
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Can I run Dead by Daylight on my PC?
Use the checker above to find out in seconds. Pick your graphics card and processor and it compares them against Dead by Daylight's official requirements. As a quick guide, you need at least a DX11 Compatible GeForce GTX 460 1GB or AMD HD 6850 1GB graphics card, a Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8120 processor, and 8 GB RAM of RAM to play at 1080p.
Can I run Dead by Daylight on my laptop?
Yes, if your laptop has a dedicated graphics card around a DX11 Compatible GeForce GTX 460 1GB or AMD HD 6850 1GB or better and 8 GB RAM of RAM. Laptops with only integrated graphics usually fall short. Enter your laptop's GPU in the tool above to check. Keep in mind that the laptop version of a card runs a little slower than the desktop card of the same name, and heat can lower sustained frame rates.
Yes, almost any PC built in the last several years runs Dead by Daylight. The official minimum still lists a GeForce GTX 460, a card from 2010, and the recommended tier is not much newer, because this is a lean four against one horror game, not a graphical showcase. What actually trips people up is not the GPU. In 2024 the game moved onto Unreal Engine 5, and that update quietly requires a CPU that supports the SSE 4.2 instruction set, which locked a handful of very old processors out of a game they had been playing fine for years. It also introduced shader compile stutter that the official spec sheet does not mention at all.
Compare your own CPU and GPU against what the game actually needs by running them through the checker above. Below are the official spec tiers, real frame rate numbers from a range of cards, and sections on the 2024 engine change, the stutter it caused, and what actually helps if your matches are choppy.
Dead by Daylight system requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8120 | Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8300 or higher |
| Graphics card (GPU) | DX11 Compatible GeForce GTX 460 1GB or AMD HD 6850 1GB | DX11 Compatible GeForce 760 or AMD HD 8800 or higher with 4GB of RAM |
| Memory (RAM) | 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit Operating System |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 50 GB available space | 50 GB available space |
Storage: 50 GB. It runs fine from a hard drive, but an SSD cuts down load times and eases the stutter you get the first time you load a new map or killer.
Dead by Daylight FPS by graphics card
| Graphics card | 1080p | 1440p | 4K | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTX 1050 Ti | ~55 | , | , | Low to Medium settings. Below the recommended tier but perfectly playable. |
| GTX 1060 6GB | ~90 | , | , | Medium to High settings, comfortably above 60 fps. |
| GTX 1650 | ~65 | , | , | Balanced settings, better with DLSS or FSR set to Quality. |
| RX 580 | ~85 | , | , | Medium to High, similar territory to the GTX 1060 6GB. |
| RTX 3060 | ~120 | ~90 | , | High to Ultra at 1080p, comfortable High at 1440p. |
| RTX 4060 | ~130 | ~100 | , | Ultra settings. More limited by the in-game frame cap than by the card. |
| RX 6600 | ~110 | , | , | High settings, close to an RTX 3060 in this game. |
| RTX 4070 | ~200+ | ~160 | , | Comfortably past 144 fps once you raise the in-game frame limiter. |
These numbers come from community benchmarks and player testing, not lab-controlled runs, so treat them as a range. They shift with the map, how many cosmetics the other four players are wearing, and whether your shaders are already cached.
Can these graphics cards run Dead by Daylight?
| Graphics card | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GTX 1050 Ti | Playable | Just clears it. 1080p low to medium, smoother after tuning. |
| GTX 1650 | Playable | At the minimum bar. 1080p low to medium, drop a setting if needed. |
| RX 570 | Playable | Meets the bar. Low to medium settings at 1080p. |
| RX 580 | Playable | Meets the bar. Low to medium settings at 1080p. |
| GTX 1060 6GB | Runs well | At or above the recommended card. Smooth 1080p high, 1440p realistic. |
| GTX 1650 Super | Runs well | Recommended tier or better. High 1080p, with room for 1440p. |
| GTX 1660 | Runs well | Recommended tier or better. High 1080p, with room for 1440p. |
| GTX 1660 Super | Runs well | Past the recommended tier. High settings at 1080p, 1440p on the table. |
| RTX 3050 | Runs well | Exceeds recommended. 1080p high is comfortable, 1440p fine. |
| GTX 1660 Ti | Runs well | At or above the recommended card. Smooth 1080p high, 1440p realistic. |
| RX 6600 | Runs well | Over the recommended bar. Smooth high 1080p, 1440p realistic. |
| RTX 2060 | Runs well | Recommended tier or better. High 1080p, with room for 1440p. |
| RTX 4050 | Runs well | Recommended tier or better. High 1080p, with room for 1440p. |
| Arc A750 | Runs well | Above recommended. 1080p high is easy, and 1440p works too. |
| RTX 3060 | Runs well | Past the recommended tier. High settings at 1080p, 1440p on the table. |
| RX 6600 XT | Runs well | Recommended tier or better. High 1080p, with room for 1440p. |
| RX 7600 | Runs well | At or above the recommended card. Smooth 1080p high, 1440p realistic. |
| RX 6700 XT | Runs well | Exceeds recommended. 1080p high is comfortable, 1440p fine. |
| RTX 4060 | Runs well | Above recommended. 1080p high is easy, and 1440p works too. |
| RTX 3060 Ti | Runs well | At or above the recommended card. Smooth 1080p high, 1440p realistic. |
| RTX 3070 | Runs well | Over the recommended bar. Smooth high 1080p, 1440p realistic. |
| RTX 4070 | Runs well | Above recommended. 1080p high is easy, and 1440p works too. |
Why the official specs look so old
Dead by Daylight is one of the lightest games you will find a system requirements page for. The listed minimum, a GTX 460 with an i3-4170, describes hardware from around 2010 to 2014, and the recommended tier barely moves the needle with a GTX 760. For most PCs built in the last decade, the graphics card is simply not the thing that decides whether this game runs.
