Highlights
- Load times in Dead by Daylight are a major issue, with lengthy pre-match processes and a long final loading screen meaning that players can be stuck waiting up to five minutes between games.
- The main cause of long load times is theorized to be the inclusion of last-gen console players, and separating the player pools may be necessary to improve load times.
- Alternatively, if Behaviour Interactive does not want to split the player base, adding more interesting load screens could make the wait more tolerable.
Dead by Daylight has changed significantly over the years. While the same core gameplay loop of survivors sneakily repairing generators while a bloodthirsty killer tries to impale them on hooks is maintained, there is a startling amount of content on offer nowadays. Dozens of killers and survivors with unique perks to acquire and use ensures that every match feels different, while a battle pass and the bloodweb provide proper progression to keep fans invested. However, one issue with Dead by Daylight remains: load times.
By its very nature as a multiplayer game, having players get into and out of matches as quickly as possible makes sense. Not only are people used to quick matchmaking thanks to popular online games like Call of Duty and Fortnite, but Dead by Daylight also has to deal with unpredictable match times. While players can certainly find 20-minute matches where survivors and the killer are evenly matched, a good killer could mean that players are eliminated within five minutes - something that can be extremely frustrating due to the very lengthy pre-match process.
Dead by Daylight’s Load Time Issue And How It Could Be Addressed
Getting into a Dead by Daylight match is quite the process. While the first step of readying up and searching for a game is not too time-consuming, players will likely be waiting somewhere between 10 seconds and two minutes to find a game. Then, they will load into a pre-game lobby where one of Dead by Daylight's killer and four survivors have a minute to select their perks and offerings before readying up. After a brief screen appears that shows the offerings being burned, the final loading screen will appear - and this is where the real issue comes into play.
After waiting 1-3 minutes to get through the setup, players will be staring at a black screen with tally marks for about a minute and a half. While the pre-game lobby and search screen at least allowed players to spend points in their blood webs and read Dead by Daylight character lore, gamers have nothing to do but wait during this main loading screen. While many will check their phones or read a book to pass the time, it is hard to excuse such a long wait - especially when players can be waiting up to five minutes for a match when taking into consideration all the other pre-match steps.
Why this final load time is so long is anyone’s guess, as it could have to do with Dead by Daylight’s hook spots and generator spots being chosen as well as any perks and offerings being taken into consideration. However, the cause most fans seem to agree on is last-gen console players being grouped into the player pool. While PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X users do have far faster load times, there is no way to take advantage of that when grouped with someone on PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. To keep the game fair, all players have to spawn in at the exact time, meaning that players on newer hardware are being held back by those on outdated devices.
Unfortunately, this would mean that the only way to remove long load times would be to separate the last gen and current gen console pools. Considering how the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 console shortages are over, many players have made the upgrade, so there would likely be no issue finding matches if there were current and last gen player pools. The only issue would be the last gen pool slowly dwindling, but as more people make the jump, less fans will be playing on the older systems anyway. Ultimately, this tough decision could be worth it in the long run, as it would let players spend more time in-game and less time in the menus.
Still, if Behaviour Interactive is unwilling to split the player base and the load times are destined to remain long, there is one small change that could help: more interesting load screens. Instead of a bland black backdrop with tally marks, artwork of various killers and survivors could be featured alongside character descriptions. For example, if Jill Valentine appears on-screen, players could get a bit of lore about the Resident Evil icon while also reading about her exclusive perks. Maps could also be featured, with Alien fans getting to see an image of the Nostromo and read about the iconic space vessel. Even the classic developer strategy of loading screen tips would be a step-up from what exists now. If faster load times are not on the table, then the next update should aim to making loading screens a bit more interesting.
Dead by Daylight is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
