Welcome, horror fans, to the slaughter! Whether you’re repairing generators or slashing your way to victory, there’s no denying that Dead by Daylight’s success is tied to its many brutal killers. From Michael Myers to Leatherface and everybody in between, each of the killers have their own strengths and weaknesses.

In this tier list, I’ll be ranking the 32 killers currently in the game from a console player’s perspective; you’ll likely disagree with some of my choices, but others should be a no-brainer for anyone who’s had the displeasure of playing as The Nurse with a controller. Killers like Sadako are being reworked by the game’s developers, too, so they may be worthy of a higher (or lower) spot in future!

 

S Tier

Killers in this top tier have a strong power that’s consistently useful, even with a controller. While playing as them doesn’t guarantee four sacrifices every game, they’re bound to offer players a fun time no matter what.

The Mastermind  - Albert Wesker (90/100)

Hailing from the Resident Evil franchise, Albert Wesker joined Dead by Daylight alongside Ada Wong and Rebecca Chambers in 2022’s Project W. With some delightfully cheesy voice lines and the power to move incredibly quickly with the power of Uroboros, I’ve never had a boring game with Wesker and doubt it’s even possible.

That’s mostly because his ability has  so many things going for it. A simple press of L2 and R2 (or LT and RT if you’re on Xbox) will see you dashing forward super-fast. But that’s not all! Survivors in your way are grabbed, thrown, infected, and hurt (if they hit a wall) - all in the space of about five seconds.

So if you’re a fan of slowing survivors down, throwing them at each other, and wearing sunglasses indoors, it’s obvious why Wesker is my #1. You will not live to see the dawn!

Why Albert Wesker Is Overpowered:

• He can throw survivors at walls or each other as many times as he wants
• Bullying survivors playing as Resident Evil characters is lore-accurate
• He can jump over pallets and windows – nowhere is safe!
• Powerful addons make his devastating power even deadlier
• You’ll be too busy giggling at his voice lines to dodge effectively!

Power Rating: 90 Uroboros Tentacles out of 100

See him in action with the video below.

The Oni  - (88/100)

Joining us from ancient Japan, The Oni entered Dead by Daylight alongside Yui Kimura in 2019’s Cursed Legacy. With a power designed around absorbing blood before entering a devastating Blood Fury, playing as The Oni is basically one step removed from playing as Kratos, and I LOVE IT.

The Oni is  often compared to The Hillbilly, as they’re both known to zoom across the map and down survivors in one hit. In my opinion, though, The Oni gets this high ranking thanks to his ability not needing you to be speeding forward to down a survivor in one hit – just charge an attack no matter where you are, and somebody is going to get hurt.

Like Wesker, The Oni’s real fun factor comes from feeling like a powerhouse – if you’ve ever entered Blood Fury and chased a survivor into a corner for that final Kanabo slam, you know exactly what I mean.

Why The Oni Is Overpowered:

• His chase music is utterly terrifying
• Blood fury makes him move faster, hit harder, and SCREAM VERY LOUDLY!
• He can wreck Survivors in one hit from a Kanabo if they aren’t careful
• His Blood Echo perk makes survivors bleed even more – perfect for Blood Fury!
• Add-ons make Blood Fury more frequent and deadly. Ouch!

Power Rating: 88 Rage-Filled Screams out of 100

See him in action with the video below.

 

The Huntress  - 86/100

Admittedly, the Huntress is only as good as the player controlling her. If you’re not great without auto-aim in other console games, her axe throwing will quickly make you want to throw your controller with equally bad accuracy.

Still, she’s a beast from the East – coming to us from 1900s Russia, The Huntress joined Dead by Daylight with David King in the Lullaby for the Dark chapter that was released in 2017. Unlike most of the others on this list, the Huntress’ DLC is free, so anyone can play as her and start throwing hatchets!

As a ranged killer, you may expect The Huntress to be unfair – and in the right hands, it can definitely feel like you’re up against an aimbot – but she’s surprisingly balanced. Assuming you aren’t using add-ons, having to run to a locker to reload after 5 throws quickly becomes second nature, and I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve found a survivor (usually Dwight) hiding in a locker completely by accident.