That is also why the spec sheet is misleading. Behaviour Interactive never rewrote it to reflect what changed in 2024, when the real minimum requirement moved off the GPU and onto the CPU instead.
The 2024 engine change moved the real bottleneck to your CPU
In 2024 Dead by Daylight began running on Unreal Engine 5 instead of Unreal Engine 4, as part of a graphical rework that gave killers and survivors reworked models and better facial animation. The upgrade brought a requirement that never appeared on the official page: your CPU needs to support the SSE 4.2 instruction set. Almost any processor from 2011 onward has it, but a small number of older chips, including some Core 2 Duo and early Xeon models, do not, and those PCs stopped being able to launch the game entirely regardless of how fast the graphics card was.
If your PC is from the last 12 to 13 years, this will not affect you. If you are running genuinely old hardware and the game refuses to start rather than just running slowly, this instruction set gap is the most likely reason, not your GPU.
Why matches stutter, and what actually fixes it
Dead by Daylight compiles shaders the first time you encounter a new killer, map, or perk, which shows up as a short freeze or hitch. Since the UE5 move this has gotten more noticeable for a lot of players, especially right after a content update when everyone is loading assets they have never seen before. A strong GPU will not fix it, since the cause sits in the CPU and storage side of things, not the graphics card.
The most reliable fix is simply time: playing a handful of trials across different killers and maps lets the engine cache the shaders it needs, and things smooth out after that. Some players also report fewer stutters by switching the game to DirectX 11 instead of the default DirectX 12 through the launch options, and keeping GPU drivers current helps too, since driver updates often ship their own shader cache that has to rebuild once.
For settings, texture streaming and VRAM pressure are the other common cause of hitching. Dead by Daylight wants roughly 3GB of VRAM at 1080p and around 6GB if you are pushing 4K, so a 4GB card at high resolutions is the setup most likely to stutter from running out of graphics memory rather than shader compiling.
The frame cap, DLSS, and what happened to mobile
By default Dead by Daylight limits your frame rate lower than most modern PCs can push. That is why the fpsTable above shows numbers well past 100 on midrange hardware while the game still feels capped out of the box. You can raise or remove that cap in the graphics settings, or by editing the FrameRateLimit value in GameUserSettings.ini if the in-game option is not high enough for your monitor. The game also supports DLSS, FSR, and XeSS upscaling, which is a free frame rate boost worth turning on before you start cutting other settings, especially on older or integrated GPUs.
On console, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S are capped at 60 fps with no 120 fps mode, despite players asking for one for years. On mobile, the standalone Dead by Daylight Mobile app was shut down in stages between January and March 2025 and is gone for good, so PC, console, and cloud streaming are now the only ways to play. The game is always online. There is no offline or single-player mode, since every trial needs a live matchmaking connection even if you are only testing settings.
Can I run Dead by Daylight? Your questions answered
Neither, most of the time. It is a light game for both. Where it does lean on hardware is shader compilation and asset streaming, which hit your CPU and storage in short bursts rather than demanding sustained graphics power.
Yes. Both the official minimum and recommended tiers list 8GB, and that is genuinely enough to run the game. 16GB gives you more headroom if you are streaming, recording, or running Discord and a browser alongside it.
About 50 GB. That has grown over the years as more killers, survivors, and cosmetics have been added, so budget a bit more room if you plan to keep the game installed long term.
