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How to Get Into 'Deadlock' Playtest? All About Valve's New MOBA Shooter; From Early Access to System Requirement
How to get into Deadlock, Valve’s new MOBA shooter, early? Here’s all you need to know, from system requirements to release date!
Deadlock's hero shooter MOBA is deep into its playtesting phase, but it's not easy to get access. If you're looking to jump in, here's what you need to know.
At the moment, there are two main ways to gain early access to Deadlock: either you get lucky with a random invite from Valve, or you receive an invite from a friend who’s already in.
Scoring a random invite from Valve is tougher, as it’s purely a matter of luck. With the sheer number of Steam accounts out there, the chances are slim. However, Valve is steadily sending out more invites, so your odds of getting in improve as time goes by.
Another way in is through a friend who already has access. They can suggest you for an invite through Steam, though it’s not a sure thing that Valve will send one your way. The fact that Valve has now put up a store page for Deadlock hints that the game might soon be available to everyone. Keep an eye on that page for updates, including potential news on when the game will officially launch.
If you’re fortunate enough to have a friend with access, they can send you an invite to the playtest directly from the game, which you can accept when it arrives. Just remember, playtest times are limited by region.
This also means that if you get in through a friend, you’ll have the opportunity to invite others, which seems to be Valve's approach to spreading the playtest access. Outside of these two methods, there’s currently no other way to join Deadlock, but as the player base slowly grows, your chances of getting in will also rise.
What is a MOBA shooter?
A MOBA shooter combines elements of multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games with those of hero shooters. In a MOBA, two teams compete on a set battlefield, using unique characters with special abilities to try and destroy the opposing team's base. Hero shooters borrow some aspects from MOBAs, such as letting players upgrade or enhance their character’s abilities during the match.
When is Deadlock coming out?
Valve's new game Deadlock is still unreleased and can only be played by getting a playtester invite. The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) was lifted on August 23, 2024, allowing testers to stream, post content, and discuss the game openly.
Players are now free to share gameplay footage of Deadlock online
Valve has officially confirmed the existence of Deadlock. The game has previously been leaked under various codenames (Citadel, Neon Prime), but with the recent closed testing phase, public awareness has skyrocketed. Just last week, Deadlock reached a peak of over 44,000 concurrent players.
Valve has also put up a somewhat vague Steam page for Deadlock, signaling that players will soon be allowed to start streaming the game online.
Deadlock tier list: Best characters ranked
According to Dexerto, here are all the characters in Deadlock ranked by tier.
| Tier | Character |
|---|---|
| S-Tier | Pocket, Lady Geist, Dynamo, Ivy, Warden |
| A-Tier | Yamato, Seven, Infernus, Mo & Krill, Grey Talon, Abrams, Shiv |
| B-Tier | Bebop, Viscous, Haze, Vindicta, Wraith, Paradox, Lash, Kelvin |
| C-Tier | McGinnis |
S-Tier: Top-notch characters, effective in almost every situation with various build options and hard to counter.
A-Tier: Strong characters with the right build, but may be countered by specific items or strategies.
B-Tier: Characters that are either easily countered by items or have niche usefulness.
C-Tier: Can be effective in certain situations, but there are better choices available.
What are Deadlock's system requirements?
Valve hasn’t shared much, just an animated teaser image (a still screenshot is above). The system requirements note only that the game needs a 64-bit processor and operating system. According to early reports from players, Deadlock runs on both Windows and the Steam Deck, which uses the SteamOS 3.0 Linux distribution
Natasha Bose, a master's graduate in English Literature from Indira Gandhi National Open University, is a Kolkata-based writer
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