Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Introduction

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is Techland's open-world parkour survival game, released on 3 February 2022 at NZ$99.95, currently listed as the Reloaded Edition following years of continued free content updates. Set in the zombie-overrun city of Villedor, it combines fast, momentum-driven traversal with scavenging, crafting and a day/night cycle that turns hunted infected into hunters after dark. It sits at 77% positive ("Mostly Positive") across 86,357 English-language Steam reviews. This review read the 100 most-helpful negative reviews of 19,699 total, plus a sample of the 100 most recent English reviews.

A years-long structural complaint: co-op that isn't

The older, more durable complaint in this review's negative sample concerns how co-op actually works. "Coop is fake, only the host player gets quest progression credit when you join their game," reads one review with 1,248 hours logged, calling for others to upvote it "because I want people to see this." Another, more pointed: "I'm giving this a thumbs down because of how it deceitfully calls itself a co-op game when only the hosting player will have progress saved... I wish devs would stop calling these games co-op and called them Shared Single-Player." This review found the complaint recurring across 26 of the 100 negative reviews read, spanning 2022 through 2025 — a genuinely durable, structural criticism rather than a launch-week misunderstanding.

A very current controversy: the June 2026 prologue cuts

The newest and most specific complaint in this review's sample is dated precisely enough to verify independently. "This recent patch (10/06/2026) is beyond awful," reads a June 2026 review with 25 hours logged, going on to describe the acclaimed opening prologue being significantly shortened. A July 2026 reviewer makes the same point in more detail: "Techland recently deleted the entire sequence just to 'streamline' the game," describing the loss of "one of the best parts of the story and world building... an emotional and atmospheric bridge for everyone who played Dying Light 1." A third, writing as a first-time player experiencing the changed version directly: "techland decided to 'reduce' the prologue by over 2 hours, and 'sanitized' a few initial cutscenes... I could feel something [was missing]." This review checked the patch date against the game's own Steam news feed and found an exact match: "Update 1.28 - The Breach," posted 10 June

2026. Eighteen of the 100 negative reviews read mention the prologue or its returning character

specifically, all dated within the two months preceding this review — a live, still-unfolding reaction rather than a settled complaint.

Set against real strengths

Both complaints sit alongside genuine, consistent praise for the core traversal system. Even reviewers marking the game down routinely credit the parkour specifically: "This game is MOSTLY amazing... I loved a lot about this game. The atmosphere, the story, the side quests, the parkour," reads one long, detailed review that still lands on a thumbs-down over separate issues. Achievement data backs up strong initial engagement, with the earliest milestones sitting above 90% completion.

Verdict

Dying Light 2 Stay Human remains a technically accomplished parkour survival game that draws real praise even from its own critics — but this review's negative sample surfaces two distinct, well-corroborated problems rather than a single fading launch complaint. A years-long structural issue means co-op groups don't share progress the way the label implies, and a specific, dated June 2026 patch cut a well-regarded opening sequence in a way reviewers are actively reacting to as of this review. Recent sentiment (70% positive) sitting below the lifetime figure (77%) reflects that this second issue is unresolved as of time of writing. Worth playing for the traversal and survival loop, ideally solo — check current community reaction to the prologue changes before buying if the original opening mattered to you.