My personal favourite aspect of huntress gameplay is her ability to make every pallet a death trap – if a survivor throws it down without quickly dodging, you can easily sink a hatchet into their back as they run off. She may take some effort to learn, but that effort is well rewarded, and her lullaby will probably send your baby to sleep! Just don’t let the baby see you put someone on a meat hook.

Why The Huntress Is Overpowered:

• Her axes can hit you from any distance
• Her Iridescent Head add-on makes hatchets a one-hit down
• She can hit survivors that are hiding behind pallets and windows

Power Rating: 86 Hatchets Lodged In My Torso out of 100

See her in action with the video below.

 

A Tier

Killers in this respectable tier aren’t always consistent, but with a bit of practice, players can expect a delightful piece of hate mail from their sacrifices. After all, if you aren’t upsetting your victims, are you a real villain?

The Ghost Face – 84/100

The Ghost Face is one of Dead by Daylight’s most iconic stealth killers. Players who don’t take themselves too seriously can make the most of his crouch mechanics by teabagging survivors, and that’s a large part of his high placement on this list.

Unlike most of Dead by Daylight’s other chapters, The Ghost Face’s 2019 chapter – aptly named Ghost Face – didn’t feature any survivors. While you’d think this would make him lonely, his great perks definitely keep him company. Who needs friends when you can block generators, see survivors through walls, and reduce your terror radius?

As far as murder potential goes, our white-masked friend isn’t amazing in higher-ranked games. Still, leaning out from behind trees and stalking survivors while they have no idea you’re there before closing in for a one-hit down makes him an A+ killer in my book. My book of murder, that is. Don’t tell the police.

Why The Ghost Face Is Great:

• He can tea-bag survivors, giving them a taste of their own medicine
• He can give survivors a heart attack with a stealth ability making him near-silent
• One-hit downs are always a nice tool in your arsenal!
• The ‘I’m All Ears’ perk – brilliant in a chase!

Power Rating: 84 Stab Wounds out of 100

See him in action and scaring streamers with the video below.

 

The Doctor – 82/100

It’s become a running joke in the Dead by Daylight community that, if you play as The Doctor, you’re probably trying to ruin someone’s day. Even if you’re not going out of your way to be nasty, playing against The Doctor brings you to a world of pain, missed skill-checks, and screams. Many, many screams.

Like most killers in Dead by Daylight, the doctor has changed a lot since his release in 2017’s Spark of Madness. Gone are the days where he had to switch between shocks and smacks – the new doctor can do it all, and his Overcharge perk makes repairing generators a headache.

For console killer mains, though, this should all sound brilliant! You can discover survivors’ locations, slow the game down, and inflict tiers of insanity that stop survivors from dropping pallets. Pair this with another of the Doctor’s perks, Overwhelming Presence, and you’ll be racking up kills and nasty messages in no time.

Why The Doctor Is Great:

• He can reveal survivors’ locations with an aura of electricity
• He can slow down generator progress and ruin new players’ days
• He really makes you feel like a giggling maniac

Power Rating: 82 Zip-Zaps out of 100

See him in action with the video below.

 

The Executioner – Pyramid Head – 80/100

I’ve never considered myself a Silent Hill fan – I’d need to actually play the games first – but as far as horror game icons go, you can’t get much better than Pyramid Head. A giant knife, a giant head, and some seriously gnarly chase music made him one of my favourite killers when he joined Dead by Daylight in 2020 alongside Cheryl Mason.

His toolkit is one that takes a bit of getting used to, but is still very useful for console players. You can drag your knife along the ground to create horrible barbed wire that survivors have to crouch through, you can perform ranged attacks that go through walls, and you can ignore hooks entirely thanks to the cages of torment. This pairs especially well with Nicholas Cage recently being added to the game – you can put Nicolas Cage in a cage!

My favourite mechanic, though, is the ability to straight up kill a survivor that’s been hooked or caged one too many times. Most killers need an add-on or special perk to do that, but not Pyramid Head – he doesn’t care, and he’ll make sure you know it. Admittedly, his perks aren’t incredible, but when you can hit survivors through solid walls, everything else doesn’t seem to matter all that much.

Why Pyramid Head Is Great:

• He can make maps a nightmare to navigate for survivors
• He can use ranged attack through walls
• He can send survivors to a cage instantly instead of dragging them to a hook
• He can kill survivors without needing a Memento Mori!

Power Rating: 80 Nicolas Cages out of 100

See him in action with the video below.

