The mix of MOBA and hero shooter is getting six new heroes.
Valve’s latest game still has no release date, and access is still only available via direct invitation from the testers. Last week, however, Deadlock received a major new update. The prospect of six new heroes and additional content and improvements is drawing many players back to the game.
Deadlock sees rising player numbers
According to SteamDB, Deadlock has averaged around 14,000 concurrent players over the last three months. Since the update, the numbers have been rising steadily, reaching a peak of just under 51,000 players in recent days.
For comparison: Deadlock’s player record was set just under a year ago and stood at more than 171,000 active users in the game. The last major update was released in May 2025, but only brought a slight increase in player numbers.
What’s in the update?
The most important thing is the six new heroes, which will be gradually unlocked in the game over the course of a few days after the update is announced. Already playable are:
- Mina: A vampire with high magic damage who can deal bonus damage with consecutive hits. She can also transform into a swarm of bats.
- Billy: A ram in human form who has a charge attack and can pull enemies toward him with chains using his ultimate ability.
- Doorman: Valve is reusing the concept of their portal gun for this hero dressed as a doorman. The character can use magic doors to connect two locations on the map with a portal.
Players can vote within Deadlock to decide which hero will be unlocked next. Tonight at 11 p.m. , another character will make its debut.
The game also has a completely new hero selection screen.
In addition, improvements have been made to the lighting on the map.
Also new is The Hideout, a new social hub and access point for game features:
- The Hideout replaces the Deadlock home screen interface.
- You can invite other players to your Hideout.
- Menu items such as the tutorial, training area, playing, watching, and so on are objects in the Hideout that you can interact with.
- In the future, it will be possible to further personalize the area.
Since the start of the test phase, numerous new heroes have been added, the item system has been completely revamped, movement has been expanded, and there are now three lanes instead of four. The developers are experimenting and expanding the Deadlock project at their own pace.
As with their other titles such as Dota and Counter-Strike, Valve is refraining from promoting the games themselves in any way. The Steam page for Deadlock is still just a basic framework, and the company is keeping quiet about a planned release date – as expected.