What is Tunneling in Dead by Daylight?

Dead by Daylight walks the fine line of balancing gameplay. One Killer must track down and slay four Survivors. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this, one of which is "tunneling."

Tunneling is when a Killer focuses on only one Survivor at a time. With four survivors available at any given time, when the Killer decides to target one specific Survivor, it is considered tunneling. This is especially apparent during chases with multiple targets, hitting the Survivor that has just been unhooked, and generally hounding one person. The term comes from "having tunnel vision."

Related: Dead by Daylight Codes (April 2022) – Free DBD Bloodpoints!

There are a few reasons that a Killer might tunnel a Survivor. It could be cheeky fun like staying "lore accurate" and having Nemesis chase Jill Valentine or Pyramid Head go after Cheryl Mason first and foremost. Other reasons could be that could be the Killer's particular playstyle, the Survivor annoyed them, or they just don't believe in leaving leftovers.

No matter the reason, the community is divided on whether tunneling is "fair" or not. Like the debate of which side is more toxic, it's all a matter of perspective and what unofficial rules a person opts to play by. Some liken tunneling to cheating and ruining other players' fun whereas others see it as a legitimate strategy. It largely comes down to which side they play. But either way, tunneling is always something to be aware of.

For more Dead by Daylight goodies, check out Haddonfield revamp highlights Dead by Daylight 5.7.0 PTB patch notes on Pro Game Guides.