Dying Light: The Beast Brought Kyle Crane Back, and Restored Land Lets You Win
Techland's DLC-turned-standalone sequel returned to the first game's hero, moved the zombie apocalypse to a mountain valley, and later added a free mode where the world actually heals.
When Dying Light arrived in 2015, it mixed two things nobody had combined so well before: first-person parkour and a zombie apocalypse. Its hero, Kyle Crane, ran across the rooftops of a quarantined city by day and fled for his life by night, when far deadlier infected came out to hunt. Ten years later, Polish studio Techland brought him back in Dying Light: The Beast, released on September 18, 2025.
From expansion to full game
The Beast did not start as a full game. It began life as an expansion for Dying Light 2, but the project kept growing until Techland decided to release it as a standalone title. Owners of the Dying Light 2 Ultimate Edition received it for free, a thank-you to the players who had been promised more content for that game.
That history shows. The Beast is smaller than Dying Light 2, with a tighter map and a story focused on one man, but it plays as a complete game rather than a side story.
Crane's revenge
After the events of the first game, Crane was captured and experimented on for years. The Beast opens with him escaping, now carrying part of the infection inside himself, and hunting the man responsible.
That gives the game its signature feature, Beast Mode. As you take and deal damage, Crane's rage builds until he can unleash it, becoming a near-unstoppable force that tears through crowds of infected by hand. It is a power fantasy that the earlier games, which kept you fragile, never quite allowed.
A valley instead of a city
The setting is the biggest change. Instead of a dense city, The Beast takes place in Castor Woods, a fictional valley in the Western Alps that Techland describes as a "rural, forested valley". The studio has said the region was inspired by the TV series Twin Peaks, and the mood shows: quiet, misty, and wrong in ways that are hard to name.
Parkour is still the heart of the game, but the open countryside also brings vehicles into play, with off-road driving between areas. Nights remain terrifying, as the strongest infected hunt you once the sun goes down.
What critics said
Reviews were good. On Metacritic, The Beast scored between 75 and 79 depending on platform, and 80% of critics on OpenCritic recommend it. That puts it comfortably in the "recommended" tier: not a reinvention of the series, but a confident, well-built return to its roots.
Restored Land: a world that heals
On March 26, 2026, Techland released a free update called Restored Land, and it changed one of the oldest rules of zombie games. Normally, a cleared area fills up again with enemies and loot. In Restored Land mode, zombies and loot no longer respawn. Every area you clear stays clear, and as you push back the infection, Castor Woods slowly returns to how it looked before the apocalypse.
For players who wanted a sense of real progress, it is a striking idea. There is also an optional One Life setting for the bravest: if Crane dies, your save is wiped. A paid Restored Land Edition adds extras such as Roadkill Rallies, but the core mode is free for everyone.
What is next
Techland has confirmed that versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are in development, bringing The Beast to players who have not upgraded to current consoles. It is already available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
If you are new to the series, The Beast is a good place to start: it is shorter than Dying Light 2, it brings back the original hero, and its story stands on its own. If you already finished it, Restored Land is a reason to come back and see Castor Woods healed.
Looking for another 2025 game built around one strong setting? Read our review of Mafia: The Old Country.