Yes, Dying Light 2 Stay Human has New Game Plus. Techland added it in Update 1.3.0 on 27 April 2022, and you unlock it by finishing the main story, then choosing New Game+ on that completed save from the campaign menu. NG+ lets you replay Aiden's story with your skills, items and weapons, minus the Nightrunner tools, against tougher scaled enemies with 30 extra inhibitors and a Legendary weapon tier to chase. Everything below is current as of November 2026, after Update 1.30.
We checked this against Techland's Update 1.3.0 announcement and full patch notes on Steam, the Nightmare Mode and Community Update #2 notes, Xbox Wire's anniversary update post, the Dying Light Fandom wiki's New Game Plus and PK Crossbow pages, and GamesRadar's endgame coverage in November 2026.
How to Start New Game Plus in Dying Light 2
New Game+ only appears once the story is done. Techland's announcement says it is available "for everyone who finishes the base game," and the Fandom wiki specifies that the option unlocks at full story completion, which is separate from overall game completion. Collectibles and side activities do not need to be finished.
- Finish the final main quest and let the ending play out. GamesRadar notes that after the epilogue you are returned to an endgame state, so you can keep exploring Villedor first if you want.
- Back out to the main menu and select Play Campaign.
- Hover over the save that has the story completed. The wiki's description is that a "New Game+" prompt appears when you hover over that completed save.
- Confirm, choose your difficulty and start the new run.
Because the endgame free roam stays open after the credits, there is no rush. Many players clear outstanding side quests, safe codes and inhibitors on their first save before switching, then come back to that file later. If you are still building toward that point, our Dying Light 2 length guide shows how long the story and side content usually take.
What Carries Over and What You Lose
The official patch notes are specific about the carryover. In NG+ you keep the progression of your first playthrough: skills, items and weapons. The one stated exception is the Nightrunner tools, so you will earn the paraglider, grappling hook and the rest again as the story hands them to you. In practice that means your combat skill tree is strong from the first minute, but your traversal is back to basics until the story catches up.
- Kept: unlocked combat and parkour skills, your inventory and your weapons.
- Lost: Nightrunner tools, which return through the story as normal.
- Also lost: the Fandom wiki notes the PK Crossbow and its bolt blueprints disappear at the start of NG+, and you get them back by assigning four facilities to the Peacekeepers again.
- Reset: the story and its choices, so you can make different decisions and see other outcomes.
The reset story is the main reason many players start NG+. Techland pitched the mode as a way to relive the story and "make different decisions this time around," and with your build intact it is the quickest route to seeing how other choices play out. Our Dying Light 2 best ending guide lists the choices that decide which ending you get, so you can plan the second run before you start it.
What Is New in NG+
NG+ is not just a replay with bigger numbers. Update 1.3.0 added content that only exists in the mode, and it changes how a second run plays:
- 30 new inhibitors hidden in less obvious places, letting you push health and stamina further than a first playthrough allows.
- Enemy scaling: enemy difficulty scales up to Aiden's level, so your carried-over character still meets resistance.
- New enemy distribution: Volatiles and Banshees spawn during the night, and encounters draw from a wider pool of enemies.
- Gold encounters: special fights against tougher groups that pay out higher rewards.
- A Legendary weapon tier: completing those encounters gives you a chance at the new Legendary rarity.
- Platinum parkour medals: a new top medal for parkour challenges, based on the community's best results.
The extra inhibitors are the most practical reason to play NG+ if you care about your character's ceiling. Our inhibitor locations guide covers where they are hidden. Legendary weapons also have the maximum of four affixes, which is why the endgame melee builds in our Dying Light 2 best weapons guide lean so heavily on NG+ drops.
Legend Levels and Nightmare on a Second Run
Two later systems sit on top of NG+. Legend Levels arrived with Community Update #2 (version 1.9.0) for the first anniversary on 31 January 2023. Xbox Wire's announcement explains that the feature becomes available after you unlock the whole base skill tree, and that you earn Legend Points by completing quests, activities and challenges. Each level grants upgrade points for passive boosts plus new weapons and other rewards. Since an NG+ character usually has the full tree already, Legend progress starts ticking immediately.