No, it is not required and will install and run on a hard drive. An SSD does cut load times and reduces the hitching you get the first time you load an unfamiliar map.
The game moved from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5 that year for a graphical overhaul. That switch requires a CPU with SSE 4.2 support, which most processors from 2011 onward have, but which locked out a small number of very old CPUs that had run the game fine before.
Most stutter comes from shader compiling on new killers, maps, or perks, plus texture streaming if you are low on VRAM. It is worst right after an update. Playing a few trials to let shaders cache, and making sure you are not on a 4GB card at high resolutions, clears up most of it.
It supports both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12. DX12 is the default, but switching to DX11 through the launch options is a common tweak players use to reduce stutter, since it can be more stable on some driver and GPU combinations.
Yes. Every trial needs a live matchmaking connection, and there is no offline or single-player mode, even for practicing against bots.
Yes, Easy Anti-Cheat runs alongside the game on PC. Editing config files to uncap your frame rate is a common tweak, but any file editing carries a small risk with anti-cheat software, so do it at your own discretion.
Raise the in-game frame rate limit in the display settings first. If you need higher than the in-game options allow, you can edit the FrameRateLimit value in GameUserSettings.ini and turn off VSync, though the game will reset that file if you change graphics settings again afterward.
No, it is a paid base game, though it goes on deep discount often and Epic Games Store has given it away for free during promotions in the past. It is not a free-to-play title in the way something like Fortnite is.
There is no shutdown announced for the main game. It is still an active live service with regular content updates as of 2026. The mobile spin-off, Dead by Daylight Mobile, was shut down in early 2025, but that was a separate app from the PC and console versions.
Only if your CPU predates 2011 and lacks SSE 4.2 support, which will stop the game from launching at all. Otherwise, given how light the requirements are, most PCs do not need an upgrade just to keep playing.
Yes, all three upscaling options are supported. Turning one on is an easy way to gain frames on an older or integrated GPU before you start cutting other settings.
No, not close. A lot of newer UE5 games ship official specs that assume upscaling is already on just to hit 60 fps. Dead by Daylight never got that heavy. The 2024 engine move raised the CPU floor slightly, but the actual rendering load stayed light.
You are well set. The RTX 3050 exceeds Dead by Daylight's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. Roughly 95 fps at 1080p High, in line with the GTX 1660 class.
Good enough to play. The GTX 1650 sits at Dead by Daylight's minimum, so expect 1080p low to medium and a bit of tuning for smoothness. About 65 fps at 1080p on balanced settings, better with DLSS or FSR set to Quality.
Easily. With the GTX 1060 6GB you are past Dead by Daylight's recommended tier, which means high settings at 1080p and a genuine shot at 1440p. About 90 fps at 1080p Medium to High, comfortably past 60.
Yes, at the lower end. With the RX 580 you clear Dead by Daylight's minimum, so 1080p low to medium is the target and easing back a setting helps. Around 85 fps at 1080p Medium to High.
Yes. The RTX 4060 has headroom over Dead by Daylight's recommended card, so you can push 1080p high and move to 1440p when you want. Around 130 fps at 1080p Ultra, about 100 fps at 1440p High, mostly held back by the in-game frame cap rather than the card.
Plenty of power here. The RTX 3060 is above Dead by Daylight's recommended tier, so high 1080p is smooth and 1440p is a fair target. About 120 fps at 1080p High to Ultra, and roughly 90 fps at 1440p High.
Yes. On the RTX 2060, Dead by Daylight runs at high settings in 1080p and scales up to 1440p without much fuss. Around 110 fps at 1080p High.
Yes, with room to spare. Dead by Daylight recommends less than the GTX 1660 offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p. Around 100 fps at 1080p High.
Yes. The GTX 1660 Super has headroom over Dead by Daylight's recommended card, so you can push 1080p high and move to 1440p when you want. About 105 fps at 1080p High.
Yes, with room to spare. Dead by Daylight recommends less than the RX 6600 offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p. About 110 fps at 1080p High.
The GTX 1660 Ti is a strong fit for Dead by Daylight. It lands at or above the recommended spec, so high 1080p is comfortable and 1440p works. Around 105 fps at 1080p High.
That is more than enough. The RTX 3060 Ti clears Dead by Daylight's recommended requirement, so aim for high at 1080p or step up to 1440p. Roughly 140 fps at 1080p Ultra.
Yes, with room to spare. Dead by Daylight recommends less than the RTX 4050 offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p.
The GTX 1050 Ti gets you in. It meets Dead by Daylight's minimum, so low to medium at 1080p works, and turning a couple of things down keeps it steady. Around 50 to 55 fps at 1080p on Low to Medium settings.
