A Game-Changing Fix: Why Dead by Daylight Must Address This Urgent Issue Now

Highlights

The load times in Dead by Daylight pose a significant problem, as they involve lengthy pre-match procedures and an extended final loading screen. Consequently, players may find themselves waiting for as long as five minutes between consecutive games.

Long load times are believed to be primarily caused by the inclusion of players using older generation consoles. Separating the player pools might be essential to enhance load times.

Alternatively, in case Behaviour Interactive is not inclined to divide the player base, incorporating more captivating load screens could enhance the waiting experience.

Dead by Daylight has undergone significant changes over the years, with an abundance of content now available. Despite maintaining the core gameplay loop of survivors secretly repairing generators while evading a relentless killer, the game now offers numerous killers and survivors with unique perks, ensuring each match feels distinct. The inclusion of a battle pass and the bloodweb provides satisfying progression for dedicated fans. However, one persistent issue with Dead by Daylight remains: long load times.

Given its multiplayer nature, expediting the process of getting into and out of matches is essential. The speed with which popular online games like Call of Duty and Fortnite matchmake has created an expectation for swift gameplay transitions. Moreover, Dead by Daylight must contend with unpredictable match durations. While a match may last a satisfying 20 minutes with balanced gameplay, an adept killer can eliminate players in a mere five minutes. This discrepancy becomes especially frustrating due to the lengthy pre-match preparations.

Dead by Daylight’s Load Time Issue And How It Could Be Addressed

Playing Dead by Daylight requires going through a lengthy process. Initially, players need to ready up and search for a game, which is relatively quick. However, they can expect to wait between 10 seconds and two minutes to find a game. Once a match is found, players enter a pre-game lobby where they have a minute to choose their perks and offerings before readying up. Following this, a screen briefly appears to show the offerings being burned, and then the final loading screen appears. Here lies the main problem.

Once players have waited anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes to complete the setup, they are left staring at a black screen with tally marks for approximately a minute and a half. While the pre-game lobby and search screen provide opportunities for players to spend in-game points and read character lore, there is nothing to do during this primary loading screen. Some players may use this time to check their phones or read a book, but it is difficult to justify such a lengthy wait. This is particularly true considering that players can spend up to five minutes waiting for a match when considering all the other pre-match steps.

The reason for the unusually long load time is uncertain, but it could be due to factors such as the selection of hook and generator spots in Dead by Daylight, as well as the consideration of perks and offerings. However, most fans believe that the inclusion of last-gen console players in the player pool is the main cause. Despite the faster load times on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, players are unable to benefit from this when grouped with individuals using PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. To ensure fairness, all players must spawn in simultaneously, resulting in new hardware users being held back by those using outdated devices.

Regrettably, the only way to resolve the issue of long load times would be to segregate the player pools for last-gen and current-gen consoles. Since the shortages of Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles have ended, many players have already upgraded, so finding matches in separate pools would not be a problem. The only potential issue would be the gradual decline of the last-gen pool, but as more people transition to newer systems, there will be fewer fans playing on older devices anyway. Ultimately, this difficult decision could be worthwhile in the long term, allowing players to spend more time in-game and less time navigating menus.

If Behaviour Interactive is unwilling to split the player base and the load times are destined to remain long, one solution to consider is enhancing the load screens. Instead of the current plain black background with tally marks, the load screens could feature artwork of different killers and survivors along with character descriptions. For instance, when Jill Valentine is displayed, players could learn about the background story of this Resident Evil icon and also discover her unique abilities. Additionally, maps could be showcased, allowing Alien fans to see an image of the Nostromo and read about this iconic space vessel. Another option would be to include helpful tips on the loading screens, a common practice employed by developers. If faster load times are not feasible, the next update should focus on making the loading screens more captivating. Dead by Daylight can be played on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.