Home Deadlock – how to get into the beta and play Valve’s new game

Deadlock – how to get into the beta and play Valve’s new game

There’s a game with tens of thousands of people playing it right now but you can’t purchase it and you can’t download it. That game is Deadlock, Valve’s new MOBA that was a big secret until it wasn’t – and now it seems like everybody is playing it but there is no obvious way to join in the fun.

The initial instruction to those playing Deadlock was not to talk about it. The first rule of Deadlock was to deny its existence. Now though, Valve has opened up and admitted there is something going on and announced it is an actual thing with actual people playing it.

You can watch people playing it online on Twitch and YouTube but how do you play it yourself?

How to get into the Deadlock beta

If you decide to take the obvious port of call and head to the Steam page for Deadlock you will be met with the message that it is Limited Access only and there is no place to express your interest.

The first way to get into the game is to get invited by the people at Valve themselves who seem to be sending out invites to users. It is unclear if this is related to the types of games you already play on Steam. One thing is for sure as you can watch the player count rising, more and more people are joining the game so either Valve is continuing to invite or more players are using the second method.

The surefire way to snag a Deadlock beta invite is to be invited by a Steam friend who is already playing the game. Currently, Deadlock players can invite friends to the Beta. By heading to the Deadlock Steam page you will able to see which, if any, of your friends are playing Deadlock and you can then send them a message asking for them to hook you up.

Invites, according to Valve, can take between one and two days to arrive so don’t expect an instant response.

The friend who is inviting you must select “Invite your friends” at the bottom of the Deadlock Start Menu and from there can select who to issue invites to.

There is no indication of how long this system of inviting players will continue or when Deadlock will become freely available. We will let you know as soon as it does.

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Paul McNally
Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine,…

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