Valve revealed the Rat King, a new playable hero for Deadlock, in an announcement posted to the game’s Steam community page on October 2, 2026. The studio titled the post “Listen up, Crumbums! Your King is here.” and introduced the character as “the rightful King of the Rats”, arriving “out of the sewers and into the streets”. The Rat King is available to play now in Deadlock, Valve’s in-development third-person hero shooter.
The Rat King’s four abilities
Valve outlined four abilities for the Rat King in the reveal. Scrap Grenade is a grenade the Rat King throws at opponents, and Swarm of Rats sends the hero’s rodents chasing after enemies. Royal Pestments are the defensive option: “By donning his Royal Pestments, the Rat King shakes off incoming damage, allowing him to bravely lead the charge into battle.” Scrap Grenade and Swarm of Rats are the hero’s offensive tools, while Royal Pestments and Banner of Rattania cover defense and support.
The fourth ability, Banner of Rattania, supports nearby allies. “His loyal subjects will feel awed and inspired when they see the great Banner of Rattania waving in the middle of combat”, Valve wrote, “and those who oppose him will rue the day they ever thought they could overthrow the king.” The reveal does not attach cooldowns or damage values to the four abilities.
A hero for Manhattan’s streets
The announcement places the hero in Deadlock’s Manhattan setting. “Rodent-hating citizens of Manhattan won’t be prepared to see his Scrap Grenade bouncing down Broadway, nor for his Swarm of Rats biting at their heels”, Valve wrote. The Rat King arrives shortly after the City Never Sleeps update, which added six new heroes and visual changes to Deadlock in late September 2026.
What Valve said about the next hero
Valve closed the announcement by pointing toward Deadlock’s next hero, who was not named in the post. “Have a great weekend and keep those votes coming, as our next hero will be joining us on Tuesday at 2pm PDT”, the studio wrote. Valve signed off with the line “Oh the rats are taking over, baby!” and added: “We’ll see you then!”
