There are less than two months between the publication of this article and the release of Dying Light: The Beast. This game started as the second DLC for Dying Light 2: Stay Human. However, it slowly evolved into a standalone game that Polish developer Techland is now referring to as essentially Dying Light 3 in all but name.

Why did the studio change its mind about this project being a DLC for DL2? Well, Franchise Director Tymon Smektala confirmed in an interview with Wccftech that Techland suffered a narrative leak in 2023, with hackers getting their hands on the DLC’s plot. That and a desire to bring back the original game’s protagonist spurred the team toward an entirely new direction. Interestingly, in another, more recent interview with Wccftech, Smektala expressed the desire to make games more quickly, starting with this one, which only took about three and a half years compared to the seven years or so that were necessary for the first two games.

Release Date, Platforms, Pricing, Editions

Dying Light: The Beast will be released on Friday, August 22, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. The game will be released later in 2025 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, too, as Techland hasn’t abandoned the old console generation yet. In the aforementioned interview, Tymon Smektala also said he’d love to see the game on Nintendo Switch 2, too, but there’s no confirmation yet.

The game is already available for pre-order in two different editions. The Standard Edition is priced at $59.99, while the Deluxe Edition costs $10 more and includes the following benefits:

• Official Soundtrack
• Wallpaper Pack
• Castor Woods Tourist Map
• Castor Woods Prepper Bundle
• Castor Woods Prepper Outfit
• Survivalist SMG
• Roadhog

Any pre-order will also receive the following:

• Ultimate Survivor Outfit
• Harran Combat Knife (+ Upgradable Blueprint)
• The Follower Crossbow (+ Upgradable Blueprint)
• In Jade’s Memory Pistol (+ Upgradable Blueprint)
• Castor Woods Patrol

Additionally, anyone who purchased Dying Light 2: Stay Human Ultimate Edition at launch will receive Dying Light: The Beast for free, owing to the fact that the game was originally planned as the second story-driven DLC for Stay Human.

Genre, Setting, and Story Premise

Just like its predecessors, Dying Light: The Beast is an open world action survival horror game played exclusively in first-person view. The setting is Castor Woods, a rural region that was once popular among tourists before the zombie apocalypse. Techland has confirmed to Wccftech that Castor Woods is definitely geographically closer to Villador (the setting of Dying Light 2) than Harran (that of the first installment), with both taking inspiration from European countries. However, the returning protagonist is Kyle Crane, once again voiced by Roger Craig Smith.

After the events of the first game and its expansion, The Following, Crane was taken prisoner and has been for thirteen years the unwilling subject of experimentation with the zombie virus at the behest of Marius ‘The Baron’ Fischer. After finally escaping captivity, Crane’s main goal is to get revenge on The Baron. To that end, Techland said they took inspiration from the South Korean movie Oldboy, where the main character similarly escapes from long captivity and then sets out on his vengeance mission. Chronologically, the events of Dying Light: The Beast take place right after Dying Light 2.

Gameplay

In many ways, the developers are seeking a return to the first game’s more hardcore survival feel, which most fans prefer to Dying Light 2. One example is save zones, which take after the basic design of the original title with some additional features such as barricading.

In combat, players will be able to take advantage of Crane’s new beast-like powers. The franchise always put a strong emphasis on melee combat, and with his enhanced strength, the protagonist can crush skulls, rip heads off, and tear enemies in half. However, firearms are in the game from the start, unlike with Dying Light 2, where they were added with a patch after launch. Similarly, parkour will still be a big part of the game, although the more rural setting of Castor Woods will make jumping from building to building less common. On the other hand, vehicles (specifically, a 4×4) return from Dying Light: The Following, allowing players to feel the joy of crushing zombie hordes under their wheels.

In keeping with series tradition, players will find it easier to explore Castor Woods during the day, while the most dangerous breeds of infected come out at night, where everything is much harder. Co-operative gameplay for up to four players is also available in this new installment, and shared progression has been confirmed so that player groups can experience the whole adventure together.

Tech and Specs

Dying Light: The Beast is powered by the latest iteration of Techland’s proprietary C-Engine. According to the studio, improvements have been made in rendering weather effects, materials, lighting, shadows, and more. PC system requirements haven’t been shared yet, so we will update this article once they are made public. However, the fact that the game will eventually be available on old-gen consoles makes it likely that the specs won’t be too demanding.