Olivia Richman 
Despite Deadlock being a bit of a “secret” game, Valve’s newest project has thousands of players on Steam but will there be any sort of open beta or playtest? And what of Deadlock’s actual release date?
For the past year, it’s been known that Valve is quietly producing a game that combines elements of hero shooters and MOBAs. Players have seen some new heroes of all sorts, including a bat with a crossbow, a gangster with a Tommy gun, and a dashing warrior with a sword. They’ve also learned that there will be towers and minions to take down, putting a unique spin on the shooter genre.
Even as information continuously leaks and the player count swells, Valve has stayed silent about Deadlock. The publisher has not said a single official word about the game. Still, there are definitely people playing it in not-so-secret sessions.
Is there a Deadlock playtest?
Deadlock has had a months-long playtest involving tens of thousands of players, despite not being officially announced.
August 2024 has seen thousands of players trying out Deadlock despite no beta, release date, or even an official announcement. This was likely a closed playtest that included content creators and pro gamers to provide feedback to Valve. As invites continued to be sent out, Deadlock reached the top 100 most-played Steam games. At one point, over 18,250 concurrent players were testing out the game. On August 13, there were about 15,000 active players online.
This has left many wondering how they can start playing Deadlock since Valve never announced anything and the game doesn’t have any sort of open beta system. Access works on an invite system, but not like those seen previously from Valve. For Deadlock, someone who already has the invite can send an invite to someone else on Steam. This has caused the amount of players to rapidly grow as friends began inviting each other.
To take part, players have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. While discussing the gaming experience is allowed, sharing screenshots and videos is against the rules. That hasn’t stopped plenty of media related to the game hitting social media, though.
Will there be a Deadlock beta?
Valve has not officially announced an open beta for Deadlock, and it’s unknown how long the closed playtest will last or what the game’s release date might be.
A subdomain for the Deadlock beta has already been purchased by Valve. The website has already been mapped out, so it seems quite likely that a beta is part of Valve’s plan leading up the game’s release. It’s unclear how Valve will approach a Deadlock beta.
For now, eager gamers will have to wait for an announcement from Valve to find out when this is happening and how to take part.
Deadlock release date info
Deadlock has no release date right now. There is not even a release window.
Historically speaking, Valve is discreet when it comes to its projects. Fans can likely expect a short, focused marketing blitz as the game’s release approaches. This approach has been seen with most of Valve’s releases in recent years including the Steam Deck, Artifact, and Half-Life: Alyx.
Before and after that marketing run, expect the company to be silent.
