Dead by Daylight PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum CPU for Dead by Daylight is an Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8120. That puts it roughly in the same tier as an Intel Core i3-4130, a very old entry-level processor. The recommended CPU is an Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8300 or higher, which sits very close to the minimum, so the publisher does not ask for a much stronger processor to get a smooth experience.
The graphics card is where the gap between the two levels is larger. The minimum is a DX11 compatible GeForce GTX 460 1GB or Radeon HD 6850 1GB, which is around the level of a Radeon HD 7750, an old budget card. The recommended level asks for a GeForce 760 or Radeon HD 8800 or higher with 4GB of memory, which is roughly the level of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. If you want to play comfortably rather than just get the game running, the recommended graphics card is the safer target.
Both levels list 8GB of RAM and 50GB of storage. The publisher does not require an SSD at either level. Where a component is not listed in the official data, that simply means the publisher did not specify it, so we do not guess.
Overall, the official requirements are fairly modest and let older PCs run the game. If you want to play at higher resolutions and settings, use the recommended level as your baseline.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players on a tight budget who mainly play at 1080p. It pairs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 and 16GB of RAM. Both core parts are well above the official recommended level, so you can play smoothly with medium settings and should not have to worry much about stutter.
The mainstream build is the best value for most players. We recommend an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and 16GB of RAM. Both parts are well above the official recommended level, which makes this a good choice if you want better visuals without spending a lot. It offers the best balance of price and performance of the three.
The high-end build is for players who want high settings or who stream and record while playing. It uses an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super, an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and 32GB of RAM. It has a large margin above the official requirements, so you can enable heavier graphics options and still have headroom for background streaming or recording.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In a fast-paced multiplayer game like this one, shadows, volumetric lighting and ambient occlusion usually cost the most, followed by texture resolution and view distance. These settings affect how good the game looks, but they add little to reading a chase or a fight. A practical starting point is to set shadows, ambient occlusion and motion blur to low or off, and keep texture resolution at medium.
Ray tracing is not essential for this game. If your graphics card supports it, you can leave it off and spend that budget on settings that matter more for play. Crowd or simulation density settings depend mostly on your processor, so lowering them a little helps on older CPUs.
Upscaling technologies such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS work by rendering at a lower resolution and using an algorithm to scale the image up. They can reduce the load on your graphics card with little loss in image quality, which helps you find a good balance between visuals and smoothness. Anti-aliasing can be adjusted to taste, and medium or fast modes are usually enough.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop graphics chips often share a name with desktop cards, such as GTX 1660, but laptop versions usually run with lower power limits and weaker cooling, so real performance can fall well behind the desktop model. When judging a laptop, check its power settings and cooling design rather than only the model name. Keep it plugged in and use the performance mode to let the GPU and CPU hold higher output.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are general-purpose portable PCs and work best at low to medium settings. We have no Steam Deck verification data for this game, so the advice here is general: set resolution and graphics to low or medium, use the built-in scaling and frame-rate limit options, and pay attention to heat and battery life.
Storage and memory
The official minimum and recommended RAM are both 8GB. To keep multitasking and background programs running smoothly, we suggest 16GB in practice. Dual-channel memory, with two sticks in the correct slots, increases memory bandwidth, which helps in the CPU-heavy moments of a match.
The official storage requirement is 50GB, but leave extra room for updates and growing files. The publisher does not require an SSD, but an SSD noticeably shortens loading times and makes switching between matches snappier. If your budget allows, it is a worthwhile upgrade. A traditional hard drive will still run the game, just with slower loading.
Finally, keep plenty of free space on the drive where the game is installed, so updates and cache files have room to work properly.