Deadlock is a yet-to-be-released third-person MOBA shooter from Valve where the supernatural meets the uncanny in massive 6v6 shootouts. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Everything We Know About Deadlock
Deadlock Plot
Deadlock’s narrative is still cloaked in mystery, but attentive players can piece together fragments of the story through the hero-select screen, where each of the 21 playable characters reveals a unique backstory. What we've gathered so far hints at an alternate Earth where the supernatural didn’t fade into folklore but instead became a harsh and undeniable reality.
This transformed world came into being when beings once confined to myths and nightmares started walking among us. Hellish creatures, interdimensional visitors, and animal folk of every kind now coexist with humans, reshaping history in ways no one could have predicted. Scattered across this fantastical landscape are powerful mystical sites known as Astral Gates—the most recent of which has appeared in Central Park, New York.
These Gates are poorly understood and dangerously volatile, but according to those touched by their power, they harbor supernatural forces beyond anything this or any world has ever seen.
Each of Deadlock’s characters is driven by their own distinct motivations, whether it’s personal vendettas, petty crime, or something far more sinister. Though the exact reasons behind these 6v6 skirmishes across New York remain unclear, Valve’s reputation for stellar world-building promises a thrilling experience packed with magic, bullets, and a generous dose of fantastical neo-noir excitement.
Deadlock Gameplay
Deadlock’s gameplay is best described as that of a third-person shooter interlaced with MOBA elements. It’s a 6v6 team-based game with multiple heroes with unique abilities and shooting mechanics. Similar to Valve’s MOBA game Dota 2, Deadlock’s map features multiple different lanes, neutral monsters, and objectives that reward teams that complete them.
While the movement and shooting are those of a third-person shooter, the core gameplay is rooted in the MOBA genre. Players will have to farm and kill creeps to earn currency, and they will eventually grow stronger by buying items and getting levels to defeat the opposing team. The first one to defeat the enemy’s patron wins the game.
Deadlock Release Date
Currently, Deadlock does not have an official release date, but we know that the game will be released for PC (Steam) only at the moment. We’ll be sure to update this article as soon as more information about the game’s exact release time and release date is available, so check back later!
Deadlock Review (Playtest)
Valve’s Cooking Up Something Amazing
My decade-long history with Valve’s games is marked by an on-and-off relationship with Team Fortress 2 and an unwavering obsession with Left 4 Dead 2. Throughout those years, I’ve always viewed Valve as a studio that champions quality over quantity, and after playtesting Deadlock, I’m more convinced of that now than ever.
It's been over a decade since Valve released an original IP, and for a while now, I’ve been eager for them to create something that wasn’t related to Half-Life, Portal, or Counter-Strike. Deadlock was the long-awaited answer that came knocking on my door, and boy was I unprepared.
I went in expecting a work-in-progress build for a game that barely had an identity beyond its title and core gameplay. Instead, I found a game with deep, albeit fragmented, world-building, a cast of endearing characters, and a robust gameplay loop that hooked me like a fish on a line.
With that preamble out of the way, let’s dive into the inner workings of Deadlock—or at least what Valve has crafted so far.
Let’s kick things off by diving into Deadlock's gameplay. At its core, Deadlock is a 6v6 action shooter—some might even call it a hero shooter—where the objective is to destroy enemy targets across four lanes and ultimately reach their base to take down the "Patron." If you’ve played any lane-based MOBA like League of Legends or DOTA 2, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect—except this time, it’s an FPS, and there’s an extra lane to worry about.
Players choose from 21 playable characters, known as "Heroes," each with a unique weapon, three skills, and an ultimate ability. While the game doesn’t have a defined class system, heroes generally fall into roles like Damage, Support, Tank, and Utility (though these aren’t their official names). In each lane, players must contend with waves of enemy creeps, pushing their own waves forward until they meet specific objectives along the path. These objectives include Guardians, Walkers, Shrines, and finally, the enemy team’s Patron.
Additionally, players can purchase upgrades for their character in three categories: Weapon, Vitality, and Spirit, which enhance weapon attacks, health and healing, and damage scaling, respectively.
While combining elements from hero shooters and MOBAs might seem standard, Deadlock goes beyond a simple "mash-up"—it masterfully blends these two genres. One of the key reasons this fusion works so well is Deadlock's choice to be a third-person hero shooter, providing players with greater situational awareness than a typical first-person perspective could offer. If the game had stuck to a first-person setup, navigating anything beyond enemy players would have been a daunting task, especially with Deadlock’s intense verticality and emphasis on mobility.
