Dying Light: Analyzing the Aging Game Engine of The Beast

Dying Light: The Beast – A Technical Review

Techland has unveiled its latest title, Dying Light: The Beast, marking the third entry in the popular first-person open-world zombie action franchise, or the fourth if one includes the expansion pack, The Following. Despite the fanfare, how does it measure up technically?

Core Experience and Newcomer Considerations

The game boasts two solid foundational elements, ensuring that returning players will likely find much to appreciate. However, newcomers may want to consider their investment carefully, as 2025 offers a wealth of superior gaming alternatives for those interested in zombie combat.

Technical Innovations vs. Visual Execution

Focusing on the technical aspects, Dying Light: The Beast utilizes an upgraded iteration of Techland’s proprietary C-Engine, previously showcased in Dying Light 2: Stay Human. Initially intended as the second DLC for Stay Human, the game’s visuals reflect this heritage, suggesting only marginal enhancements are apparent.

Despite claims from the development team regarding significant advancements in lighting, weather effects, and environmental details, the visual performance remains notably average for a 2025 AAA release, even when playing on high settings. Critically, the texture quality and lighting appear particularly subpar compared to other leading titles in the genre.

Performance Issues Under High Demand

Bar chart for Dying Light: The Beast showing FPS scores: 236 average, 129 for 1% low, and 85 for 0.1% low.

Additionally, performance metrics reveal significant inconsistencies, even on cutting-edge hardware. Testing on a system equipped with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and GeForce RTX 5090 yielded an average of 236.2 frames per second at 4K resolution with max settings, yet dips occurred, with the 1% Low sitting at 129 FPS and the 0.1% Low dropping to 85 FPS. At times, gameplay footage captured frame rates plummeting to as low as 9 or 20 FPS, creating a jarring experience when alternating back to higher averages.

Graph showing frame time (ms) versus time (s) for Dying Light: The Beast with average frame time 4.235 ms.

While capping frame rates can mitigate stuttering side effects, it diminishes the benefits of high refresh rate displays, suggesting a trade-off that varies based on user preferences.

Enhancements in HDR Support

A notable upgrade compared to its predecessor is the introduction of native support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) displays. The calibration options are comprehensive, allowing users to adjust settings such as Maximum and Minimum Luminance, overall Brightness, and Shadow details. Activating HDR is advisable, as it notably enhances the otherwise drab color palette of standard SDR settings.

A Call for Future Improvements

In summary, it is evident that Techland must elevate its technical performance in future releases to meet the escalating visual standards of the gaming industry. Current visual limitations may stem from the necessity to support legacy platforms like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, even as most AAA titles are moving away from these aging consoles. With Techland’s announced ambition for a three-year production cycle, the potential release of their next game may coincide with next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 6, which will set high benchmarks that the next iteration of Dying Light will inevitably face.

Source & Images