 

The Plague – 78/100

The Plague always makes me feel sick when I play as or against her, but she’s definitely one of the most forgiving ranged killers for console players – it’s harder to miss with a spray of vomit than a hatchet.

Her playstyle is exactly what you’d expect with a name like ‘The Plague’; you’ll run around vomiting on anything and everything, and if the survivors touch something that’s been vomited on, they’ll get sick and be unable to heal themselves soon after. Better yet, if they try to help each other, they’ll quickly spread the infection and become vulnerable to one-hit downs.

This healing interference earns her a high spot on this list; making healing perks useless feels like a suitable revenge for those months where Circle of Healing was so strong. When she’s not blocking survivor perks, though, she’s got some powerful perks of her own – Corrupt Intervention keeps survivors moving at the start of the game, Infectious Fright can scare off any brave survivors, and Dark Devotion can provide some stealth to an otherwise non-stealthy killer.

Why The Plague Is Great:

• She can turn every generator, hook, and closet into a source of infection
• She makes most survivor healing perks in the game useless
• She has an easy to use projectile weapon for console gamers

Power Rating: 78 Anti-Sickness Pills out of 100

See her in action with the video below, but be warned - it's messy.

 

The Knight – 76/100

It’s a real shame that, despite recently passing its 7-year anniversary, Dead by Daylight has never allowed killer mains to play together in a 2 killers versus 8 survivors mode. The Knight fixes that problem a little by equalising the playing field – 4 killers versus 4 survivors. If you’re anything like me, you can pretend that the in-game minions are your real-life friends and congratulate them when they do something useful – or grumble at them when they somehow miss a survivor.

Joining the game in 2022’s Forged in Fog chapter alongside Vittorio Toscano, The Knight takes this spot over a superficially similar killer like The Nemesis thanks to his ability to control his minions – you lay out a path for them to follow, and they’ll faithfully guard a generator, hooked survivor, or general area. This gives you some great peace of mind that survivors won’t be doing anything behind your back.

His perks are also a boost to his rank – ‘Hex: Face the Darkness’ is useful for finding an injured survivor as it makes them scream frequently. The ‘Hubris’ perk is also great if you’re often being stunned by pallets, as it allows you to down the offending survivor in one hit to get revenge.

Why The Knight Is Great:

• He can make effective use of his minions, unlike The Nemesis
• You can chase survivors from multiple angles and directions
• Every step feels powerful – you’re in a suit of armor!

Power Rating: 78 Cool Swords out of 100

See him and the boys in action with the video below.

 

The Spirit – 76/100

A descendant of The Oni’s family, The Spirit isn’t quite as powerful as she used to be thanks to various nerfs and changes. She’s still a devastating killer without much practice needed, though, and if you aren’t wearing headphones in a game against The Spirit, you’re about to have a very bad time.

The Spirit’s best feature is her unpredictability; she can turn invisible, move incredibly quickly, and pop out of seemingly nowhere to scare and slash at survivors. This alone is powerful, but clever Spirit players know that turning invisible leaves their body behind – by standing still, they can trick survivors into thinking they’re elsewhere before stabbing survivors as they get closer.

Since she joined Dead by Daylight in 2018 with Adam Francis, many tweaks and changes have been made to her base power and add-ons; in her current form, add-ons like the ‘Kintsugi Teacup’ and ‘Furin’ enhance her ability to slip into invisibility and play with the minds of the unfortunate survivors.

Finally, a mention of her perks – we’ve all had a teammate screw us over with Hex: Haunted Grounds, and being on the slashing side when that notification pops up is a delightfully evil feeling. Spirit Fury is also quite underrated – having a pallet instantly break is a good timer saver when reaching the final few minutes of a match.

Why The Spirit Is Great:

• She can jump-scare survivors like no other
• Her add-ons range from pretty good to amazing – there are no wrong choices
• Her speed while invisible can help her reach pallets and windows before survivors do
• Hex: Haunted Ground can set up some disgustingly good strategies

Power Rating: 76 Annoying Ghostly Moans out of 100

See her in action with the video below.

 

B Tier

They aren’t incredible, and they aren’t terrible. You can do a lot and have fun with these killers, and nobody can take that away from you. One gamer’s cup of tea is another gamer’s shot of whiskey, after all!

