Valve’s latest and still unannounced game Deadlock is already on Steam, and several active players are testing it live.
Deadlock has seen plenty of leaks in the past week. From its name to in-game screenshots, everything is out. Recently, gameplay snippets of the title were also leaked online, showing players how the game looks in motion. The leaked footage is presumably from a work-in-progress build of the game, not the final version.
Valve is dipping its toes in the hero shooter genre with Deadlock. Overwatch clearly inspires many aspects of the game, while some mechanics are pulled from MOBAs. It was assumed that the game is still in early development, so it’s a surprise to see the title already up on Steam, albeit secretly.
Is Deadlock on Steam already?
According to a SteamDB page, a build of Deadlock is already hosted on Valve’s digital game platform, Steam.
While initially thought to be a hoax, SteamDB owner xPaw reportedly confirms the page’s legitimacy. xPaw also claims that someone gave the SteamDB bot a key. He further explains that someone tried to run the SteamDB token dumper previously, but that SteamDB manually removed the token.

SteamDB is an essential data collection tool that aims to avoid Valve’s ire as it delves into Steam’s hidden data.
As of this writing, thousands of players are playing Deadlock and navigating its funky lanes on Steam. Sessions in the game are likely to be a mix of developers taking the game for a test drive and a select number of players Valve has allowed to participate in a closed, invite-only testing period. Either way, Deadlock is already running on Valve’s game distribution platform.
Is the Deadlock release date coming soon?
While nothing is confirmed, the appearance of Deadlock on Steam means a release date could be coming sooner than expected.
The hero shooter is already up on Steam and is actively being played. Deadlock could be having a test session, but its existence on Steam means Valve is likely getting ready to move forward. It’s worth considering however that the company has not announced the game, and everything remains speculation until it does.
SteamDB also lists the package size as 23.06 GB and the total download size as 10.27 GB. The game is receiving rapid updates, some within just a few hours of each other. The related “packages” tab on SteamDB reads “Project 8 – Staging for Beta Testing.” All signs point towards the official Deadlock reveal coming soon, even if the release date ends up being some way out.
How to play the Deadlock alpha
The main way to play the Deadlock alpha is to receive an invitation from another player who has already gained access. Invited players are now typically able to invite other players on their friends list to join them in the developing game.
Upon joining the alpha and installing the game, players are given notice from Valve that all assets in the game are very much representative of a work in progress. Players are also instructed not to share any information about the game’s current state with those outside of the alpha.
This hasn’t stopped many early players from sharing information anyway, often across public social media platforms. But there is evidence that at least some of those players have been banned as a result, losing their access. So if you want to play the Deadlock alpha and stick around in it, the best advice is to keep your thoughts on the early version of the game between yourself and the developers at Valve.