The ranking system in Deadlock measures competitive skill through Ranked Mode. Players earn or lose Rank Points each match, which move them through 11 ranks divided into 6 subranks each. Ranked play is organised into seasons, gated behind win requirements in Standard Mode, and restricted to solo and duo queues.
Matchmaking modes
Deadlock has two matchmaking modes. Only one affects rank.
| Standard Mode | Ranked Mode |
|---|
| Affects rank | No | Yes |
| Party size | Unrestricted | Solo or duo |
| Skill spread | Unrestricted | Restricted |
| Entry requirements | None | Win-gated |
| Hero restrictions | None | Only unlocked heroes |
| Seasonal | No | Yes |
Standard Mode accounts for limited hero experience when forming matches and serves as the practice environment and the qualification path for Ranked Mode.
Eligibility
| Requirement | Value |
|---|
| Standard Mode wins required to unlock Ranked | 60 |
| Wins per hero to make that hero Ranked-eligible | 15 (in Standard Mode) |
| Minimum Ranked-eligible heroes for a valid roster | 3 |
| Active sanctions (low priority, comms ban, etc.) | Blocked from queuing |
Heroes are unlocked for Ranked individually. A hero with fewer than 15 Standard Mode wins cannot be picked in Ranked regardless of the player’s rank.
Ranks
There are 11 ranks. Each contains 6 subranks, numbered I through VI. Uncalibrated players are shown as Obscurus.
| Order | Rank |
|---|
| — | Obscurus (uncalibrated) |
| 1 | Initiate |
| 2 | Seeker |
| 3 | Acolyte |
| 4 | Sentinel |
| 5 | Mystic |
| 6 | Ritualist |
| 7 | Emissary |
| 8 | Oracle |
| 9 | Phantom |
| 10 | Ascendant |
| 11 | Eternus |
Note: an alternative rank list (Brick, Stone, Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Phantom, Ascendant, Eternus) circulated via leaker Gabe Follower on July 30, 2026. It does not match the official patch notes or the in-game client.
Rank Points
Rank is tracked by Rank Points, displayed on a progress bar after every Ranked match.
| Mechanic | Value |
|---|
| Points per win or loss | ±250 on average |
| Modifiers applied | Matchmaker expectation, win streak |
| Points required per subrank promotion | 1,000 |
| Points required for the final subrank before a new rank | 2,000 |
The doubled cost applies only to the last subrank of a rank. Advancing from Mystic VI to Ritualist I requires 2,000 points, while every other subrank within Mystic requires 1,000.
Eternus
At Eternus I and above, fixed point thresholds do not apply. Subranks are re-segmented daily on a percentile basis, because the population at that level is too small for static thresholds.
Loss protection
Players cannot fall below a boundary immediately. Protection is consumed by losses.
| Boundary | Protected games |
|---|
| Full rank boundary | 5 |
| Subrank boundary | 2 |
A player at Mystic I with 0 Rank Points must lose 5 games before demotion to Sentinel.
Seasons and calibration
Ranked play runs in seasons. Each season begins with a calibration phase.
| Rule | Value |
|---|
| Calibration games | 8 |
| Parties during calibration | Not permitted |
| Maximum exit rank from calibration | Oracle VI |
| Reset type | Soft reset, seeded from prior performance history |
At the end of a season the player’s highest rank achieved is stored permanently on a Rank History page, and a commemorative hideout item is awarded. Valve has indicated future seasons are likely to be longer and may add mid-season splits and hero recency requirements.
Party restrictions
| Rule | Value |
|---|
| Maximum party size | 2 |
| Maximum rank spread for a duo | 1 rank |
| Maximum spread for an Eternus duo | 3 subranks (both players must be Eternus) |
Valve has stated these restrictions are provisional and may be relaxed.
Ranked match flow
- Hero preferences are submitted before the match forms. The backend matchmaker assembles teams from the wider queue to satisfy preferences while producing a viable composition.
- On match creation, all players’ ranks are shown.
- Players enter a pre-game area.
- Each player may make one hero swap into any unpicked, Ranked-eligible hero. Enemy swaps are not visible; only the enemy’s initial composition is shown.
- Starting lanes are selected in the pre-game area.
- Zipline lane swapping is disabled after the pre-game phase.
- Pause is locked for the first 2 minutes of the match.
Ranked matches use 3 hero bans.
Abandon rules
| Scenario | Outcome |
|---|
| Player leaves before 5:00 | Match voided and marked safe-to-leave for all except the leaver and their party; the leaver’s party takes the loss |
| Player leaves after 5:00 | Leaver and their party take the loss; teammates’ matches are voided and safe-to-leave, but a win still counts if they remain and win |
| Entire team leaves | Opposing team is awarded the win |
Penalties escalate from queue timeouts to increasing numbers of low priority games.
Leaderboards
| Leaderboard | Requirement |
|---|
| Global | 75 games in the last 30 days |
| Hero-specific | 30 games on that hero in the last 30 days, plus 100 lifetime wins on that hero |
Leaderboards are regional, covering North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and display the top 1,000 players per region.
Ranked Hub
The Ranked Hub is located in the hideout and contains current and past season information, global leaderboards, and the player’s Rank History.
History
| Date | Change |
|---|
| October 10, 2024 | Ranked Mode added. 11 ranks, weekly badge updates requiring 7 games per week, limited regional hours, 50-game unlock |
| November 21, 2024 | Ranked Mode removed and replaced by Skill Rating: a single unified queue with hidden MMR, including hero-specific MMR based on roughly the last 20 games on a hero |
| July 30, 2026 | Ranked Mode re-introduced with Standard/Ranked mode split, visible Rank Points, seasons, win-gated entry, solo/duo queues, pre-game hero swap, and 3 hero bans (up from 2) |
Sources: Matchmaking Update, Steam News
Accurate as of July 31, 2026. Deadlock is an invite-only playtest and systems change frequently.
Continue with Steam 