You are well set. The RTX 4070 exceeds Dead by Daylight's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. Well past 200 fps at 1080p Ultra and around 160 at 1440p Ultra once you raise the frame limiter, since the card is well ahead of what the game needs.
Behaviour never built a native Mac client, so a MacBook has nothing to run on its own. GeForce Now cloud streaming is the simplest fix, and because this is such a light game, a Windows layer like Parallels or CrossOver on an M-series MacBook actually works reasonably well too, better than it would for something more demanding.
Better than you would expect. Because the game is so light, recent integrated graphics like Intel Iris Xe or AMD Radeon 780M can manage 30 to 40 fps at reduced settings and resolution scaling, which is playable even if it is not smooth. Older integrated graphics from before around 2018 will struggle much more.
The hardware inside a Chromebook isn't built to run this locally, so streaming through a service like GeForce Now is the path in instead.
Yes, all three handle it well. Dead by Daylight carries a Playable rating on Steam Deck, meaning it runs but may need a manual setting or two rather than working perfectly out of the box, and it holds around 40 to 60 fps depending on your TDP and resolution scale, with 60 fps realistic using the commonly recommended handheld settings.
Yes, it is available on GeForce Now, so you can play it on a weak PC, a Mac, or a Chromebook by streaming it as long as you own a copy on a supported store.
Yes, and it does not take much. An RTX 3060 or RX 6600 class card holds around 60 fps at 4K on medium to high settings, since the rendering load is light. Going higher into Ultra at 4K is more comfortable on an RTX 4070 class card or better.
Yes, comfortably. An RTX 3060 or RX 6600 already holds a strong 1440p High framerate, and anything from the RTX 4060 up handles 1440p Ultra without much trouble.
Very little by modern standards. A GTX 1060 6GB or RX 580 already clears 60 fps at 1080p on Medium to High settings, so most GPUs from the last eight or so years will hold a steady 60.
Yes, and it does not take a high-end card. An RTX 2060 or RX 6600 class GPU already runs Ultra at 1080p well past 60 fps, since this is a light game compared to most titles that offer an Ultra preset.
Yes, on midrange hardware and up. The catch is the in-game frame limiter, which caps you lower than your PC could otherwise push by default. Raise the frame rate limit in the display settings, or edit FrameRateLimit in GameUserSettings.ini, to actually see triple-digit frame rates on screen.
Around 3GB at 1080p, and closer to 6GB if you are playing at 4K. A 4GB card at high resolutions is the setup most likely to hit texture streaming stutter from running low on graphics memory.
Yes, on both, plus a scaled Xbox One version. It is capped at 60 fps on Series X and S, and it is available through Game Pass.
Yes, on both. PS5 runs it at 60 fps, and there is no 120 fps mode despite players asking for one, even though the hardware could likely handle it for a game this light.
Yes, there is a Switch version and it still receives updates, though performance is well below the PC version. There is no confirmed upgraded version for Switch 2 as of 2026, though Behaviour Interactive has said they are listening to player feedback on it.
No. Dead by Daylight Mobile, the standalone app for iOS and Android, was pulled from app stores in January 2025 and its servers were shut down in March 2025. PC, console, and cloud streaming are the only ways to play now.
Yes, more so than almost any other modern multiplayer game. At the official minimum of a GTX 460 and an i3-4170 with 8GB of RAM, you can expect 1080p on Low settings around 30 fps, and most PCs from the last decade beat that minimum comfortably.
Yes, for the most part. Dead by Daylight is not a demanding CPU game outside of the short shader-compile spikes, so a modern i3 or Ryzen 3 handles it fine. The only real risk is a CPU old enough to lack SSE 4.2 support, which will stop the game from launching at all, regardless of core count.
If the game will not even launch, the most likely cause on an older machine is a CPU that lacks SSE 4.2 support, which the 2024 engine update requires. On newer hardware, an outdated GPU driver or a corrupted shader cache is the usual culprit, so updating your driver and verifying the game files in Steam or the Epic Games Launcher is worth trying first.
The official listing is Windows 10, but the game runs fine on Windows 11 as well. Neither version of Windows is a limiting factor here.
Not officially. Steam Deck gets a Playable rating because Valve tests it on that specific hardware and software combination, but a regular desktop Linux install running Proton has no official support, and the Easy Anti-Cheat setup can be finicky outside the Deck's tested configuration. Check ProtonDB before you rely on it.
Yes, on both consoles. Since every match requires online matchmaking, you need an active PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass Core/Ultimate subscription to play at all, not just for extra features.
Yes, crossplay and cross-progression are supported across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, so your progress and matches carry over between platforms tied to the same account.