Yes—players celebrated Rat King as the first hero to arrive in Deadlock’s City Never Sleeps rollout on October 2, 2026. Valve had announced that date as the first release day, but the official update information available here does not show a finalized release-order record, so Rat King’s first-place status is supported by launch-day community posts rather than a Valve confirmation.
Was Rat King the first hero released?
Rat King was the first hero players celebrated as released from City Never Sleeps. Valve announced October 2, 2026, as the first release date, while contemporaneous Reddit posts titled “Listen up, Crumbums! Your King is here.” and “OUR KING IS HERE” show the community welcoming Rat King that day. Those posts support the claim, but they are not an official Valve release log. Valve’s update announcement Launch-day Reddit posts
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Microids House of the Dead Remake Video Game Disc for PlayStation 4 | $34.43 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Deadlock: Planetary Conquest | $3.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Deadlock: Planetary Conquest | $10.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Deadlock 2 the Shrine Wars | $39.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Deadlock Rebels: An AFK Book (Overwatch) | $6.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Valve introduced six upcoming heroes in the September 29, 2026 update: Nurse Harrow, Rat King, Solomon, Deadman Danny, Baba, and Violet. The update described Rat King as “Scrappy, regal, tenacious.” Valve’s hero announcement
How did players vote on the hero release order?
Valve said, “You vote on the release order.” Players cast votes in the pregame lobby, with two multipliers that can make a vote count more:
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- Classic light gun rebuilt with modern graphics
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- Votes from the winning team count double.
- A player’s first win of the day also grants double votes.
Playing earns New Hero Priority Tokens, beginning with the first hero release. Valve’s voting details
When were the City Never Sleeps heroes scheduled to release?
Valve announced two heroes per week, on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:00 PM Pacific Time, starting October 2, 2026. That is the schedule Valve announced; it should not be treated as a record of every actual release time or order. Valve’s release schedule
Rank #2
What else changed in City Never Sleeps?
The update also rebuilt Deadlock’s map with four districts between the main streets and replaced neutral camps with Haunts. It added The Broker, a temporary merchant who trades high-tier items for Corrupted versions that carry random drawbacks. Valve’s City Never Sleeps update notes
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is not confirmed about Rat King?
The available official update information does not provide a finalized hero release-order record, Rat King’s ability kit, or balance details. The evidence supports describing Rat King as the community-celebrated first arrival, not presenting that order as an official Valve confirmation. Available official hero information
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Rank #4
- Deadlock II the Shrine Wars
- Windows 95, NT
Rank #3
- 5 ways to play! Against PC, 2 player serial or modem, 7 player LAN/internet (Win95 only)
- Windows 95 & MS-DOS Computers, 486 DX@/66 MHz processor or faster
- 8 MB RAM, Win 3.1 or higher, double speed CD-ROM drive
- SVGA color graphics, MS compatible mouse, all major sound cards, NetBIOs compatible LAN
- Internet play via Mplayer and TEN (Win 95 only)
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