Deadlock takes place in a virtual New York City, with Street_test being its sole official map—until now. Those who think the game is getting repetitive will be glad to know that custom Deadlock maps are now playable.

Street_test is divided into four distinct lanes: Yellow, green, blue, and purple. At the start of the game, players are randomly assigned to one of the four lanes in a 1v1 or 2v2 duel. Some players argue that Deadlock’s numerous lanes hinder gameplay speed. Others find the single map too repetitive. In response, modders have stepped in with a solution.

Deadlock character Grey Talon in ONE Esports' image for how to invite friends to Deadlock lobby
Screenshot by Fariha Bhatti/ONE Esports, credit: Valve
How to get access to Deadlock playtest — complete guide

Valve now allows modders to add their custom maps into Deadlock as long as they don’t expect bug fixes from the developer. As a result, creators have added maps that focus on movement, have fewer lanes, and brighter visuals. Some have even ported Counter-Strike 2 maps into Deadlock.

Players must jump through a few extra hoops to play custom Deadlock maps, but it’s simple enough.

How to play custom Deadlock maps

Deadlock custom maps
Credit: black picture

How to download Deadlock custom maps

Follow these steps to download and play custom Deadlock maps:

  • Download your favorite custom map in Deadlock from the community Discord server or from Steam.
  • Open the downloaded RAR folder for the custom map and copy the content.
  • Open Steam and right-click on Deadlock. Hover the cursor on “Manage” and click on “Browse local files”
  • Now, go to the file location where maps are stored, typically: \game\citadel\maps
  • Paste the copied map files into the Deadlock map folder.
Deadlock character Abrams in ONE Esports' image for how to get access to Deadlock playtest
Credit: Valve, ONE Esports
How to get access to Deadlock playtest — complete guide

How to open custom Deadlock maps

The map is now stored within Deadlock files and should be valid for playing. To start it in-game, follow these steps:

  • On Steam, click on the settings icon, then “Properties,” and then add -dev to the launch options
  • Start Deadlock and go to settings to enable the console
  • Press “F7” to open the console and type in “map.”
  • Names of all downloaded custom maps will appear as options. Select the one you want to play.
  • Press Enter to play the custom Deadlock map.

If you’ve followed all steps correctly, you should now load into a map that may look different than the regular Street_test location.

READ MORE: How to create Deadlock custom lobby guide