How to start a Dying Light: The Beast co-op lobby
Just like the zombie-slaying parkour marathons before it, Dying Light: The Beast offers multiplayer co-op for up to four players. Regardless of the party size, you're all protagonist Kyle Crane—don't question it—and share campaign progression, too. Now all the Kyles benefit from their hard work, no matter who's hosting.
It's an appreciated upgrade for those of us not interested in getting chased around by infected hordes alone. Some Dying Light co-op basics still apply though, so you'll need to complete a few early objectives before jumping in with friends.
Dying Light: The Beast co-op requirements and basics
How to unlock Dying Light: The Beast co-op campaigns
You can start a Dying Light: The Beast co-op lobby after completing the second campaign quest, Safe Haven. It's also the objective milestone to unlock docket codes, access to your stash, and claim a place to sleep.
It took me less than an hour to unlock co-op on Story difficulty, and I was able to invite friends after finishing my first boss fight. That's with taking my time, a few pauses, and watching cutscenes, so series veterans on harder difficulties may breeze through just as fast.
How to invite friends to join a Dying Light co-op lobby
You can hop right into a Dying Light: The Beast co-op session from a singleplayer campaign or select the option from the title screen after completing the intro.
- Complete the second mission, Safe Haven
- Hit the ESC key, then select Co-Op from the menu
- Under Party, use the F key to invite friends from your Steam or Epic friends list or click the empty slots
- Fellow Kyles automatically drop in after accepting your request
Dying Light: The Beast co-op options and features
Does Dying Light: The Beast have crossplay?
No, Dying Light: The Beast does not have crossplay between consoles and PC. The first two games didn't have it either, so that's no surprise. Techland has historically been pretty good about crossplay support between PC launchers, though, and even added it to the first game in a 2022 update.
If you want to play with friends between Steam and the Epic Games Store, open the Dying Light co-op menu and select Sign in with Epic Games/Steam. You'll need to link your Steam and Epic accounts for access to your friends list on the other platform.
What does "Call for Help" do in Dying Light: The Beast co-op?
Dying Light: The Beast lobbies with less than four players can leave sessions open for others to drop in and out leisurely, or mark requests for back-up more urgent through the Call for Help option in the co-op menu. It's somewhat reminiscent of Monster Hunter Wilds in how it notifies other players of your public plea for co-op aid when things get tough, though there's no guarantee someone will respond.
Being in a private lobby doesn't prevent you from sending or receiving help requests either, so you can keep playing in a hidden session and remain open to joining others (or have them join you) during emergencies.
There's also a section to volunteer yourself for helping others in the co-op menu's Online Options tab. Scroll through the Call for Help: Search and Rescue options and select how often you'd like to be tagged in. You can direct the game to look for sessions to join more often or turn off the function entirely.
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