I recommend this game if you're playing with friends.

I have an intense love/hate relationship with Dead by Daylight, and I feel as though I've logged enough hours into it to write a fair review. If you're just here wondering if the community is as toxic as everyone says it is ... well, yes, it is. I wouldn't say it's any more or less toxic than the communities you'd find in CS:GO, Overwatch, Fortnite, etc. ... but post-game chat can definitely frighten off a new player.

If you're new to the game, I highly recommend playing it with one or more experienced friends who can coach you. If you don't have a thick skin or much patience, playing solo right off the bat will likely make you rage quit. That being said, a lot of people will only have fun with DbD if they're playing with friends. And that's okay and completely fair. The basis of 4v1 gameplay is cooperation, and you can't guarantee that a random is going to have your back.

There was a period where I took this game very seriously, and it ruined it for me for a while. After taking a break, I came back and swore I'd only play it for fun anymore, disconnecting the second I felt myself getting even slightly salty or competitive (EDIT ~ I can't even believe that I have to say this, but I'll take partial blame for it because of my wording. After someone took the time to go to my profile and flame me for this review instead of commenting right below where I could actually respond, I felt the need to clarify that I did not mean that I disconnect in-game. I'll finish a match and quit playing. I'll admit that "disconnect" wasn't the correct word, and I should've just said "stop playing". You could've said that instead of just criticizing me altogether when you've never played with me. Truly, the toxicity over the wording I'm leaving here in my review proves how right I am about the community, eh? But anyone who has spent time playing DbD knows it all-too-well.)

I'm a survivor main, but I enjoy playing killer every once in a while. I think it's extremely important for every DbD player to experience playing killer. You'll have toxicity in-game and post-game when you're a survivor, but there's really nothing that can prepare you for post-game chat when you're the killer. I tend to minimize the chat so I don't see it, or I change my username to something friendly (which no one should have to do, but I'm a lover, not a fighter). While playing killer can help thicken your skin against the community, it's really helpful in learning to be a better teammate while playing survivor. There's also a killer for everyone. While I want to be the best with every killer in the game, I've succumbed to the fact that it's just not a possibility for me and tried every killer until I found one that matched my play style.

I do have a lot of gripes about the developers, as do most players. Every update seems to fix something but break something else. Server lag is atrocious, and, lately, matchmaking is a complete joke (you're supposed to be matched with players on your skill level, but it's really not unusual to be shoved into a lobby with players way below or way above your skill level anymore). Certain perks are broken, hitboxes are BS, and you'll be kicked from lobbies, menus, and matches, requiring you to have to restart the game completely.

If you need a friendly face to play this game with, you can add me. I'm serious. There are kind and gentle players in this game, and they're honestly the ones who kept me around when I first started playing. I'll never forget my first time playing killer in a public match. I was nervous and played terribly. Post-game chat, a more experienced player encouraged me: "You're a good killer - just watch your tracking." They hung around and gave me some advice for practicing. Granted, every post-game after that was toxic ... but that energized me enough to keep trying. I try to reciprocate that to newer players when I can.