The new MOBA shooter Deadlock is supposed to be on the verge of a huge update. However, Valve has a tendency not to be reliable with the dates of their games on Steam. Now, the community is warning about the notorious “Valve-Time”.
What kind of huge update is this? Deadlock is currently in a testing phase. Valve periodically releases updates for their new shooter, but the last major one was already five months ago.
Several contents have already been leaked through various leaks. Among other things, several new heroes are said to come with the update for Deadlock. A new game mode and a number of changes to models and gameplay are also expected to be part of the update (reddit.com).
The huge update was said by Valve developer Yoshi to be released in December 2025, but it has been postponed. Now, the developer revealed on the official Discord server that the update is expected to come in January 2026. However, the community is warned by a player who introduces “Valve-Time”.
Valve has missed the timing so often that it has become a meme
What is “Valve-Time”? The Reddit user ajiezrhmn describes this term as follows: “Valve-Time is essentially the unwritten law that you should push any announced release window back by a few weeks (or months) in your mind. At this point, it’s not even malice or incompetence anymore, it’s tradition.”
Additionally, the user links to the website developer.valvesoftware.com. There is a list of all the timelines that Valve has provided over the years, which have been pushed back by several weeks or even years.
The release of Team Fortress 2 was delayed by several years
What did Valve say about Team Fortress 2? Right at the beginning of the list, the release of Team Fortress 2 stands out. This is a hero shooter from Valve and was announced back in 1998. In a later interview on Gamespot, Robin Walker, one of the main developers of Team Fortress, was asked if the game would be released before the year 2005. Walker replied: “You will definitely have it long before that.”
The release date of Team Fortress 2 was eventually on October 10, 2007.
Is there a more recent example? Yes, for that we look towards the end of the list. According to the website, Valve announced that Steam support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 would end on January 1, 2024. However, support was actually terminated several months later, on November 5, 2024 (store.steampowered.com).
Overall, there are over 90 entries showing that Valve likes to overshoot their timelines. For completeness, it must be mentioned that there is also the “Reverse-Valve-Time”. This is the exact opposite and shows which updates Valve released before the actual mention.
A lot has changed in Deadlock even as of 2025. In addition to ten new heroes, the map has also been completely redesigned and adjusted from four to three lanes. Additionally, the item system has been adjusted and also received an overhaul: Valve has heavily changed their new shooter on Steam in 2025, but the biggest problem still remains
