Dead by Daylight is free on the Epic Games Store

Update: We initially said that the code for blood points could be used on the free Epic version: It appears to only work on Steam. Our apologies, and the editor responsible for testing the code who thoughtlessly did it on Steam has been downed and hung from a meat hook.

Original story: With its steep price drops and regular free weekends, Dead by Daylight seems to constantly flutter on the brink of going free-to-play but never quite committing (probably on account of its ongoing popularity). The asymmetrical 4-v-1 slasher has about umpteen (22) paid DLCs starring new survivors and monsters, with the latest out today, featuring a vengeful artist who summons crows to peck at you and your pals.

It's really good fun and surprisingly inventive, especially when played with friends, and you can now pick up the base game for free on Epic Games Store. Just be careful not to get sucked into its paid DLC maelstrom that lets you play as familiar faces like Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, Pyramidhead and those flower-faced thingies from Stranger Things.

The good news is that if you just own the base game you won't be locked off from playing against DLC monsters, and the maps themed after these monsters are open to base game players too. The base game starts you out with five playable killers, three of whom are regarded by the community as some of the strongest in the game, and you can unlock further unlicensed monsters through good old-fashioned grinding.

So as not-quite-free-to-play games go, Dead by Daylight is very good value.

Expect to grind quite a bit though. Each survivor and monster has their own individual skills and progression via a Bloodweb, which can take a long old time to fill up. Steam players can enter the code DECIPHERSTRIKE to grab 150,000 Blood Points—Dead by Daylight's in-game progression currency—but unfortunately this doesn't work on the Epic version: Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.

You're very welcome! There are also some festive bonuses being awarded to all players for logging in at the moment, so this is certainly a good time to find out if DBD might be your cup of tea.

There was a moment a few years back where it looked like these asymmetrical monsters-vs-normies games could become 'the next big thing', but Dead by Daylight duly devoured competition from the likes of Predator: Hunting Grounds and Friday the 13th, pretty much becoming a genre unto itself. In fairness, it's a deserving winner, and now you have nothing to lose in checking it out.