How to Get Invited to Deadlock (Private Playtest)

If you're wondering how to play Deadlock, Valve's game that recently lifted its NDA, you've come to the right place.

As of right now, there is no release date for Deadlock and the only way to participate in the private playtest.

In this guide, we'll cover the latest news for how to play Deadlock and potentially get invite access.

Deadlock was being privately tested for months under NDA for everyone who participated (unless you were dumb like The Verge and got banned for leaking).

However, on August 23rd, 2024, Valve suddenly decided to lift the NDA and allow participants to stream, discuss, and otherwise create content about the game (like the article you're reading now!).

The key part here is "We are remaining invite-only and continue to be in an early development stage with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay."

So how do you get an invite to play Deadlock?

The first method of getting a Deadlock invite is knowing someone who currently has access.

At their home screen, they can invite anyone who they have as a Steam friend.

If you don't know any one that is currently in the playtest, head to the Deadlock subreddit where they have a specific Megathread to grant invites.

Whether it's a friend or a stranger who invites you, please be a good citizen!Bad behavior can potentially compromise not only your access, but also the access of the person who invited you.

Your region's Deadlock server is tied to your Local Time:

• Monday to Thursday

  • 1:00 PM to 3:00 AM

• Friday to Sunday

  • 9:00 AM to 3:00 AM

If you want to play outside of your region's hours, here's how to switch Deadlock servers:

1. Open the console with F7

2. Enter your desired region

   • citadel_region_override -1 = Automatic

   • citadel_region_override 0 = NA, Central Chicago

   • citadel_region_override 1 = EU, Stockholm

   • citadel_region_override 2 = Asia, Hong Kong

   • citadel_region_override 3 = South America, Santiago

   • citadel_region_override 5 = Oceania

That's all for now - we will post any new methods that arise, such as open beta periods and so on.

In the meantime, we have a list of all Deadlock characters and their abilities.