Moreover, Deadlock differentiates itself with characters that have more health and deal less damage compared to games like Overwatch or Valorant, though it retains the satisfying headshot damage bonus. The game also introduces significant damage fall-off and prevents players from dealing damage to objectives from too far away, encouraging constant movement and making camping tactics far less effective.
All of these features combine to set Deadlock’s pace as an ever-forward march, where the focus isn't just on eliminating the enemy team but on advancing your lane’s waves and taking down enemy Guardians, Walkers, and Shrines. This dynamic approach leads to longer match times, which I’ll discuss shortly, but it also makes Deadlock less intimidating to play, despite its technical complexity. However, there's much more to this game than just its core gameplay features. Even in its unfinished state, Deadlock stands out as one of the most creative and distinctive IPs in terms of world-building and visual style.
Describing the game’s aesthetics is no easy task, but the best way to capture it is to call it a neo-noir fantasy setting with a touch of dark Americana. The closest comparisons might be the Arkham Horror games, a hint of Sovereign Syndicate, and a significant influence from The Wolf Among Us. While the audio isn't fully developed yet, the game already boasts voice acting and robust sound design, hinting at further improvements to come.
In conclusion, Deadlock is still a work in progress, but it’s a game that already demands your attention. I’d almost say it’s frustrating that Valve kept such a promising game under wraps, but seeing its potential now, I can understand why—they want to ensure it’s ready before unveiling its full glory to the world. Valve doesn’t go in the kitchen often, but whenever they do, they cook up something great.
Even While Unfinished, There’s A Lot to This Playtest
What truly amazes me about Deadlock is the sheer amount of content packed into this invite-only playtest. It already features 21 fully playable characters, over 50 items in its in-game store, a comprehensive tutorial with a practice area, bot matches, and quick-play matchmaking—all before the full release. I’ve seen early-access games much further along in development that offer a fraction of what Deadlock already has.
Of course, there’s still room for growth, but those additions can come with time. Given that the characters currently lack customization or cosmetic options, it’s likely Valve will introduce a monetization scheme, possibly through a battle pass or a cosmetics market similar to Team Fortress 2. The game currently has only one map, and while it’s well-designed, some variety in map choices would be a welcome addition. Expanding the hero roster and adding lore to deepen the immersion and story are also things I’d love to see—but those enhancements feel almost inevitable.
Amazing Cast of Characters So Far
Concord could definitely learn a thing or two from Valve because Deadlock’s roster of heroes is as endearing as it is diverse—and I mean REALLY diverse. It’s not just about different races; we’ve got a witch from the Salem witch trials, demons from another realm, humans transformed into walking singularities, Pinocchio-style robots that may or may not be sentient, and even a psychic anemone piloting a humanoid body made of slime—and that’s just scratching the surface.
Beyond their distinctly Valve-esque designs, these characters come to life through their unique personalities and well-crafted backstories, each offering a glimpse into the game’s fascinating world-building. And the most impressive part? All of this is from a game that’s still in its early stages. Just imagine what it will be like when it’s fully realized, complete with lore novels, cinematics, and more. I, for one, am positively stoked.
A Few Things to Hash Out as Development Goes
As much as I want to sing only Deadlock’s praises, playtests exist for a reason. Currently, the game’s performance isn’t ideal, particularly on lower-end systems. While Deadlock does offer plenty of graphical settings to tweak for better performance, even on the lowest settings, some systems still struggle.
The game also needs some balance adjustments. Right now, Lash is the strongest hero, and it’s almost a given that you’ll encounter one in your matches—especially since a skilled Lash player can easily turn the tide. Aside from these issues, and my earlier mention of wanting more map variety, there aren’t many major changes left before the game is fully playable. It just needs a bit of polishing: fixing some bugs, addressing performance issues, and perhaps adding a few more heroes, game modes, and maps. With these tweaks, Deadlock could easily keep Valve in business for another decade.
Game8 Reviews
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Deadlock Product Information
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| Title | DEADLOCK |
|---|---|
| Release Date | TBA |
| Developer | Valve |
| Publisher | Valve |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam) |
| Genre | MOBA, Third Person Shooter |
| Number of Players | 12 (Online Multiplayer) |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Deadlock Official Website |
