A map is randomly selected from a variety of different Realms during each trial in Dead By Daylight. Some Realms offer many different maps, each varying in size, scenery, and obstacles. This creates a unique experience for each trial, and sometimes, the map selected can be advantageous for survivors over killers.
Factors, like the size of each map, can impact important elements of each trial, such as the amount of hooks available to killers, the proximity of objectives, and the ability for survivors to run away or for killers to catch them. While each killer does hold different abilities that can strongly influence whether a map is advantageous or disadvantageous, there are a handful of maps that can consistently be perceived as tipped in the favor of survivors.
Updated March 21, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With the Onryo, or Sadako of the Ringu franchise, making her way to the Entity’s Realm in Chapter 23 of Dead By Daylight, players and their Survivors are once again in for a horrifying treat. Combining her famous Nensha or Thoughtography with the “no survivor left alive” adage of Dead By Daylight immediately makes her a terrifying foe. However, certain maps in Dead By Daylight are seemingly built to help Survivors get a bit of an edge over their super-powered foes, with the Onryo potentially being one of the many killers that these maps can protect against. These are the best maps for Survivors in Dead By Daylight.
13 The Game (Gideon Meat Plant)
The Gideon Meat Plant, also known as the Gideon Meatpacking Plant, lay abandoned until the return of John Kramer, its original designer. Also known as the Jigsaw Killer, Kramer used the Meat Plant as the playing ground for his games of survival, where participants are taught lessons about appreciating life. Unfortunately, not all of them survive these ordeals - much like how Survivors initially have the odds stacked against them in this map in Dead By Daylight.
Unlike other maps, the Gideon Meat Plant has two stories in a rather straightforward square layout, making both evasion and running around much easier when compared to the more open areas in other maps. The abundance of both immovable pillars and columns, as well as interactive pallets, make this map surprisingly Survivor-friendly.
12 Badham Preschool I-V (Springwood)
During his life, Freddy Krueger used to work in Springwood’s Badham Preschool, where his inhuman deeds towards children were eventually discovered. After the citizens of Springwood hunted Krueger down and burned him alive, Krueger’s spirit remained in Springwood, eager to kill unwitting victims in their own nightmares.
In Dead By Daylight, Springwood is home to five different Badham Preschool maps, each built a bit differently than the last but all sharing the same school format. What makes Badham Survivor-friendly is the evolving nature of each map, with Badham I, IV, and V set just outside the school and Badham II and III set inside. Given the large setup of the map, the Badham Preschool offers a lot of entrance and exit strategies for Survivors that can make outwitting Killers via looping much easier.
11 Fractured Cowshed (Coldwind Farm)
Before the Hillbilly was named as such, he was simply Max Thompson Jr., the son of the wealthy Thompson couple. Unfortunately, however, his parents shunned him and locked him in the Coldwind Farm due to his numerous physical disfigurements. Vowing revenge, Max Thompson Jr. eventually killed his parents, and, with murder providing him with a new source of satisfaction, the Hillbilly eventually turned his eyes to the rest of the animals residing on the farm.
In the game, the Fractured Cowshed is one of five maps within the Coldwind Farm vicinity. Its main highlight is a run-down cowshed, originally intended to house sick animals. Given its distance from the main farm, there’s a significant open area around the Cowshed where Survivors can roam around and potentially outpace Killers. The Cowshed itself also has a wide array of entrance and exit points, which highly encourages chases.
10 Gas Heaven (Autohaven Wreckers)
Gas Heaven is a medium-sized map in the Autohaven Wreckers, most identifiable by the gas station that sits in the middle of the map. This map is great for survivors because of the large debris that can be hidden behind, many cars for loops, and the fact that the gas station is central to the map providing an easy escape route.
The gas station has multiple windows and always has a generator in the garage, which opens up the garage door when completed. There is also a large car in the garage, as well as a palette, guaranteeing a safe generator to be worked on that can easily be turned into a loop if the killer shows up.
9 The Thompson House (Coldwind Farm)
The Farmhouse, or the Thompson House, is one of five maps located within the large Coldwind Farm Realm. This map is medium-sized and features a large indoor structure. Unlike other locations that have extremely large indoor structures that encompass most of the map, the map itself is still large given the scale of both its structures and base features.
The size of the map will allow Survivors to use the house to hide, especially on the second floor. Its multiple interactive objects and pillars will allow access to many loops to distract the Killer as others work on Generators throughout the map.
