Khizar Mundia 
Valve’s Deadlock has become a must-have for fans of the shooter genre but the game is still invite-only; here’s how to invite friends to Deadlock’s playtest.
Secretive closed testing phases aren’t new for Valve. The company had them for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, but the games took different approaches to how players could get in. Deadlock has been one of the strangest though, with the company tight-lipped about new things, even as game footage and even upcoming characters have been leaked.
The upcoming Valve shooter-MOBA hybrid may not have a definitive release date but it’s currently in early access. Fans are trying to get access to its playtest so they can check out the hype. The exclusive invite-only playtest is hard to get into and even those with access wonder how to invite friends to the Deadlock playtest. Thankfully, the process isn’t difficult.
How to invite a friend to the Deadlock playtest
Players with access to the Deadlock playtest are able to invite their friends to the game through the game itself.
It’s hard to get an invite into Deadlock’s playtest directly from Valve. However, those with a friend who is already playing can easily get access to the game. That’s because players with early access to the game can invite friends to join the Deadlock playtest.
It’s unclear whether there is a limit on the number of friends a player can invite to play Deadlock. Additionally, access depends on Valve greenlighting the invitation. There have been few reports of players being unable to invite friends however, so there’s a high chance that invitations will be successful.
Here’s how you can invite friends to the Deadlock playtest:
- Launch Deadlock
- Click “invite your friends” on the main menu
- Your friends list will pop up in a new tab
- Find the friend you want to invite
- Click on the invite button next to the friend’s name
Once you follow all the steps then the invited friend needs to wait for Valve to accept their invitation. Once Valve approves the invite, they will receive an email to accept the invitation to the Deadlock playtest directly through Steam.
However, if no email is received within 2-3 working days then the invite is most likely rejected by Valve.
Players need to be friends on Steam with the friend they want to invite to Deadlock. While this could hypothetically be done via email or username, it’s instead done through the Steam friend list. Make sure to coordinate this before sending an invitation to family members or coworkers.