The Artist  - 75/100

The Artist has many of the same benefits as The Huntress, but for console players, she’s just a bit awkward to work with. Still, using ranged attacks through walls and slowing survivors down makes her a powerful killer worth learning.

Power Rating: 75 Birds of Prey out of 100

 

The Cenobite – 73/100

Stepping right out of the Hellraiser franchise, Pinhead’s best feature is his ability to slow down games and, like The Doctor, annoy survivors. His gameplay tends to be quite dull, and aiming your chains is a real pain on consoles, but you can’t help but feel stylish in the Hell Priest’s leathers.

Power Rating: 73 Sights To Show You out of 100

 

The Wraith – 71 /100

One of the game’s first killers, The Wraith has a simple ability, but his add-ons make him an absolute menace. Turn mostly invisible, move faster, and quickly materialise behind a survivor and you’re almost guaranteed two or three sacrifices per game.

Power Rating: 71 Resonating Bells out of 100

 

The Legion – 69/100

The Legion is my least favourite killer in the game, but I’ll begrudgingly admit that he can be a very effective killer. Running and leaping over pallets is always fun, and survivors will usually spend most of the game healing instead of doing generators. If you like slowing things down or just their wide assortment of skins, The Legion may be for you.

Power Rating: 69 Annoying Teenagers out of 100

 

The Nemesis – 67/100

Dead By Daylight’s first representative from the Resident Evil franchise was a decent one, but The Nemesis’ success relies on his ability to power up his tentacle. His zombie minions are also far less reliable than The Knight’s squad, and that unreliability earns him this lower spot on this list.

Power Rating: 67 STAAARS out of 100

 

The Dredge – 65/100

This killer is full of arms, legs, and nightmares. Messing with survivors’ vision by plunging maps into darkness is a great way to disorient them, and jumping out of closets never gets old – it’s just a very awkward power to work with when using a controller, earning this spot.

Power Rating: 65 Disembodied Limbs out of 100

 

The Hag – 63/100

The Hag is the first killer I ever went up against, and she gave me nightmares – I didn’t know how to run, and when I did figure it out, she popped out of the ground, screamed, and put me on a meat hook. When you’re up against a good hag, the recommended action is to lie down, try not to cry, and cry a lot.

Power Rating: 63 Funny Triangles out of 100

 

The Pig – Amanda Young – 60/100

I have a soft spot for The Pig – she’s from the crazy-yet-fun SAW franchise, has had a crazy number of nerfs over the years, and the community has decided she’s more of a joke than a fearsome killer. Still, I respect her simple-yet-effective abilities and think she’s a great killer to learn the game with.

Power Rating: 60 Kills At The Exit Gates out of 100

 

The Singularity – 55/100

Dead by Daylight’s newest killer at the time of writing, The Singularity is a freaky robot from the far future. I’m sure he’ll be tweaked and receive many changes in the near future, but right now he’s an awkward killer to play as on console and requires a little too much micromanaging to be truly fun.

Power Rating: 55 Lines Of Code out of 100
 

C Tier

Let’s be clear – the killers in C tier aren’t bad. They have their uses, even if they’re a bit limited, and can be good if you put time into learning them. Some are held back by their release dates being so long ago, some are held back by being a nightmare to play on console, and others just aren’t that exciting. Still, the developers are always working on reworks, so let’s hope they can all improve!

The Shape – Michael Myers – 50/100

It wounds me to put an old favourite this far down the tier list, but the truth is that Michael Myers needs a rework. He’s a bit too slow in the early game and a bit too ineffective in the end game to keep up with the newer killers, and while his add-ons – like Scratched Mirror – are a lot of fun, his movement speed makes me sad.

Power Rating: 50 More Halloween Sequels out of 100

 

The Cannibal – Leatherface – 48/100

He’s a guilty pleasure for most of the killer mains I know, and has single handedly forced the developers to revisit the game’s problem with face-camping. Leatherface is at his best with a survivor in the basement to guard, and only the newest of survivors fall for it – still, getting that fabled four-survivors-hooked-in-the-basement moment makes all of the hate-mail worth it.

Power Rating: 48 Basement Buddies out of 100

 

The Clown – 46/100

From backstory to perks and even just gameplay, The Clown is a mean guy. A hearty laugh after every successful hit and the power to slow survivors down while boosting your own speed makes him a pretty fun killer, but the console aiming issues strike again. Still, his perks are pretty good, earning him a high spot in the C tier.

