Choose Dying Light
Choose Dying Light if you want a RPG game with Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 96,634 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dying Light vs Dead by Instinct
Dying Light and Dead by Instinct both land in Action on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Action games on Steam. Dying Light (2015) is 11 years older than Dead by Instinct (2026). Both support cooperative play. No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Dead by Instinct
Choose Dead by Instinct if you want a Strategy, Indie, and Adventure game with Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Dead by Instinct launched in 2026.
Both Dying Light and Dead by Instinct sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dying Light |  Dead by Instinct | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 94.2% positive (96,634 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Techland | Disco Entertainment Studio |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Dying Light (2015) is 11 years older than Dead by Instinct (2026).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Dying Light is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Dead by Instinct has no Deck rating yet.
Dying Light vs Dead by Instinct — FAQ
- Should I play Dying Light or Dead by Instinct first?
- If you want chronology, Dying Light (2015) came out before Dead by Instinct (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Dying Light and Dead by Instinct similar?
- They overlap on Action on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Dying Light and Dead by Instinct have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Dying Light ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Dead by Instinct ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Does Dying Light run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Dying Light is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Dead by Instinct doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.