There's a visceral kind of joy to bounding over the heads of the walking dead like they're squishy little stepping stones in a rancid pond, before leaping off the last one in the crowd to land a wrasslin'-style double-legged dropkick to the face of a Howler. That's just one of the reasons why Dying Light 2 remains one of the best co-op zombie-slaying games out there (and that's not for lack of stiff competition, because the allure of zombie games, like their subject matter, is undying).
Now, with the game celebrating its 2nd birthday, developer Techland has released Dying Light 2: Reloaded Edition, which bundles in all existing DLC and updates for the game, along with a new Firearms Update. The game is also running a Free Weekend on Steam right now, so you can paraglide in to see what all the hype is about for yourself.
The Reloaded Edition is the best way to experience Dying Light 2. It comes with the Bloody Ties DLC for a start, which sends you to the new setting of Carnage Hall to prove your mettle in a fighting tournament. Inevitably, the action spills out of the arena, as you get embroiled in a high-stakes story of power and betrayal.
Beyond that, the Reloaded Edition will also get you access to new Survivor Missions and Board Quests, which will give you a substantial new supply of expeditions to head out on in the city. that have been added to the game these past two years. The game's receiving a bit of a facelift too, with higher-quality textures, new skyboxes, and improved environmental storytelling; you'll even notice the zombies looking a little better (or, well, worse, depending on how you look at it).
The Firearms Update addresses something the community's been calling for for a long time: guns! There will be four types of guns for players to use—pistols, shotguns, SMGs, rifles—which will diversify the tools at your disposal, but don't expect Dying Light 2 to turn into an all-out shooter. It's still going to be the melee-oriented game you know and love at heart.
For the uninitiated, Dying Light 2 throws you into the open-world European city of Villedor, in a world that's succumbed to a zombie pandemic. In contrast to the first game, the city is more alive this time round, with three human factions vying for control—as well as your loyalty. You'll have the choice of who to align yourself with, letting you carve your own path through the branching story.
But this being an open-world game, you can head off the story path too, freely gallivanting around the city, picking up side-missions and laying waste to the zombie hordes. First-person melee combat is a big focus here, as you dodge and evade the rotting, reaching hands of the undead before coming back with vicious Power Attacks, Air Kicks, Head Stomps, and those eternally satisfying Drop Kicks. But you can equally well build yourself up into a sharpshooting archer, medic, or any number of interesting directions through gear and loadouts; it’s all stuff to consider especially if you plan on playing with your buddies and need to take squad composition into consideration.
One of the things that really makes Dying Light 2 stand on the shoulders of its competitors is its parkour system, which with a bit of skill lets you bound between the streets and the rooftops, giving movement through the world a unique sense of fluidity and verticality. These are all things we love here at PC Gamer, leading our Chris Livingston to give Dying Light 2 a glowing review back in 2022, declaring it "bigger and better than the original"; with over 10 major updates and the tons of new content in the intervening years, it's fair to say that the game has really come along in *ahem* leaps and bounds (because, y'know, the parkour stuff).
So what are you up to this weekend? Anything good? Or more to the point, anything better than free-running around an open-world playground filled with zombies craving your flesh and warring factions who'll pop a bullet in you at the slightest transgression? If not, book a weekend trip to Villedor for Dying Light 2's Free Weekend on Steam. There will be special celebrations, with exclusive bounties available at the Pilgrim Outpost, some free skins, as well as rewards connected to the history of the series, including the creepy Acolyte Outfit from the original game's expansion, The Following.
At the very least, you'll have a great time. At most, you might never want to leave, and with Techland continuing to improve the game through ongoing support, the best may well be yet to come. You can also keep up with all that's happening with the series at the Dying Light Twitter (X) and Instagram pages.