Power Rating: 46 Balloon Animals out of 100

 

The Deathslinger – 44/100

I’ve never been a fan of this cowboy’s ridiculous name, and after unlocking his trophies in 2020 I’ve felt very little need to be subjected to his gameplay again. Another ranged killer that’s just not great to play as on consoles, he may be viable with some add-ons, but he’s just not that interesting.

Power Rating: 44 Duels at Dawn out of 100

 

The Demogorgon - 40/100

The Stranger Things mascot was sadly removed from the game’s store in 2021, and many of his at-the-time unique abilities have now been improved upon by other killers like The Mastermind and The Dredge. Sorry, demo-dog!

Power Rating: 40 Upside-Down Portals out of 100

 

The Twins – 38/100

I want to like The Twins. Their design is original, their gameplay is interesting, and they have a lot of potential. I can’t rate them higher for just potential, though, and their perks aren’t that great. Worse yet, the idea of controlling multiple killers was done better with The Knight. Sorry, Victor!

Power Rating: 38 Little Baby Men out of 100

 

The Hillbilly – 36/100

Another one of the game’s first killers, The Hillbilly’s chainsaw isn’t as powerful as it used to be. His chainsaw allows quick travel through the maps, but other killers have made this ability less unique, and he’s now a real pain to play without add-ons on console. One-hit downs are always nice, but I can’t stand flying past survivors by accident and waiting ages to recover!

Power Rating:  36 Country Songs out of 100

 

The Onryo – Sadako – 34/100

I feel very bad for The Ring’s main villain. She’s slow, short, and was almost immediately upstaged by The Dredge having better versions of her powers. Still, Sadako’s aesthetic is unmatched, and her perks are very strong. A rework is coming soon, so I hope our favourite TV lady reaches her potential.

Power Rating: 34 Broken Televisions out of 100

 

The Nightmare – Freddy Krueger – 32/100

Freddy is a joy to watch, but not a joy to play as. Most of his abilities are equal to or lesser than other killers’, and the knife-glove legend just isn’t the same when he isn’t played by Robert Englund. Bonus points for making Freddy Krueger’s gameplay make me want to fall asleep, though. That's pretty funny.

Power Rating: 32 Cups of Coffee out of 100

 

The Trapper – 30/100

Our beloved masked lunatic with the bear traps has been around since the game first came out, and while his bear traps are cool, they just aren’t enough to secure 4 sacrifices most of the time. He’s a great killer to learn the game with, though, and nobody can take that away from him.

Power Rating: 30 Signs Telling You To Stay Off The Grass out of 100

 

The Trickster – 28/100

The Trickster’s design was a point of controversy before his release, but the real problem comes when trying to get any kills as him while using a controller. The Plague, The Huntress and The Artist are all far more viable alternatives, leaving this killer best left unpurchased.

Power Rating: 28 Knives Missing From The Kitchen out of 100

The Nurse – 25/100

Since 2017, it’s been a running gag that The Nurse is a nightmare to play as on consoles, and Survivors will readily take advantage of that by running circles around you. To avoid a headache and sour mood, leave the nurse gameplay to PC players.

Power Rating: 25 Successful Games out of 100

 

The Skull Merchant – 23/100

It’s rare to see such a new killer at the bottom of this tier list, but I cannot for the life of me stress how boring The Skull Merchant’s gameplay is. Survivors aren’t enjoying themselves, you won’t be enjoying yourself, and until a rework comes, she’s just a less interesting Knight.

Power Rating: 23 Extremely Boring Matches out of 100

 

The Blight – 21/100

Playing as The Blight on consoles is like willingly giving yourself a concussion and motion sickness at the same time. He gets a lot of love from PC players, but in my opinion, everything he does is easier on the senses when playing as The Mastermind – and you won’t break your controller trying to get at survivors with Wesker.

Power Rating: 21 Concussions out of 100

 

There we have it - every killer in the game, ranked. You may think I’m unfair to some and too nice to others, but as a Dead by Daylight killer-lover since 2018, I like to think I know how the average console player thinks and what they value. Plus, I have the game’s platinum trophy on PlayStation, so unless you can say the same, you’re not allowed to argue. Thanks for reading!
 

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