UpdateConfirmed29 September 2026Updated 30 September 2026

Deadlock's City Never Sleeps update rebuilds the map and puts six new heroes to a vote

Valve has shipped Deadlock's biggest update in months, splitting the map into four themed districts, adding a corrupting secret shop and lining up six new heroes that players unlock by voting. The first arrives October 2.

Image: Deadlock - City Never Sleeps (official Steam announcement)

Update — 30 September 2026

Valve's own Steam announcement for City Never Sleeps, read in full, goes further than the patch itself and lays out where Deadlock is heading. The studio says it worked on several tracks in parallel this year rather than focusing on one theme, and that progression plus hero and Hideout customisation are deliberately being shipped in a changeable state so feedback can reshape them before release. It names Midboss (its model and, to a degree, its layout), Guardians and Walkers as important work it has not got to yet and will target in upcoming updates, and says hero remodels will now be worked on gradually rather than saved for the end of early development. It also flags large item redesigns and additions, and alternate game modes that would expand the game's scope, as speculative work that may not ship, though it says playtesting has been promising so far. The post signs off by telling players not to forget to vote. Separately, the six new heroes are now consistently named across write-ups of the City Never Sleeps page as Nurse Harrow, Deadman Danny, Baba, Solomon, Rat King and Violet, with Rat King confirmed by PC Gamer's headline. Those same write-ups say winners go live on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:00 p.m. PT from October 2, and that players earn one vote per match and two for a win, submitted through the Hideout.

Valve pushed Deadlock's City Never Sleeps update live on September 29, and it is the kind of overhaul that makes an unfinished game feel like a different one. The studio's announcement promises "a massive visual update to the map and neutrals, six new heroes, HUD updates, numerous quality-of-life additions, accessibility options, and more" - and unusually for Valve, it came attached to a long note about where the project actually stands.

A city, not a lane diagram

The map has been carved into four themed districts - Plaza, Chinatown, the Haunted Lot and the Theater - each with its own look, its own neutral creatures and its own points of interest. Those points of interest come with strings attached: the Sunken Plaza hands out souls but cuts you off from outside audio, while Chinatown's bell tower pays out cash if you can keep ringing it on time. Steam vents have been added as ambush routes, and there are new pickups scattered around, including healing snacks and crates you have to melee open.

The Broker will make your items worse

The update's most interesting addition is a roaming secret shop called the Broker, which turns up in random spots on the map. Trade it an item and you get back a corrupted, higher-tier version - stronger, but carrying a drawback the base item didn't have. It is a deliberate gamble rather than a straight upgrade path, and it should make late-game builds a lot less predictable.

Six heroes, released by ballot

Nurse Harrow, Deadman Danny, Baba, Solomon, Violet and the long-rumoured Rat King are all in the update, but not all playable yet. Players vote for who they want next in a pre-match lobby, earning votes by playing and more for winning, and Valve is releasing them two a week on Tuesdays and Fridays starting October 2.

Valve on what comes next

The announcement also doubles as a development update. Valve says it worked on several things in parallel this year rather than focusing on one theme, including progression and hero and hideout customisation, and describes other work as "more speculative" - large item redesigns and alternate game modes that would widen the game's scope. Midboss, Guardians and Walkers are named as important but not yet touched, and older hero remodels will be done gradually in future updates. The studio's reasoning for shipping unfinished is blunt: building a multiplayer game is "very hard and risky," and getting it into players' hands early is how it manages that risk.

Why it matters

Deadlock has spent two years in a strange half-public state, and this is the clearest signal yet of how Valve intends to finish it - and the first time in a while it has said out loud what it is not working on.

Why it matters

It is Deadlock's biggest content drop since Old Gods New Blood, and the attached development note is the most detail Valve has given about the game's roadmap - including features it admits may never ship.