Dead by Daylight's Grimoire Chapter is allowing fans to help conceptualize the next Killer and Survivor. Learn more about the current voting phase and the Q1 2026 voting roadmap.
Dead by Daylight: The Grimoire Introduces Community Voting
Closes Jan 26: Killer Silhouette and Survivor's Face Concepts
Dead by Daylight (DbD) developers, Behaviour Interactive, have integrated a community voting initiative that will determine the upcoming Grimoire Chapter's gameplay and design. Players can cast their votes through the game’s official website, choosing from multiple concept options for the next Survivor and Killer.
Voting for the Killer Silhouette Concepts and Survivor's Face Concepts opened on January 23 and will close on Monday, January 26 at 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT. There are four voting options for the Survivor, who is depicted as "a Spiritual Scientist, a Divine Investigator from a Collapsed World." Meanwhile, three voting options are provided for the Killer, a worldly vessel "able to deliver your almighty punishments."
The voting for the characters' physical appearances is part of an ongoing creation process that heavily involves community preferences. The Grimoire Chapter’s first phase launched in 2025, with players voting to have an "Otherworldly" and "Divine" Killer, and a Survivor who is "among the lone survivors of an apocalyptic reality." The next step in the chapter conceptualization on January 30 will center on Killer Material and Survivor Moodboard.
Voting for skillsets (Perks) is not yet included in the Q1 2026 voting roadmap for January to March, but the later phase will introduce gameplay-related voting, including Mori, which is a killer execution mechanic. Since Killer and Survivor abilities in DbD are usually tied to character traits and background, Behaviour Interactive has essentially handed control over to the players from the beginning, which will affect the skills later on.
Phase 2 is All About Concept Arts and Mood Boards
According to the voting roadmap, Grimoire's second phase will explore concept arts and mood boards. Nonetheless, a disclaimer at the bottom stated that the indicated dates and content are subject to change based on development priorities.
On February 19, the project will launch voting for the Killer and Survivor's final concepts, the Survivor's name, and the chapter's official name. Moreover, without any specific date yet, March will focus on the Killer Mori and the Chapter Logo.
On DbD’s official Twitter (X) account, senior creative director Dave Richard shared that the Grimoire chapter is their way of expressing gratitude to the community. "Internally here, as our normal development, we create lots of options when we have a character in mind," he said. "So here, instead of us making the final choice, it's going to be you."
"It's a little bit more work, it's a little bit more challenging, but it is incredibly fun to develop this with you. We are as excited to see who will win and what will be the next steps," he added.
Voting Process Reignites Player Engagement
Players took to social media to express their enthusiasm and opinions. Many are dubbing the upcoming chapter as "peak" and "fire," regardless of the voting outcome.
Meanwhile, a user said that the entire process "was shaping up to be one of the most interesting and memorable chapters ever, with the community coming together to create something truly unique." However, they also voiced dissatisfaction with the seemingly hidden vertical scroll on the voting page that would mislead people into thinking that there are only two available choices.
On Reddit and DbD's Twitter (X) post, a large number of people gravitated toward the elderly, white-haired female Survivor, while several others are showing support for the older male Survivor as well. One user weighed out the character's scholarly background, suggesting an aged look would be the most appropriate choice.
For the Killer concepts, players are also debating the pros and cons of design choices. One of them pointed out that certain designs, such as the spider legs or the floating cloud with an angry face, could be repurposed for another Killer in the future.
Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical horror-survival multiplayer game by the Canadian development studio, Behaviour Interactive. It pits one player (Killer) against four others (Survivors), with the latter attempting to escape by repairing five generators placed around the map.
Dead by Daylight is currently available on PC via Steam and Epic Games, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Android and iOS. To stay up to date with the latest information about Dead by Daylight, check out our article below.
Source:
Dead by Daylight Grimoire Chapter Voting Page
Dead by Daylight’s Grimoire Chapter: Everything To Know So Far
Dead by Daylight: ‘The choice is in YOUR hands’
Dead by Daylight Twitter post
Twitter user supporting the white-haired Survivor
Reddit post: ‘Who did you vote for?’
Reddit post: ‘The voting process was going so well…’
