Dead by Daylight currently has 38 killers for players to choose from. However, not every killer in the game is gifted with equal strength. Some killers in Dead by Daylight outshine others in a multitude of ways such as mobility, generator pressure, chase-ending potential, etc.
The killer pool has a variety of options that work well in the current meta that revolves around generator slowdowns and stalling as much as possible. This article provides a tier list ranking the Dead by Daylight killers from best to worst.
Best Dead by Daylight Killers in 2025
The 38 killers in Dead by Daylight have been divided into five tiers. These include:
- S – The strongest of them all
- A – Reliable and powerful
- B – Decent, but can be incredible in the right hands
- C – Average and requires a lot of mastery to get the best value
- D – Underwhelming and only serviceable in niche scenarios
- F – Bottom of the barrel with little to no upsides
Listed below is the Dead by Daylight Killer Tier list for May 2025:
| Tier | Killers |
|---|---|
| S | Nurse, Blight |
| A | Ken Kaneki (Ghoul), Spirit, Artist, Wesker (Mastermind), Twins, Houndmaster, Hillbilly, Dracula (Dark Lord), Oni, Singularity, Plague |
| B | Pyramid Head (Executioner), Nemesis, Huntress, Pinhead (Cenobite), Deathslinger, Hag, Xenomorph, Unknown, Vecna (Lich) |
| C | Freddy (Nightmare), Wraith, Doctor, Bubba (Cannibal), Demogorgon, Dredge, Knight |
| D | Michael Myers (Shape), Ghostface, Pig, Sadako (Onryo), Trickster, Clown, Legion, Chucky (Good Guy) |
| F | Trapper, Skull Merchant |
S-Tier
The S-Tier killers in Dead by Daylight currently dominate the meta for a variety of reasons. They are able to quickly close gaps and end chases, while also being able to patrol generators extremely well.
Surviving against a good player piloting an S-Tier killer is very hard and requires lot of skill. The S-Tier killers in DBD are:
- Nurse
- Blight
Nurse
Ever since her release in 2016, The Nurse has remained the best killer in the game. She has faced some competition for her throne from time to time but none have been able to completely outmatch her.
Nurse’s core power completely ignores looping, an integral mechanic for survivors to buy time and escape killers. This makes The Nurse extremely powerful and borderline impossible to play against if the Nurse player has a decent understanding of her powers.
She can also make use of incredibly powerful killer perks and constantly keep tabs on important generators. It is unlikely that the Nurse ever drops out of the S-Tier as long she gets to keep her power.
Blight
The Blight rounds out the holy trinity of killers in the S-Tier. The mad scientist has always played second fiddle to The Nurse. However, The Blight remains an extremely powerful killer that can quickly cover large distances on the map like no one else. In certain maps, he can even outmatch The Nurse’s mobility.
The Blight works quite well with the current meta killer perks and the generator slowdown meta. The Blight is likely to remain in the S-Tier as few can match his mobility and ability to end chases quickly.
A-Tier
- Ken Kaneki (Ghoul)
- Spirit
- Artist
- Wesker (Mastermind)
- Twins
- Houndmaster
- Hillbilly
- Dracula (Dark Lord)
- Oni
- Singularity
- Plague
Ken Kaneki
Ken Kaneki aka The Ghoul is the latest killer in Dead By Daylight and he has already made a big mark in the meta. Ken’s mobility is rivaled only be the likes of The Nurse and The Blight.
Ken’s Kagune Leap ability allows him to traverse incredibly fast around the map while also being able to damage survivors along the way. His ability to cut off loops and end chases in creative ways makes him a frustrating killer to play against for survivors.
Spirit
The Spirit used to be a killer that was considered the second best, only behind the Nurse. She has since fallen off that pedestal but continues to remain as a very strong killer.
The Spirit has strong mobility through her Phase Walk power and is the queen of mind-games. However, it isn’t disingenuous to say that she is one of the most add-on dependent killers in the game.
With the right add-ons, she can easily be an S-Tier killer but she can feel quite rough to pilot without them. The Spirit ultimately provides consistent results under the right hands, as she is still one of the few killers that can end chases incredibly fast while having a strong presence across the map.
Artist
The Artist is a strong killer for a variety of reasons. She is one of the best at completely shutting down safe loops such as the Shack and Main Building of every map. Additionally, she has extraordinary reconnaissance abilities with her Dire Crows.
Her main weakness is her lack of mobility but she makes up for it with long-range detection to put pressure on generators from miles away. The Artist is a reliable and powerful killer for players that want to make quick work out of frustrating loops.
Wesker
Albert Wesker or The Mastermind continues to be a very popular killer, thanks to his simple kit and smug personality. Wesker has great mobility to close the distance on survivors.
