The shooter Deadlock by Valve has received a new update on Steam after 5 months. A player suspected the update already due to a pizza surge, until Valve shortly thereafter provided the proof.
What’s new in the update? The current update for Deadlock brings many innovations to the MOBA shooter. We summarize the most important information briefly for you and go into more detail on the changes later in the article:
- The new game mode Streetbrawl is available. In this mode, 4 players compete against each other in short rounds on only one lane.
- The map has received a significant update. Along with new alleys and paths, the map now boasts many new details.
- The base of both teams has been drastically changed.
- As many as 6 new heroes will be voted on by players and released over the next three weeks.
- There are two new items.
- Many updates for the UI, which include more information about the match.
In our directory, you can jump to the individual sections.
Player discovers pizza surge near Valve
What did the player discover exactly? The X user VegasDeadlock shared two screenshots of pizza places near Valve’s building in Seattle. Google Maps shows the times when the shops are heavily or lightly visited. According to the user’s screenshots, there was a significant increase in visitors at both pizzerias around 9:00 PM our time.
The user wonders whether this is a sign that the Deadlock update will be released soon. There was a suspicion that the employees had a pizza patch party to celebrate the impending release of the update.
Valve provides an answer shortly afterward: Almost three hours later, at 11:56 PM, Valve developer Yoshi announced the new Deadlock update “Old Gods New Blood” (playdeadlock.com). We will now present the contents to you.
Streetbrawl is the perfect introduction for Deadlock newcomers
What exactly is Streetbrawl? In the new game mode Streetbrawl, 4 players face off against each other on just one lane. In short rounds (about 3 minutes), the heroes must try to destroy the first tower of the lane. Once a team achieves this goal, the next round starts. The first team to win three rounds, a best-of-3, wins the match. The mode is particularly well-suited for beginners.
Why is Streetbrawl perfect for beginners? Deadlock is a very complex game. In addition to the current 32 characters (the 6 new characters are not yet released), there are a lot of items with various effects. Additionally, there’s the movement system with a steep learning curve and the large map. Moreover, like every MOBA, Deadlock is divided into early, mid, and late game phases, and items are used for various builds.
All of this has to be learned at the same time, which makes Deadlock a rather unfriendly game for beginners. In Streetbrawl, some of these mechanics are removed, helping newcomers focus on the first hurdle of Deadlock: the many abilities of the heroes, the items, and the general feel of how Deadlock is played.
What is removed in Streetbrawl? The following mechanics are shortened in Streetbrawl, allowing new players to focus better on their character and its abilities:
- The item shop is replaced by a new system. At the beginning of each Streetbrawl round, you can choose an item from three options. You get to do this a total of three times. Due to the limited and always random item selection, new players are not immediately overwhelmed by the countless items in a normal Deadlock round.
- Due to the short rounds on just one lane, almost the entire MOBA aspect of Deadlock is removed. There’s no need to get last hits to gain currency, and nothing happens on two of the three lanes. Also, the goal of winning a round of Streetbrawl is significantly different from that of a normal match.
With Streetbrawl, you can check out the various characters in shorter matches and gradually learn the items and abilities without having to dive into an intense and often overwhelming round of the normal game mode.
The new “old gods” significantly change the map
What’s new on the Deadlock map? The biggest change is the respective base of the two teams. This has been completely overhauled and presents the old gods as the most important buildings. On one side, we have the “Hidden King,” which represents the last building of the “Amber Hand” team.
On the other side is the “Archmother” and is the last building of the “Sapphire Flame” team. The gods/buildings must be destroyed to win a Deadlock match.
In addition to the two gods and the new base, many parts of the map have a new look. Additionally, there are now ventilation shafts through which small characters can slip. Currently, there is only one character that can use these shafts in a cat form. However, one of the new characters, Rem, will be the first proper small hero.
Again 6 new characters to be chosen by players
Who are the newcomers? With the update, the 6 new characters were introduced. They are not yet available and will be unlocked every Monday and Thursday at 11 PM CET. The first will appear on January 26, and who that will be will be decided by the players through a voting function. With each match, you get one vote and can choose your favorite.
Additionally, Valve has introduced some posters that you can choose to promote your favorite character during a match.
The user interface has been significantly improved
What has improved in the UI? With the update, there is more information for players. Pressing Tab opens the scoreboard and displays much more detail:
- Purchased items for all players are displayed at a glance
- The spawn of the boss is now shown on the minimap
- Some adjustments have been made to display hidden enemies behind objects (only neutral monsters and minions, no heroes)
- Hero portraits now change with increasing damage (or if someone has a killstreak)
- New displays for some used abilities and damage numbers
In addition to the UI improvements, there is now also a new screen that appears after a round. Here, the MVP of the match and two key players who have performed strongly are honored.
The Deadlock community says: “Valve has delivered big time”
What do the players think of the new update? In the subreddit for Deadlock, the update was also shared. Many players write that they are excited about the update.
The Reddit user Screaming_Toast for example writes: “The [old gods] are just insane Valve has delivered big time.” Over 1,300 other players agreed with him (as of January 23, 2026, at 11:40 AM).
Also, the Reddit user KwernTV is very pleased with the content of the update and writes: “THIS UPDATE HAS SO MUCH IN IT”.
Many other commenters are already promoting their favorite character, whom they hope will be selected first by the players.
Are you already playing Deadlock or are you interested? Then now would be the perfect time to get into Valve’s new game. MeinMMO author Nico is excited about the MOBA shooter and has already played over 1,000 hours before release: I have already spent over 1,000 hours in Valve’s new shooter on Steam before release and say: This will be a masterpiece
