After nearly two months since the initial announcement of Deadlock in August 2024, Valve has finally introduced a ranked mode to the hero shooter. The newly added ranked mode will help players better identify their skill level in competitive play, something that was impossible for players to do up until now without the help of third-party trackers.
The highly anticipated ranked mode in Deadlock is set to go live today, but it has a number of features that set it apart from the competitive mode in your regular shooters. Deadlock is still in its early development phase, which is why the devs have stated that they are “experimenting with a different approach to Ranked.” Players can expect the current ranked system to be tweaked in the near future.
At the time of writing, there are certain restrictions to playing the ranked mode of Deadlock. These restrictions include specific ranked queue times for all regions, behavior-related restrictions, and more.
Deadlock Ranked Mode Requirements
Not everyone can participate in the ranked mode of Valve’s Deadlock right away. In fact, you need to meet certain eligibility criteria to be able to participate in ranked.
Players meeting the following requirements can participate in Deadlock ranked when it kicks off on October 15th:
- At least 50 games played in the unranked mode.
- No behavior-related restrictions (voice/text bans, report misuse, etc).
Additionally, the Deadlock ranked queue will be solo only, which means that players won’t be able to participate in ranked if they are in a party.
Deadlock Ranked Mode Queue Times
The Deadlock ranked mode will feature designated queue times during which players can participate in ranked matches. We saw something similar during the game’s initial testing phase, where players were only allowed to queue during specific time windows each day.
The ranked queue for Deadlock will be open from 1pm-4pm and 7pm-10pm in the respective time zones every day. On top of that, each region will have multiple time zones that players can select from. Once players lock their time slot, it can’t be changed for the remainder of the week.
The first ranked games in Deadlock begin October 15th, 8pm GMT.
Deadlock Ranking System Explained
Valve has confirmed that Deadlock will feature 11 medals in total with 6 levels in each. Players’ medals and levels will be displayed during ranked games. Medal placements are updated weekly on Tuesdays at 8 pm GMT.
Players must have played at least 7 ranked games in a week in order to be eligible to receive a rank for that week. If a player is unable to meet the 7-game requirement, their medal will be marked as ‘undefined’ until they play enough and earn a new medal the following Tuesday.
The first medals for Deadlock ranked will be granted globally on October 22nd, 8 pm GMT.
