Dying Light: The Beast vs Final Fantasy XVI
Dying Light: The Beast doubles down on horde-dense parkour; FFXVI trades party depth for spectacle you watch, not command.
Updated 21d ago
Punches above its $40 price tag — Crane's Beast Mode and the return to DL1's horde-dense streets make this the series' best since the original.
Frozen, not fixed — the PC port's last patch was March 2025 and it is still $49.99. Skip the Complete Edition, and play the free demo before you spend anything.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 8; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 8.
| Measure | Dying Light: The Beast | Final Fantasy XVI |
|---|---|---|
| Value Final Fantasy XVI wins on value | ||
| Price now | $26.76 −55% · GameBillet | $19.99 −60% · Microsoft Store |
| All-time low | $26.76 | $17.49 |
| Cost / hour | $1.47/hr $26.76 · 18 h main story | $0.52/hr $19.99 · 38 h main story |
| Off its low | At its low low was Sep 2026 | +14% low was Sep 2025 |
| Main story | 18 h | 38 h |
| Health Dying Light: The Beast wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 87% 71k reviews | 78% 34k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 81% 710 votes · vs 87% lifetime · souring | 77% 400 votes · vs 78% lifetime |
| Peak players | 4,009 Aug 2026 · ↓ 13% MoM | 1,923 Aug 2026 · ↓ 33% MoM |
| Launch peak | 3% of Sep 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | — |
| All-time peak | 120,949 Sep 2025 | 27,313 Sep 2024 · now at 7% |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 5 days ago | 19 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 1 in last 90 days | 0 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Platinum | Gold |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Dying Light: The Beast
Beast Mode's brutal strength-spree is the obvious highlight, letting Crane tear through hordes with a ferocity that feels like DL1 turned up to eleven.
The dodge mechanic's unreliability and forced weapon-slot swaps during cutscenes keep tripping up even veteran parkour players.
from our August 2026 verdict
Final Fantasy XVI
The Eikon set pieces and the combat underneath them. Even players who cooled on the story keep the fights in the positive column.
Performance that never improved, and the side quests. Both complaints date from the PC launch and no build has arrived to change either.
from our July 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Dying Light: The Beast if
- You love Kyle Crane's snark and missed his return as protagonist.
- You prefer high-speed parkour over stamina-heavy exploration.
- You want a more linear, horde-dense adventure you can finish in 18 hours.
Pick Final Fantasy XVI if
- You want a 38-hour epic with a story you'll actually complete.
- You're a Final Fantasy fan who craves Eikon bossfights, not party building.
- Denuvo was a dealbreaker for you—it's gone, and the full demo is free to try.
Bottom line
Choose Dying Light: The Beast if 18 hours and modern parkour appeal; otherwise, Final Fantasy XVI's 38-hour story and superior cost-per-hour make it the better bargain.