Mods

Q: How do you install Deadlock mods?

To install Deadlock mods by hand, create a game/citadel/addons folder, add the addons path to gameinfo.gi, and put the mod's .vpk files in addons, as Mein-MMO's Jan 14, 2026 guide describes. A community mod manager from deadlockmods.app does those steps for you.

Deadlock mods are unofficial, client-side files, mostly hero skins, sounds and HUD changes, shared on GameBanana and installed as .vpk files in an addons folder or with a mod manager. Valve offers no mod support and has made no public statement on mods.

Deadlock mods are unofficial files that change what the game looks or sounds like on your own PC: mostly hero skins, plus sounds, HUD tweaks and even fan-made maps, shared on GameBanana and installed as .vpk files. Deadlock has "no official mod support and no public servers", as Dexerto put it on Apr 3, 2026, so a skin mod is client-side and only you see it. Valve has made no public statement on mods for Deadlock, which is still an invite-only playtest in early development with no official cosmetics or store.

Quick facts

Official mod support	None
Where mods are shared	GameBanana
File type	.vpk, in `game/citadel/addons`
Ways to install	A mod manager, or by hand with an edit to `gameinfo.gi`
Who sees a skin mod	Only you (client-side)
Valve's stance	No public statement (Oct 26, 2026)
Official cosmetics	None yet; Valve plans "hero/hideout customizations" before full release

Sources: Dexerto, Apr 3, 2026; Mein-MMO, Jan 14, 2026; Valve's City Never Sleeps post, Sep 29, 2026.

What mods exist

Hero skins are most of what Deadlock modders make. Mein-MMO's mod guide (Jan 14, 2026) names a cartoon Toon Ivy, redesigns of Yamato and Sinclair, a Spider-Man Lash and a Jinx Holliday among the popular ones, alongside hero portraits in the style of Darkest Dungeon, a minimalist health bar, a new skybox, and a sound mod that plays a Green Day song during one of Billy's abilities.

Character swaps from other franchises draw the most attention. PC Gamer (Elie Gould, Feb 9, 2026) wrote up a mod that turns Mo & Krill into Linguini and Remy from Ratatouille, whose longer arms leave Linguini running on all fours, along with Hatsune Miku over Bebop, Pikachu over Seven, LeBron James over Abrams and a Spider-Man Lash.

Modding goes beyond skins. PC Gamer (Jan 9, 2026) noted modders have made "entire fanmade maps and custom hero redesigns". Inside the game itself, the only official custom content is private lobbies and bot games: custom matches, which since Sep 29, 2026 take 8 spectators (Valve's update page), and the Sandbox, covered on Game Modes.

How to install Deadlock mods

There are two ways to install mods, both described in Mein-MMO's guide (Jan 14, 2026). The easier is a mod manager: the Deadlock Mod Manager from deadlockmods.app finds the game's mod folder by itself, installs the mods you pick, and lets you turn them on under your installed mods before you start the game normally. It is a community tool, not Valve's.

The manual way takes five steps:

In Steam, right-click Deadlock, open Properties, then Installed Files, and click Browse to open the game folder.
Open game, then citadel, and create a folder named addons, in lowercase.
Open gameinfo.gi in citadel with a text editor and, around line 40, change the search paths so the game also reads citadel/addons (Mein-MMO gives the exact lines: Mod citadel, Write citadel, Game citadel/addons, Game citadel and Game core). Keep a copy of the original file.
Download mods from GameBanana, extract them, and move the .vpk files into addons.
If two .vpk files share a number in their names, rename one to another number from 1 to 99.

Each mod's GameBanana page may give its own steps, which beat a general guide. To go back to the unmodded game, remove the files from addons and restore the original gameinfo.gi.

Valve's stance

Valve has said nothing public about Deadlock mods. No Valve post, Steam announcement or rule on the official forums addresses them, and the Deadlock forums have no modding section (checked Oct 26, 2026). Outlets describe a tolerance instead: Mein-MMO (Apr 2026) reported that client-side cosmetic mods are generally accepted as long as they give no advantage, which is reporting, not a Valve rule.

2:30 Valve's own plans point to official cosmetics later. Its Sep 29, 2026 post lists "progression and hero/hideout customizations" as work to do "before the game is fully released", and PC Gamer (Sep 30, 2026) read that as "hero cosmetics" in the works. Valve has not said how mods will fit with them.

Risks

Mods carry real risks, even with no Valve rule against them:

Anti-cheat: Deadlock has had anti-cheat since Sep 26, 2024, when Valve added "an initial Anti-Cheat detection system", improved in later updates. Valve has not said how it treats modded files, and nothing published says a cosmetic mod led to a ban. A mod that gives an advantage is outside even the tolerance outlets describe.
Unofficial files: mods come from strangers. GameBanana hosts them, but neither GameBanana nor Valve vouches for each file.
Updates: Valve patches Deadlock often (see Patches and Updates), and a mod made for one build may stop working after another. A commenter quoted by Dexerto warned buyers of a paid skin that they could lose it if mods stop working at launch.

Mod stories in the press

The paid Warden skin is the best-known mod story. On Apr 3, 2026 Dexerto reported that a modder, GigWhat, was selling "Mystic North", a Warden skin made with The_Grimmrock, through Patreon for $20, with six color schemes, a glowing cape, new ability particles and custom icons. After a backlash about charging for a mod of someone else's game, the price fell to $10. Valve did not comment, and PC Gamer later noted Valve had spent "multiple years without making a single cent" from Deadlock directly (PC Gamer, Oct 10, 2026).

The oddest is LoveLock. PCGamesN (Lauren Bergin, Sep 1, 2026) covered an addon by asteriaOW that sends deaths, kills, assists, ability uses and cooldowns to a Lovense toy through the Lovense app on the same PC, with strength and length set per event. Its GameBanana listing showed as "trashed" when PCGamesN wrote about it, with the files on GitHub, and its maker called it "still in development".

Frequently asked questions

Does Deadlock have mods? Yes: Deadlock has unofficial, client-side mods, mostly hero skins, sounds and HUD changes, shared on GameBanana. Valve offers no official mod support.

How do you install Deadlock mods? To install Deadlock mods by hand, create a game/citadel/addons folder, add the addons path to gameinfo.gi, and put the mod's .vpk files in addons, as Mein-MMO's Jan 14, 2026 guide describes. A community mod manager from deadlockmods.app does those steps for you.

Can you get banned for Deadlock mods? Valve has not said whether Deadlock mods can get you banned, and no published report links a cosmetic mod to a ban. Outlets report that client-side cosmetic mods are tolerated if they give no advantage, but Deadlock does run anti-cheat.

Can other players see my Deadlock skin mods? No: Deadlock skin mods are client-side, so only you see them, because the game has no official mod support or public servers.

Where do you download Deadlock mods? Most Deadlock mods are shared on GameBanana, the site Mein-MMO's install guide and PCGamesN's coverage point to. Valve hosts no mods.

Does Deadlock have official skins? Not yet: Deadlock has no official cosmetics or store on Oct 26, 2026, though Valve's Sep 29, 2026 post lists "hero/hideout customizations" as work before full release. Valve has not announced a release date.