Zombie games have continued to be some of the most popular horror experiences out there. Legendary franchises like Resident Evil and Call of Duty Zombies are still putting out new entries consistently. Mostly dormant franchises like Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising are still being played today. And all-new entries to the zombie genre are appearing every day. Over the last decade, Techland’s Dying Light has grown from being one of these newcomers to a genre staple. Making its debut in 2015, Dying Light found success through its unique merging of parkour mechanics and zombie-slaying action. That success quickly spawned a DLC expansion for the original game and eventually a sequel in 2022. And now, a brand-new spinoff is in the works. Dying Light has a busy few months ahead of it, but it may have already kicked off a sort of ‘Hot Zombie Summer’ for the gaming industry.

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Dying Light: The Beast Can’t Lose the Forest for the Trees With its Castor Woods Setting

The Dying Light series has built a strong identity for itself, but Dying Light: The Beast could forget a core part of that identity with its setting.

Dying Light Has Just Ushered in a ‘Hot Zombie Summer’

Dying Light’s Retouched Update Is Out Now

Set to release later today (June 26, 2025), the original Dying Light is getting a major new update designed to push the most out of the game’s now decade-old framework. Essentially, Techland has taken the improvements made to its in-house engine over the years, and retroactively applied them to the first Dying Light, improving the game’s technical performance across the board. Some of the biggest changes coming with Dying Light’s Retouched update include:

Improved texture quality, particularly for environmental details

Improved lighting and physics-based rendering to enhance how light reflects off surfaces

8K Ultra shadow quality for environmental surfaces

Increased maximum Level of Detail range from 260% to 340%

Remastered soundtrack by original Dying Light composer Paweł Blaszczak

New music tracks and ambient sounds

Improved hit reaction audio effects during combat

Techland has been very clear that Dying Light’s Retouched update is not a full remaster of the game, but its improvements are noticeable, and it seems like the studio has put a great deal of time and effort into producing the free update.

Dying Light 2 is still being updated fairly regularly. It received a new Tower Raid mode earlier this year.

Dying Light: The Beast Is Launching Later This Summer

But Dying Light’s Retouched update is just the first step in Techland’s self-proclaimed “Summer of Dying Light.” On August 22, 2025, Techland will release Dying Light: The Beast, a fully-fledged spinoff that puts players back in the bloody boots of Dying Light 1 protagonist Kyle Crane. Crane has been experimented on for the last 13 years by a sadistic man known as the Baron, and with his new beast-like powers, he sets off to earn his revenge. Dying Light: The Beast will take players to Castor Woods, a new rural setting for the series that features a popular tourist town that’s surrounded by dense forests. Along with Kyle’s beast-like powers, players will use the series’ trademark parkour mechanics, melee and ranged combat, and some new vehicles to complete the protagonist’s vengeful mission. August 2025 has some big games releasing, such as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Gears of War: Reloaded, but Dying Light: The Beast should be able to stand out from the crowd nicely.
Dying Light Isn’t The Only Zombie Franchise Getting in on ‘Hot Zombie Summer’

Dying Light isn’t the only franchise getting in on the action this summer. Killing Floor 3 is set to launch on July 24, beating Dying Light: The Beast to the punch by a whole month. But while Dying Light: The Beast will focus on narrative-driven zombie-slaying action, Killing Floor 3 dives head-first into undead co-op chaos. Killing Floor’s enemies are technically bioengineered monsters called “Specimens,” but for all intents and purposes, it’s a zombie game by any metric.

Dying Light: The Beast

Released

August 22, 2025

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Use of Drugs

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

Franchise

Dying Light

PC Release Date

August 22, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

August 22, 2025