Multiplayer games making headlines is hardly a rarity in 2026, as the ill-advised wave of COVID-era investment in live-service games continues breaking on the shore. Valve’s *Deadlock* is different. It's a mashup of styles, with elements of things like *Dota 2* and *Valorant*, a little *Risk of Rain*, a splash of *Hades*, and plenty of its own unique spirit too. It's impressive, especially for a game whose makers didn't even intend for it to be widely playable yet.