Nightmare Mode, the hardest difficulty, came in Update 1.16 on 18 April 2024. Its changes include menus no longer pausing the game, a flashlight that dims and can cut out, lower immunity from each inhibitor, no automatic health regeneration and reduced armor, along with a higher chance of rare loot and a larger Legend Point payout. There is a sting for high-level players: at Legend Level 50 and above, dying costs all Legend XP toward your next level.
The reward is cosmetic but exclusive. Finishing the game or NG+ on Nightmare unlocks the Waltz Outfit, and Techland's notes stress that the entire main story has to be completed on Nightmare to earn it. If you want that outfit, starting NG+ on Nightmare with a carried-over build is the most comfortable route, since your skills and weapons offset the harsher rules.
Getting the Most From Your Second Run
An NG+ run rewards a slightly different routine from a first playthrough, mostly because the night is busier and the best loot sits behind optional fights. These habits follow from what the 1.3.0 notes changed:
- Plan night trips around Banshees and Volatiles. Both now spawn at night in NG+, so a quick rooftop dash for a Dark Hollow can turn into a chase far sooner than it did on your first save. Your carried-over UV tools only return as the story gives them back.
- Treat gold encounters as the main loot source. They are the fights that give you a chance at the Legendary tier, so detour for them instead of passing by on the way to story objectives.
- Grab the new inhibitors early. Each of the 30 NG+ inhibitors raises health or stamina, and since enemies scale to your level, the extra survivability matters more than another weapon upgrade.
- Replay parkour challenges. The platinum medal is new in NG+ and is based on the community's best results, so it is a genuine skill target rather than a checklist item.
- Bring a friend for the hard fights. Your inventory and XP gains from a co-op session stay with you, even when quest progress does not.
One more tip: the 1.3.0 update also fixed a long list of co-op bugs, including the remaining death loops and progression blocks after co-op sessions, so the mode is far more stable for shared runs than early 2022 reviews suggest.
Should You Start NG+ Now or Wait?
For most players the answer depends on what is left on the first save. A few factors to weigh before you commit:
- Unfinished side content: quest progress belongs to the story, so anything you skipped will reset too. Finish what you care about first, or accept doing it again.
- Your Peacekeeper or Survivor balance: facility choices start over, which is the moment to try the other faction's rewards.
- Co-op plans: friends can join your NG+ world, but quest progress only counts for the host. Our Dying Light 2 co-op guide explains how progress is shared.
- Edition: NG+ is part of the base game, but if you never claimed the Firearms Update content or Bloody Ties, check our Reloaded Edition explainer first so your second run includes everything.
Recent patches also made early hours smoother for a second run. Update 1.28 in June 2026 shortened the prologue, and Update 1.29 in August 2026 boosted XP from main missions so core skills unlock sooner. Those changes mostly help fresh saves, but they also mean a new-character run is less of a slog than it was in 2022 if you prefer starting over without NG+.
Want a Maxed Save Instead?
Some players reach the end of a first run and would rather start the next one with resources maxed than grind inhibitors and Old World Money again. For PS4 and PS5, the Dying Light 2 First Safe House Max Save is a modded save where Save 2 starts in the first Safe House with maxed resources. Its page lists max Old World Money, max inhibitors, max combat and parkour points, max crafting materials such as scraps, rags and wiring, 98 medicine, 98 throwing knives and 9,999 lockpicks, among other items.
Delivery works through account share: you must already own Dying Light 2, you submit your PS4 or PS5 account email and password at checkout, and the store logs in to transfer the save to your profile. It does not use co-op item drops. The other Dying Light services are on the Dying Light hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dying Light 2 have New Game Plus?
Yes. New Game+ was added in Update 1.3.0 on 27 April 2022 and is available to anyone who has finished the main story.
How do you start NG+ in Dying Light 2?
Finish the story, go to Play Campaign from the main menu, hover over the completed save and select the New Game+ option.
Do you keep your skills in Dying Light 2 NG+?
Yes. Skills, items and weapons carry over. The Nightrunner tools do not, and the wiki notes the PK Crossbow must be earned again.
Are there new inhibitors in NG+?
Yes. New Game+ adds 30 new inhibitors hidden around the city, which push health and stamina beyond a first playthrough.
Can you change your ending in New Game Plus?
Yes. The story and its choices reset in NG+, so you can make different decisions and reach a different ending while keeping your build.
What do you get for beating Dying Light 2 on Nightmare?
The exclusive Waltz Outfit, for completing the entire main story (in a new game or NG+) on Nightmare difficulty.