He also has great passive slowdown with the Uroboros Virus, which forces survivors to get off generators if they wish to stand a chance in chases against Wesker. He can also make some safe loops extremely dangerous with his grab and vaults.
Wesker has a very fun kit and a strong power that makes him a solid killer who is unlikely to completely fade away in the Dead by Daylight killer meta.
Twins
The Twins used to be frowned upon as they had a myriad of bugs that made them quite janky to use. Over time, they have slowly established themselves as a formidable killer.
The Twins are the undisputed best at slugging. While this is an unfun playstyle for survivors to go against, it is almost necessary for The Twins to slug in order to get the best results.
Even if players don’t wish to slug with The Twins, Victor is still one of the best at closing out chases quickly. The map pressure the Twins have is rivaled by few, and they can completely run over a game if survivors do not know how to handle their overwhelming presence.
Houndmaster
The Houndmaster is one of the more recent Dead by Daylight killers. She operates similar to The Artist by gathering information from afar with her trusty hound, This same hound also works as a potent chase ender and can cut off loops very effectively.
The Houndmaster also has decent mobility across the map thanks to the trail her hound leaves behind, which gives increased movement speed. The Houndmaster’s add-ons and best builds make her even stronger, warranting her a spot in the A-Tier.
Hillbilly
The Hillbilly used to be an extremely powerful killer, rivaling the likes of The Nurse, The Spirit, and The Blight until the myriad of changes he received to his Chainsaw, Currently, he sits in a pretty comfortable spot in the meta as a high-mobility killer that can consistently patrol multiple generators.
The Hillbilly is one of the more mechanically demanding killers. His Chainsaw is quite hard to get used to but once you master the art of curving around loops, the Hillbilly can become an absolute menace and end games very quickly.
Dracula
The saying “less is more” is not applicable to Dracula as his three forms are the main reason he sits in the A-tier. Dracula can completely overwhelm survivors by changing forms at the right time to drastically cut down chase timers and traverse around the map.
Dracula is a jack of all but a master of none. He has strong mobility in Bat Form, powerful chasing potential in Wolf Form, and great anti-loop mechanics in his Vampire Form. All of these features are much needed in the current killer meta, which is why Dracula functions as a powerful killer.
Oni
The Oni is a more feast or famine version of The Hillbilly. It is absolutely imperative to get a strong start at the beginning of a trial as Oni. This makes him very perk and add-on reliant compared to other killers.
Once he goes into his iconic rage mode, it could very well be game over for the survivors depending on the skill of the Oni player. He can absolutely decimate a game by finding survivors quickly and ending chases. The Oni is the definition of high-risk, high-reward in Dead by Daylight.
Singularity
The Singularity is the hardest killer to play in Dead by Daylight. He requires exceptional map knowledge, quick thinking, and fast reaction times. Mastering him, however, might be worth the pain as he is a legitimate contender for S-Tier in the right scenarios.
The Singularity has absolutely insane map pressure. He is also a monster in chases when he goes into his Overclock Mode and can shut down loops very fast. The big counter to The Singularity is the EMP which can make him quite useless for a certain period of the trial.
Despite his flaws, The Singularity deserves a spot in the A-Tier simply due to his ridiculous powers and snowball potential.
Plague
The Plague rounds out the A-Tier killers in Dead by Daylight. Her main strength is that she forces survivors to play a completely different and risky style of gameplay. Usually, survivors will want to stay uninjured as much as possible.
With The Plague, staying Broken and being infected by her is the better play. This makes them vulnerable and easy pickings for The Plague but also denies her Corrupt Purge, which is one of the strongest powers in the game.
The Plague consistently puts pressure on survivors to be on their best at looping. If teams aren’t coordinated and The Plague gets a few activations of Corrupt Purge, she can completely snowball the game in her favor.
B-Tier
The killers in the B-Tier are not weak by any means. However, they take a bit more practice and finesse to get the best value when compared to the killers in higher tiers. In the right hands, they can rival or even surpass killers in the A-Tier. The B-Tier killers in Dead by Daylight are:
- Pyramid Head (Executioner)
- Nemesis
- Huntress
- Pinhead (Cenobite)
- Deathslinger
- Hag
- Xenomorph
- Unknown
- Vecna (Lich)
C-Tier
The C-Tier killers in Dead by Daylight are quite average. They don’t offer anything powerful compared to killers in the higher tiers. However, they can perform just fine and put up strong results when mastered. The killers in C-Tier include:
- Freddy (Nightmare)
- Wraith
- Doctor
- Bubba (Cannibal)
- Demogorgon
- Dredge
- Knight
D-Tier
- Michael Myers (Shape)
- Ghostface
- Pig
- Sadako (Onryo)
- Trickster
- Clown
- Legion
- Chucky (Good Guy)
F-Tier
- Trapper
- Skull Merchant (soon to be reworked)