The Premier Stage
for Collegiate Deadlock
College Deadlock is the home of the Deadlock Collegiate Series, the competitive league for North American colleges and universities playing Valve’s Deadlock.
What Is the Deadlock Collegiate Series?
The Deadlock Collegiate Series (DCS) is the flagship competitive league for collegiate teams playing Deadlock, Valve’s hero shooter and MOBA hybrid. Every season, college and university rosters from across North America compete in a group-stage round robin, followed by a playoff bracket. See the current Main Season standings for where things stand.
Matches are scheduled weekly and broadcast live on our Watch page with a two-minute delay. Every game is covered by casters and a production crew, and every match VOD is archived to YouTube. The full match schedule is published every week of the season.
We run DCS with the same discipline you’d expect from any serious league. A published rulebook, clear eligibility rules, structured match scheduling, and an admin team that treats competitive integrity as non-negotiable. The goal is simple: give college players a real competitive home while the broader Deadlock scene finds its feet.
Upcoming & Recent Matches
The next season’s schedule will be posted soon.
How the Series Works
Registration
Teams register at the start of each season with a captain, a full roster, and a three-letter team tag. Institutions can field up to two rostered teams.
Regular Season
Teams are seeded into two groups and play a weekly round robin. Each week is a best-of-2 series, with points awarded for wins, draws, and forfeits.
Playoffs
The top teams from each group advance to a double-elimination bracket to decide the season champion.
Full details live in the Season 2 rulebook.
Competing Schools
Programs from across North America compete in the Deadlock Collegiate Series every season.
Latest Dispatches
What Is Deadlock? A Complete Guide to Valve's Hero Shooter MOBA
Everything a new player or fan needs to know about Deadlock, Valve's third-person hero shooter and MOBA hybrid. Objective, heroes, items, souls, map, and how to follow it competitively.
Deadlock Esports in 2026: The Collegiate Scene Leading the Charge
How Deadlock esports grew from a closed Valve beta into a real competitive scene, and why collegiate play is where most of it is actually happening.
College Deadlock Season 0 Begins
Sixteen teams. A $5,000 prize pool. Seven weeks of best-of-three Deadlock, starting now.
Answers for Players and Fans
What is the Deadlock Collegiate Series?+
DCS is a competitive league for North American college and university teams playing Valve’s Deadlock. Teams compete in a group-stage round robin with a playoff bracket to close each season. See the current season page for live standings and matches.
Who can play in College Deadlock?+
Any full-time enrolled college or university student in North America is eligible. Teams need a captain, a roster of eligible players, and to meet the academic and conduct requirements in the current season’s rulebook. Register for Main Season when sign-ups open.
How do I watch DCS matches?+
Every DCS broadcast runs live on our Watch page with an embedded Twitch player and chat. VODs are uploaded to YouTube the day after each match. Check the full schedule for this week’s broadcasts.
Is there a cost to enter?+
Season 0 and Season 2 ran free to enter. Main Season will carry a $250 / team entry fee to support continued operations, production, and competitive infrastructure. See the Main Season page for details.
More on the FAQ page.
A League Built for the Players
College Deadlock was founded by competitors, organizers, and lifelong fans of the game. We built this league because collegiate esports deserves production, competitive integrity, and player experience at the level any serious sport takes for granted. Every season we push that standard further.
Our StoryReady to Compete?
Registration for Main Season opens soon. Be the first to know.