Deadlock’s menu is your Hideout, a room you walk around in. The Play terminal there lists every mode. Here’s what each one is, and when to play it.
All modes at a glance
| Mode | Players | Length | Affects rank? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deadlock (Standard) | 6v6 | About 25 to 45 minutes | No | The full game, with friends of any skill |
| Ranked | 6v6 | About 25 to 45 minutes | Yes | Competing once you know several heroes |
| Street Brawl | 4v4 | Best of five short rounds | No | Fast fights and learning heroes |
| Bot Match | You and friends vs bots | Standard or Street Brawl length | No | Learning without pressure |
| Sandbox | Solo | As long as you like | No | Mechanics and combos |
| Explore NYC | Solo | As long as you like | No | Learning the real map |
| Custom Match | Up to 12 players | You choose | No | Private games, scrims, practice with friends |
Deadlock (Standard mode)
The full game: two teams of six, three lanes, troopers, Guardians, Walkers and the Patron, with the soul economy and shop. We cover it in depth in what is Deadlock and the rest of this guide.
Standard is unranked. There’s no cap on party size and no limit on skill gaps between friends, so it’s where you play with a mixed group. Your Standard wins also count toward unlocking Ranked.
Ranked
The same 6v6 game with visible ranks, a hero ban phase and stricter rules. You need 60 Standard wins and three heroes unlocked for Ranked (15 Standard wins each) before you can queue, and you can only party as a duo. Season 1 runs until November 5, 2026.
Everything about it is in how ranked works.
Street Brawl
A 4v4 mode on a single lane, added on January 22, 2026. There’s no soul economy: you draft items before each of up to five short rounds, and the first team to win three rounds takes the match. Rounds last about three minutes before overtime kicks in. It doesn’t affect your rank.
It’s the fastest way to get a feel for a hero’s fighting, because you’re in a team fight within seconds of every round starting. See the full Street Brawl guide and how the item draft and legendary items work.
Bot Match
Play Standard or Street Brawl against AI heroes on easy, medium or hard, either online with friends or on your own. Some heroes can’t be played by bots yet, so they only appear if a person picks them. Details in bot matches and custom matches.
Sandbox
A practice map with troopers, Guardians, a Walker, test dummies, a shooting range, a parry gym and a jungle camp, plus a settings panel for things like no cooldowns, infinite ammo and slow motion. You can also reach it through the teleporter in your Hideout’s Atrium. See the Sandbox and practice tools.
Explore NYC
The real match map with nobody else on it. It uses the same settings panel as the Sandbox, and crates and jungle camps first appear after just 5 seconds. Use it to learn routes and shortcuts, find boost spots for movement tech, and plan farming routes for the current map.
Custom Match
Private lobbies for up to 12 players split between two teams, with spectator slots. The host can add bots, turn on cheats, allow duplicate heroes, pick the server region and rearrange teams. It’s what communities use for scrims and in-house games. See bot matches and custom matches.
The tutorial
The Learn to Play terminal in your Hideout has the Basic Tutorial. Play it first. It covers the controls, the soul system and the objectives in a few minutes, and it saves you from learning them the hard way in a real match.
The Hideout’s other terminals
The Hideout isn’t just a menu. Besides Play and Learn to Play, its terminals let you:
- Watch live matches, or look one up by match ID.
- Ranked: see your rank, ranked history and the leaderboards.
- Vote on upcoming heroes and see when the next one unlocks.
- News: read the latest update notes.
- Dialogue: browse and listen to the game’s voice lines.
The Atrium, through the doorway left of the main hall, is a small practice room with bots and a jump pad. Our practice drills use it for warm-ups.
Retired: Hero Labs
Hero Labs let experienced players (50 Standard games or more) try heroes still in early development, during scheduled hours. It ran from October 24, 2024 until it was removed on August 18, 2025. New heroes now arrive through updates like City Never Sleeps instead.
Which mode should you play?
- Brand new: the Basic Tutorial, then two or three bot matches on easy.
- Learning the game: Standard. It’s where the whole game is, and every win moves you toward Ranked.
- Learning a new hero: Street Brawl for quick fights, then Standard once the hero feels comfortable.
- Fixing a mechanic: the Sandbox, with our practice drills.
- Ready to compete: Ranked, once you have 60 Standard wins and three Ranked heroes.
Frequently asked questions
What game modes does Deadlock have?
Seven, all on the Play terminal in your Hideout. Deadlock (the standard 6v6), Ranked, Street Brawl (4v4), Bot Match, Sandbox, Explore NYC and Custom Match. There's also a Basic Tutorial on the Learn to Play terminal.
Does Street Brawl affect your rank?
No. Street Brawl is separate from Ranked and doesn't change your rank.
Is Hero Labs still in Deadlock?
No. Hero Labs let players try heroes in early development during scheduled hours. It ran from October 24, 2024 and was removed on August 18, 2025.
Which mode should a new player start with?
The Basic Tutorial, then a few bot matches, then Standard. Try Street Brawl when you want short games that teach fighting, and leave Ranked until you've learned a few heroes. You need 60 Standard wins to unlock it anyway.
Numbers on this page are checked against the game and the community-run Deadlock Wiki. Spotted something a patch changed? Tell us in #site-feedback on our Discord.