Alongside original characters, the game licenses characters and settings from several franchises. As of November 2023, the game has featured 35 individual DLC releases in total. Most DLC releases include both a new Survivor and Killer, except for eight where only one character was introduced and four where three characters were introduced. 23 of the DLCs released have also introduced new maps that are accessible to all players. The DLCs release with an average of three months between each one. Prior to the release of every DLC since the Clown, a Public Test Build (PTB) is opened, which allows the developers of the game to test and receive community feedback on the major upcoming changes. Once the PTB has been out for roughly two weeks, it is disabled for further maintenance on the upcoming DLC, such as bug fixing, adding missing features, etc. The estimated time span between the opening of the PTB and a new DLC’s release is approximately 2–3 weeks, and the DLC typically releases a few days after the shutdown of the PTB.
16 of the currently released DLCs have featured licensed Killers and Survivors from both popular horror franchises and other video games. The DLCs can be acquired by either purchasing them normally through Steam or non-licensed characters can be purchased through a shop within the game using an in-game currency called iridescent shards. This alternative way of obtaining the DLCs was introduced in the 2.0 update. Each DLC has its own trailer and a so-called "spotlight" that exhibits the Killer and Survivor as well as a new in-game map. The relevant DLC does not need to be purchased in order for any map to be played on. Three DLCs (The Last Breath, Left Behind, and A Lullaby for the Dark) have been distributed for free.
In August 2021, Behaviour announced that the Stranger Things DLC (including individual characters from the DLC and their cosmetics) would no longer be available for purchase after November 17 and that the Hawkins National Laboratory map would be removed from rotation. All characters from the DLC, as well as their cosmetics, were usable by players who purchased them before the removal date. On November 6, 2023, Behavior announced that all previous content would be returning to the game.
In October 2021, Behaviour collaborated with Boss Protocol to release the Pinhead character model from the Hellraiser DLC as an NFT as part of the Boss Protocol Masters of Horror NFT collection. This led to criticism from players, with Steam reviews of the DLC falling down to a "Mostly Negative" rating. However it was later revealed that Behaviour gave license holders access to character models and the license holder had collaborated to make the NFTs using the model without Behaviour’s involvement.
In addition to DLCs, other collaborations have resulted in purely cosmetic items being added to existing characters. Collaborations with Crypt TV and Attack on Titan added cosmetic items to original characters in order to make them resemble characters from those franchises. Other cosmetic items have been added from titles such as For Honor, Meet Your Maker, and Rainbow Six Siege. Similarly, original Dead by Daylight characters have appeared in other video games including For Honor, Deathgarden, and Move or Die.
Key
| Title | Release Date | Killer | Survivor(s) | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Breath | August 18, 2016 | The Nurse | Nea Karlsson | The Asylum (Crotus Prenn Asylum) |
| Halloween † | October 25, 2016 | The Shape | Laurie Strode | Lampkin Lane (Haddonfield) |
| Of Flesh and Mud | December 8, 2016 | The Hag | Ace Visconti | The Pale Rose (Backwater Swamp) |
| Left Behind † | March 8, 2017 | — | William "Bill" Overbeck | — |
| Spark of Madness | May 11, 2017 | The Doctor | Feng Min | Treatment Theatre (Léry’s Memorial Institute) |
| A Lullaby for the Dark | July 27, 2017 | The Huntress | David King | Mother’s Dwelling (Red Forest) |
| Leatherface † | September 14, 2017 | The Cannibal | — | — |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street † | October 26, 2017 | The Nightmare | Quentin Smith | Badham Preschool (Springwood) |
| Saw † | January 23, 2018 | The Pig | David Tapp | The Game (Gideon Meat Plant) |
| Curtain Call | June 12, 2018 | The Clown | Kate Denson | Father Campbell’s Chapel (Crotus Prenn Asylum) |
| Shattered Bloodline | September 18, 2018 | The Spirit | Adam Francis | Family Residence (Yamaoka Estate) |
| Darkness Among Us | December 11, 2018 | The Legion | Jeffrey "Jeff" Johansen | Mount Ormond Resort (Ormond) |
| Demise of the Faithful | March 19, 2019 | The Plague | Jane Romero | Temple of Purgation (Red Forest) |
| Ash vs Evil Dead † | April 2, 2019 | — | Ashley "Ash" Williams | — |
| Ghost Face † | June 18, 2019 | The Ghost Face | — | — |
| Stranger Things † | September 17, 2019[a] | The Demogorgon | Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler | Underground Complex (Hawkins National Laboratory)[a] |
| Cursed Legacy | December 3, 2019 | The Oni | Yui Kimura | Sanctum of Wrath (Yamaoka Estate) |
| Chains of Hate | March 10, 2020 | The Deathslinger | Zarina Kassir | Dead Dawg Saloon (Grave of Glenvale) |
| Silent Hill † | June 16, 2020 | The Executioner | Cheryl Mason | Midwich Elementary School (Silent Hill) |
| Descend Beyond | September 8, 2020 | The Blight | Felix Richter | — |
| A Binding of Kin | December 1, 2020 | The Twins | Élodie Rakoto | — |
| All-Kill | March 30, 2021 | The Trickster | Yun-Jin Lee | — |
| Resident Evil † | June 15, 2021 | The Nemesis | Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine | Raccoon City Police Station (Raccoon City)[b] |
| Hellraiser † | September 7, 2021 | The Cenobite | — | — |
| Hour of the Witch | October 19, 2021 | — | Mikaela Reid | — |
| Portrait of a Murder | November 30, 2021 | The Artist | Jonah Vasquez | Eyrie of Crows (Forsaken Boneyard) |
| Sadako Rising † | March 8, 2022 | The Onryō | Yoichi Asakawa | — |
| Roots of Dread | June 7, 2022 | The Dredge | Haddie Kaur | Garden of Joy (Withered Isle) |
| Resident Evil: Project W † | August 30, 2022 | The Mastermind | Ada Wong, Rebecca Chambers | Raccoon City Police Station East Wing/West Wing (Raccoon City)[b] |
| Forged in Fog | November 22, 2022 | The Knight | Vittorio Toscano | Shattered Square (Decimated Borgo) |
| Tools of Torment | March 7, 2023 | The Skull Merchant | Thalita Lyra, Renato Lyra | Shelter Woods (The MacMillan Estate)[c] |
| End Transmission | June 13, 2023 | The Singularity | Gabriel Soma | Toba Landing (Dvarka Deepwood) |
| Nicolas Cage † | July 25, 2023 | — | Nicolas Cage | — |
| Alien † | August 29, 2023 | The Xenomorph | Ellen Ripley | Nostromo Wreckage (Dvarka Deepwood) |
| Chucky † | November 28, 2023 | The Good Guy | — | — |
Notes