Have you ever wondered why there are so many versions of Dead Before Dawn floating around the internet? I sure have, and after doing some research into the topic, I now know why there are four (technically six) main versions of this campaign up for download, and what the differences between versions are.

Here's a mostly complete history and comparison of Dead Before Dawn, one of Left 4 Dead 1 and 2's most popular custom campaigns.

This was the original version of Dead Before Dawn for Left 4 Dead 1, coming out several weeks before Left 4 Dead 2 had even been released. It was called 0.9 instead of 1.0 because the finale wasn't finished yet, meaning there were only five maps instead of the intended six. The following chapters were available:

1. City Lights - Travel through a dense city, starting near city hall.
   
2. Anna Is Gone - Travel through suburbs and parks, starting near a gas station.
   
3. The Mall - Arrive at a massive shopping mall. Once inside, navigate through warehouses and backrooms until you're in a furniture store.
   
4. Clean Up - Explore the mall, closing doors and preventing the millionth "customer" from entering.
   
5. Food Court - Go on a fetch quest for computer servers in the mall's office complex, explore some shops, and then go on another fetch quest for beer in a supermarket.

Download link: https://www.playground.ru/left_4_dead/file/left_4_dead_dead_before_dawn_a_left_4_dead_campaign-874626

This was the final release of Dead Before Dawn for Left 4 Dead 1. The biggest changes over a year of updates were the complete removal of Map 5: Food Court due to negative feedback and the addition of a finale, Map 5: New Dawn, which was previously unfinished. Lots of NPC dialogue, backtracking, and fetch questing was also shortened or removed in every map to improve pacing. The chapters are:

1. City Lights
   
2. Anna Is Gone
   
3. The Mall
   
4. Clean Up
   
5. New Dawn (Holdout) - Head to the roof of the mall through the destroyed parking garage and hold out until a truck arrives.

Download link: https://www.gamemaps.com/details/2661

This was the first time Dead Before Dawn was playable in Left 4 Dead 2. It's mostly the same as DBD 1.66, but the New Dawn finale was changed from a holdout to a gauntlet. Running through the parking garage to get to the roof is now the finale itself, and the original holdout arena is simply where the rescue vehicle is waiting for you. The chapters are:

1. City Lights
   
2. Anna Is Gone
   
3. The Mall
   
4. Clean Up
   
5. New Dawn (Gauntlet) - Run to the roof of the mall through the zombie-infested parking garage and catch a ride to safety.

Download link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2851321196
This was the last version of Dead Before Dawn released by the original creators. The director's cut removed Map 1: City Lights and added a new chapter in the middle, Map 4: Undead Center. The new map is a major overhaul of Map 5: Food Court from DBD 0.9 with no fetch questing and many sections simplified or removed, including the titular "food court" itself. The chapters are:

1. Anna Is Gone
   
2. The Mall
   
3. Clean Up
   
4. Undead Center - Travel through the mall's office complex before confronting an unfriendly store owner and blowing up a wall.
   
5. New Dawn (Gauntlet)

Download link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=123678867
The unofficial extended edition of Dead Before Dawn was worked on by various people over many years, with the first version coming out in 2015 and the latest update being in 2022. It's mostly the same as the director's cut, but it adds back Map 1: City Lights as the first chapter for a total of six. It's the longest version of the campaign so far, and it fixes some issues from the director's cut while also introducing new ones. The chapters are:

1. City Lights
   
2. Anna Is Gone
   
3. The Mall
   
4. Clean Up
   
5. Undead Center
   
6. New Dawn (Gauntlet)

Download link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2083812352
This was an unofficial remaster of Dead Before Dawn 0.9 that ported the campaign to Left 4 Dead 2 with minor tweaks, most notably the addition of the missing finale. Map 5: Food Court returns in all its fetch questing glory for the first time since 2010. The chapters are:

1. City Lights
   
2. Anna Is Gone
   
3. The Mall
   
4. Clean Up
   
5. Food Court
   
6. New Dawn (Holdout)

Download link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2862912497

Dead Before Dawn Too - 3/5

Dead Before Dawn: Director's Cut - 4/5

Dead Before Dawn: Extended - 4/5

Dead Before Dawn: Uncut - 2/5