8 Disturbed Ward (Crotus Penn Asylum)
The Disturbed Ward is one of two maps located in the Crotus Prenn Asylum Realm, with this one being more favorable to Survivors given its size and the sheer availability of interactive objects. Survivors will appreciate the multiple lockers, pallets, and Windows scattered in the vicinity of the Stock Therapy Centre.
The ward in this map is large, central to the map, and has many pallets. It is also circular, which is perfect for running loops, and has multiple windows and ledges that lead outside the ward for quick escapes. This is one of the best maps for Survivors due to the versatility of escape routes available to them in it.
7 Lampkin Lane (Haddonfield)
Lampkin Lane is the only map in the Haddonfield realm, though it changes significantly each time it is played on due to the location of hooks, generators, and houses. Despite this, the map is always large, objectives are predictable, and almost every building features multiple escape routes.
Survivors almost always have a building that they can run into during escapes, can jump onto roofs, run around cars for loops, and even many lockers to hide in if they wanted to.
6 The Pale Rose (Backwater Swamp)
Both maps in the Backwater Swamp realm are large, and the larger of the two, ThePale Rose, features a large boat with many escape options within it. There are also many large plants and obstacles to hide behind on this map, for those who prefer a more stealthy approach.
Despite its small size, some players may still complain about its relative "largeness" being a disadvantage to low-mobility Killers. Survivors can still use this to their advantage, as they can zigzag across the map given its many strategic landmarks.
5 Ironworks Of Misery (The Macmillan Estate)
The map in which the Ironworks of Misery are found is large, has many brick walls throughout the map that can be hidden behind, and the ironworks itself is a great hiding and escape option. The central nature of the structure gives Survivors many options when evading the Killer.
There is also a very long, linear path, complete with a window to vault through in the middle, that leads throughout the Ironworks that can be used to evade or distract the Killer as other survivors focus on objectives.
4 Mother's Dwelling (Red Forest)
Within the Red Forest Realm lies two maps, with Mother's Dwelling being the more popular one to Survivors. History has it that hikers wouldn't find the house very easily, and yet it has still endured the wrath of nature despite its desolate nature.
Mother's Dwelling is a large map with a large structure that can be accessed in the middle of the map. The structure has many entrances, vaulting options, a second floor, and ledges that can be used to escape.
3 Dead Dawg Saloon (Grave of Glenvale)
Similar to Lampkin Lane, Dead Dawg Saloon is the only map in the Grave of Glenvale realm, and is even more predictable. The saloon and adjacent structures always remain in the same spot, making objectives much easier to find. There are also many environmental elements that can be used to escape the Killer or for Survivors to creep around in order to rescue their teammates in case one gets hooked.
Even Survivors who simply want to admire the surrounding environment could appreciate the Saloon, as it remains the only map to date that will show landscapes in the surrounding areas such as mountains and canyons.
2 Mount Ormond (Ormond)
Within the snowy region of Ormond lies Mount Ormond, set in a ski resort area with a light-blue sky, serving as one of the rare settings in the game with a dawn or morning ambience. In the lore, only a mere 6,093 live in this region of Alberta, Canada, with the controversial nature of the project transforming the resort into a desolate structure.
Mount Ormond has one of the largest indoor structures in an outdoor map, with two floors and a generator that is always in the center on the first floor. The second floor of the lodge can be accessed directly from outside, and the first floor also has multiple entrances, making it a great spot for loops, and is also dimly lit which is perfect for ducking in corners to hide.
1 Family Residence (Yamaoka Estate)
The derelict Yamaoka Estate was once home to the Yamaoka family, whose lives were shattered when an emotionally-broken patriarch used a katana to kill both his wife and daughter, Rin. Distraught by her father’s betrayal, a dying Rin made an oath with the Fog and swore vengeance, eventually becoming the Spirit prepared to roam the Entity’s Realm forever to exact vengeance on anyone who dared enter her home.
In the game, the Yamaoka Estate is home to two major maps, with the Family Residence being its primary zone. The Residence itself seemed in dire need of maintenance but remains stable enough to house both the Survivors and the Killers. Given its sheer size, it has more than enough room for Survivors to roam around and hide from the eyes of the Killer. Thanks to the presence of multiple Lockers and interactive pellets, the Residence is one of the most Survivor-friendly maps in Dead By Daylight.
Dead By Daylight is available on the PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.