Hannan Mundia 
Deadlock’s success has fans wondering how the third-person MOBA compares to Valve’s enduring hero shooter, TF2.
Valve Corporation isn’t new to the video game scene. From the popular video game storefront Steam to iconic games like the Half-Life and Counter-Strike series, the company has its hand in various parts of the industry. Deadlock may be Valve’s newest hero shooter success, but it isn’t its only one.
Long-time Valve enthusiasts are likely familiar with Team Fortress 2. While the games have similar gameplay mechanics and the Valve name plastered on them, TF2 and Deadlock are largely different. Here’s how, and what areas they overlap in.
What is Deadlock?
Deadlock is a third-person action game developed by Valve that combines the hero shooter and MOBA genres.
Currently only available for Windows, Deadlock started its playtesting in 2023. Valve tried and largely failed to keep the game a secret before officially revealing it in August 2024. Unlike most MOBAs like League of Legends and Valve’s Dota 2, Deadlock is played in a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective. This makes the game look and feel more akin to a hero shooter like Overwatch 2.
Deadlock pits teams of six players against each other in a mission to destroy the enemy team’s “Patron,” a magical Golem that ends the game when defeated. To do this, players must utilize the skills of various powerful characters by unlocking and upgrading their abilities through skill points acquired during the match.
Valve’s third-person MOBA has various features fans of the genre are familiar with. Escorting NPCs down multiple lanes, destroying the enemy’s defenses, and using currency to purchase items that strengthen the player characters are all part of Deadlock’s gameplay loop.
What is TF2?
TF2, or Team Fortress 2, is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter developed and published by Valve.
While Deadlock utilizes 2015’s Source 2 engine, TF2 uses the older, original Source engine, which was first released in 2004. Therefore, the game’s movement and physics are different from more recent Valve games. The older game engine also struggles to work with some modern hardware. However, TF2 still has a large fanbase mostly thanks to its personality and gameplay.
Team Fortress 2 has players join one of two teams; red or blue. Like other hero shooters, players choose one of multiple characters with unique abilities and playstyles. Unlike Deadlock, which currently is limited to one game mode, Team Fortress 2 has various modes. These include King of the Hill and Capture the Flag.
TF2 went free-to-play in June 2011, opting to acquire profit through microtransactions. The game is over a decade old. However, it is praised for its humor, characterization, and parody-like use of the 1960s spy movie aesthetic.
Should I play Deadlock or TF2?
Those who want diverse game modes might prefer TF2, while MOBA fans who are used to repeating the same gameplay loop might gravitate toward Deadlock.
At the end of the day, whether someone should play Deadlock or TF2 depends on personal taste. TF2 is considered one of the best games of all time but is aged in many departments. On the other hand, Deadlock’s gameplay and graphics are more polished but players who don’t like MOBAs like Dota 2 and League of Legends might not like Deadlock either.
However, on the plus side, Team Fortress 2 is free to play. Additionally, while it isn’t confirmed, Deadlock is expected to be free-to-play when its beta phase ends too. So there’s no harm in downloading and trying both.
