Valve’s invite-only shooter just out-drew Team Fortress 2 on Steam, and you still cannot buy it.
Deadlock peaked at 303,347 concurrent players on Steam, according to SteamDB figures reported by Destructoid, while the game is still gated behind friend invites. This guide explains how to get in, what the City Never Sleeps update changed, when the last new hero arrives, and what Valve has not said.
Updated October 26, 2026. Valve had announced no release date or open beta in the sources we checked. Originally checked on October 18 against Steam’s store page and the outlets named below. We have not played the current build, so gameplay details come from those sources. Invite rules can change without notice.
Is Deadlock Out Yet?
No. Steam’s store page lists the release date as to be announced and says access is limited to friend invites via current playtesters. The page calls it a multiplayer game in early development. It has no price and no real system requirements: the minimum and recommended specs only say a 64-bit processor and operating system.
gHacks reports that Valve has not said when Deadlock leaves the invite-only phase. That is the most important fact to keep in mind before you pay for anything or install anything that claims to be Deadlock.
The takeaway: Deadlock is not released, and no outlet we read reports a public launch date.
How to Get a Deadlock Invite
There are two routes, based on PC Gamer’s playtest guide, which was last updated in December 2024. It is older than the rest of our sources, so details may have changed.
- Ask a friend who already has access. A playtester can invite you from the in-game menu by choosing the invite option and picking you from their Steam friends list. You then get a Steam notification to accept. Steam’s store page shows how many of your friends already own the game.
- Wait for a random Valve invite. PC Gamer says Valve has sent invites in waves to randomly chosen players. It found no evidence that playing more Dota 2 improves your odds.
gHacks adds that invites also come from Deadlock Discord communities. Treat any site selling accounts or invites with caution, as Valve has announced no sign-up form, waitlist or queue (Steam’s page lists none, and neither does the Digital Citizen report).
How Big Has It Gotten?
| Milestone | Concurrent Steam players | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Team Fortress 2 all-time peak | 253,997 | gHacks |
| Deadlock, around Oct 12 | 262,145 | gHacks |
| Deadlock, around Oct 17 | 303,347 | Destructoid |
Destructoid calls Deadlock the fourth most-played game on Steam at that point. These are single-moment peaks from SteamDB, not totals, and the Steam player-count tracker we checked shows Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 far ahead on a typical day.
The takeaway: the jump follows a big content update, so the numbers may settle back down as the new-hero schedule ends.
What the City Never Sleeps Update Added
Valve’s update went live on September 29, 2026, according to KeenGamer’s patch notes breakdown.
- Six new heroes: Deadman Danny, Nurse Harrow, Solomon, Baba, Violet and Rat King, released two at a time per week.
- A reworked map: The Cursed Apple got a full visual overhaul with New York-themed lanes, four new districts (Theater, Chinatown, Haunted Lot and Plaza) and new objectives such as the Sunken Plaza and Bell Tower.
- The Broker: a limited-time merchant who swapped high-tier items for stronger Corrupted versions with drawbacks. KeenGamer says he left once the first new hero released on October 2.
- Hero voting: players vote in a new pregame lobby. Votes from the winning team count double, and your first win each day doubles your votes.
Has the Last Hero Arrived?
New heroes drop on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:00 PM PT (5:00 PM ET). The final slot was Tuesday, October 20, 2026, which has now passed. Destructoid says that hero is Nurse Harrow, and also reports that Violet, a painter hero who creates platforms with a magical brush, was released on October 16.
KeenGamer notes that the hero in each slot is the one leading the community vote, so the order was not fixed in advance.
What Valve Has Not Announced
- A release date. Steam says to be announced.
- A price or business model. The store page lists neither. Third-party tags call it free to play, but Valve has not said that.
- Real system requirements. Steam says TBD.
- An open beta or waitlist. None is listed.
- Controller support. Steam does not mention it.
Valve itself described the game as unfinished in its update post, per Digital Citizen, and said progression and hero customization are provisional. That is a good reason to treat the current build as a test.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Paying for an invite or account. Valve has announced no such system.
- Believing a launch date you cannot trace to Valve. None exists.
- Downloading a fake installer. The only official page is on Steam.
- Expecting a final game. Valve says the game is still in early development.
FAQ
Is Deadlock free?
Valve has not announced a price or business model.
Is Deadlock on console?
Steam’s page does not list consoles, and Wikipedia describes it as PC only.
Who makes Deadlock?
Valve, using the Source 2 engine, per Wikipedia.
When does the last City Never Sleeps hero release?
It was scheduled for October 20, 2026, at 2:00 PM PT, and that date has passed. We could not confirm the final hero’s release from a second source.
Final Thoughts
Deadlock is the most talked-about game on Steam right now, and it is still a closed test. If you want to try it, your best option is a friend who already has access. While you wait, our ARC Raiders PvE guide covers another Steam hit, and our Steam Next Fest guide covers free demos starting October 19. For more picks, see our best games of 2026 so far.
Sources: Steam store page, Destructoid, gHacks, KeenGamer, Digital Citizen, PC Gamer, Wikipedia.