I live and breathe survival horror, so here's my ultimate Dying Light beginner's guide if you're starting with The Beast

Diving into Dying Light: The Beast as a series newbie? Don't sweat it. The upcoming horror game marks the third chapter in Techland's epic zombie franchise, set to deliver a high-octane first-person adventure with a total technological glow-up. If this will be your first time dipping a toe into the Dying Light games, though, you might be asking yourself a bunch of questions. Namely: who is Kyle Crane, and why is his return such a big deal anyway?

Well, fear not, good Pilgrim. You're looking at your one-stop shop for all things Dying Light. This beginner's guide is here to bring you fully up to speed with what you might have missed, no matter how much or how little exposure you've had to Harran, Villedor, Kyle, or Aiden. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

What is Dying Light about?

Here's your elevator pitch if you're wondering if these games are for you. Dying Light is a first-person survival horror and action-adventure game that takes place in a world besieged by a viral zombie epidemic. With a dynamic day and night cycle offering new challenges depending on the time of day, Dying Light stands out for its unique blend of survival-action power fantasy and terrifying underpowered night-time scenarios where all you can do is zip your lips and hide from virtually unkillable turbo-zombies called Volatiles.

Techland was also the original developer of Dead Island (albeit not its sequel Dead Island 2), so if you enjoyed that brand of survival-crafting with a strong lean toward creative melee combat complete, elemental mods, and plenty of parkour, you'll get a double serving of that in Dying Light.

Where to start before Dying Light: The Beast

While I would enthusiastically recommend trying out the original Dying Light ahead of Dying Light: The Beast's new September 19 release date, it's not entirely necessary as long as you get why Kyle himself is a big deal as a returning protagonist.

The noble Kyle Crane was introduced as the very first Dying Light hero back in 2015. At the time, he was a member of the GRE – the Global Relief Effort – and had been sent to the Middle Eastern city of Harran, where he was ultimately charged with saving the city and its residents from total demolition. His fate was left unclear, even in the 2016 Dying Light: The Following DLC, thanks to the player-chosen endings. This means fans have been wondering what happened to Kyle Crane for the last 9 years, and we're about to find out in Dying Light: The Beast.

What not to worry about before Dying Light: The Beast

Don't feel the need to play Dying Light 2 before tackling The Beast. The 2022 sequel left Harran behind for the European city of Villedor, where players stepped into the well-worn shoes of a survivor-scavenger Pilgrim called Aiden.

Aiden gets infected with the zombie virus not far into the game's prologue, and thus, his exposure to darkness becomes a resource to be managed in itself. I won't get into the weeds about Aiden any more, because his story is less important for newbies than Kyle's as far as The Beast is concerned.

What does the future look like for Dying Light?

Dying Light's future looks brighter than ever. The Beast might have started as a DLC for Dying Light 2, but it's technically Dying Light 3 according to the developer – and it's not going to stop there. Techland is "here for the long run," according to franchise director Tymon Smektala, with the ending of the game said to hint at the series' future. We do know that unlike in Dying Light 2 and The Following, The Beast has no player choice involved, thereby allowing Techland to pave the way forward and "drive where we want to drive" in terms of establishing the next steps.

That's about all I can say with certainty about the future of Dying Light right now. At least, until I roll credits on The Beast myself. Trust me, though: Dying Light is one of the most approachable and best horror games for fearless slayers and scaredy-cats alike, with incredibly intuitive combat systems and discrete storylines that largely can stand on their own two feet whether or not you've played them all. That means you don't really have an excuse not to join me in Castor Woods come September 19 – unless, of course, you decide to play Kyle's original adventure to get a little more invested in his character first.

We're rolling out the blood-red carpet for all things scary this summer, starting with Dying Light: The Beast