Updated 1 November 2026
Deadlock skins and cosmetics
You can't buy skins in Deadlock yet: there's no cosmetic shop. Valve has given out free cosmetics during events, including 22 hero skins in winter 2024, also called the Christmas skins. The game's files also hold the parts of a much bigger skin system, and Valve says it's working on hero customization.
- Skins on sale now
- 0
- Free winter skins, 2024
- 22
- Heroes with no skin yet
- 22
Valve's words
What Valve has said
"Some others are things we've been working on in the last few months alongside this update. This even includes things like progression and hero/hideout customizations, as we feel those are features we want to be able to adjust and significantly change based on feedback before the game is fully released."
That's from Valve's City Never Sleeps update post on 29 September 2026. It's the clearest thing Valve has said. It doesn't use the word "skins", and it gives no date. But it does say players should see customization before the full release, because Valve wants feedback on it first.
So far
Every cosmetic Deadlock has had
Halloween 2026
30 October to 2 November 2026
Heroes wear masks, and the map and the Hideout get decorated. Cauldrons around the map drop candy when you break them with a heavy melee. Eat it for a short Sugar Rush buff. Free for everyone.
Hero vote posters
September 2026
During the vote on which new hero came next, a "Place Poster" cosmetic let you choose a poster to put up. Sticker art of the six heroes in that vote is in the game too.
Winter 2025
15 December 2025 to 20 January 2026
Every player got a Snowball to throw. Winning a match with a hero added that hero's ornament to the tree in your Hideout, and more ornaments upgraded the Snowball. Taking part also left a souvenir above your Hideout fireplace.
Halloween 2025
24 October to 12 November 2025
Heroes wore one of four random masks. Crates, statues and the Denizen camps became pumpkins.
Winter 2024
17 December 2024 to 17 January 2025
The first real hero skins: 22 festive outfits, each earned with a secret challenge. Taking part also put a snow globe above your Hideout fireplace.
See all 22 skins and their challengesHalloween 2024
31 October to 7 November 2024
Heroes wore one of four random masks, and the map got pumpkins.
Dates for events before 2026 come from the Deadlock Wiki.
Winter 2024
The 22 Christmas skins and how they unlocked
Deadlock's first real hero skins ran from 17 December 2024 to 17 January 2025. They were free. Valve's post about the update only hinted at them: "a magical season full of joy, souls, and surprises".
- Each hero had one secret challenge. You had to finish it in a single match, playing that hero.
- Only normal and Labs matches counted. Bot matches and custom games did not.
- When you finished it, the skin went on straight away, mid-match. The game told everyone: "achieved holiday cheer" for that hero.
- A Santa hat icon in the main menu counted how many you had, and those heroes got a Santa hat and a red background on the Heroes page.
- Unlocked skins also showed in the Showcase tab of your profile, marked December 2024.
Valve never published the challenges. Players worked them out, so lists don't always agree. We show the wording from the Deadlock Wiki, and say so where others differ.
Abrams
A full festive outfit: hat, jacket and accessories
Finish off 5 enemy players with melee attacks.
Grey Talon
Santa hat and a big white beard
Deal 850 or more spirit damage at once to enemy players, five times.
Other lists say 1,000 or more damage with a single Charged Shot.
Infernus
Green festive hat and holiday clothes
Hit 3 or more enemy players at once with Concussive Combustion.
Ivy
Santa hat, a sweater and a sack of gifts
Silence 6 enemy heroes in total with tier 3 Air Drop bombs. McGinnis's Mini Turrets also seemed to count.
Other lists say hit 2 enemies with one Air Drop bomb.
Kelvin
Gingerbread man look and a red bow tie
Catch 2 or more allies and 2 or more enemies at once with Frozen Shelter.
Lady Geist
Santa hat and a Christmas tree dress
Use Soul Exchange when you have less than 100 health.
One list adds that the swap has to kill the enemy.
Lash
Black top hat and a red bow tie
Affect 4 or more enemy players with Death Slam. Hooked and slammed enemies both count.
Some lists say 5 enemies.
McGinnis
Santa hat
Destroy 9 structures: Guardians, Walkers, Shrines or the Patron.
Early lists said to destroy the Patron.
Mirage
Elf hat and a Christmas tree
Finish off 3 enemy players with Djinn's Mark.
Other lists say kill one enemy by activating 12 stacks, and one says 8.
Mo & Krill
Reindeer look: a red nose and antlers
Get a Combo stack from each enemy player.
Other lists say build about 700 bonus health with Combo.
Paradox
Snow globe helmet
Kill 3 enemy players while airborne.
Other lists say hit enemies with every ability in one combo, three times.
Vindicta
Elf hat and a festive dress
Kill 2 enemy players during a single Flight.
Other lists say 2 sniper kills in a row without unscoping.
Warden
Christmas pudding hat
Damage every enemy player with Binding Word at least once.
Other lists say kill 3 enemies with Binding Word.
Yamato
Elf hat and a big red bow
Kill 2 enemy players during one Shadow Transformation.
Other lists say 3 enemies.
Apollo, Baba, Billy, Calico, Celeste, Deadman Danny, Drifter, Graves, Holliday, Mina, Nurse Harrow, Paige, Rat King, Rem, Silver, Sinclair, Solomon, The Doorman, Venator, Victor, Violet and Vyper.
Not announced
What's already in the game's files
None of this is switched on for players as a full system, and Valve can change or drop any of it. But it shows how skins are likely to work when they arrive.
- Skins made for each hero
- A cosmetic item can be set to fit specific heroes, with its own slot on each one.
- Two ways to change a hero
- An item can swap parts of a hero's model, like a hat or a backpack, or swap its materials to change the colours and textures.
- Styles
- An item can come in several styles, and styles can be unlocked one by one. So one skin could have recolours you earn.
- Rarity
- Items have rarity levels. Only Common, Uncommon and Rare are listed so far, and that may just be a starting point.
- A way to equip items
- The game can already equip items and change their style. There's no screen for it yet that we can find.
- A wardrobe in the Hideout
- The Hideout has wardrobe models, including a display background. Items can also be Hideout decorations.
- Emotes
- There is code for emotes, and seven heroes gained emote animations in September 2026. Valve has not announced them.
- A Cosmetic key
- The key already exists. Its description mentions sprays and seasonal items.
The same files also hold a level-based event system with premium points. Here's what that means for a battle pass.
Still open
What nobody knows yet
- When any of this arrives. Valve has given no date.
- What skins will cost, or if they'll cost anything.
- Whether skins will come from a shop, a battle pass, or both.
- Whether you will be able to trade or sell them. Item rewards have a setting that turns trading off, which suggests trading is at least possible.
- Whether the 2024 winter skins will ever come back.
Quick answers
Skin questions
- Does Deadlock have skins?
- Yes, but none are for sale. In December 2024, Valve gave 22 heroes free winter skins, unlocked by completing challenges in matches. There is no skin shop in the game right now.
- Can you buy skins in Deadlock?
- No. The game has no cosmetic shop, and Valve hasn't announced any prices.
- When are skins coming to Deadlock?
- Valve hasn't given a date. In September 2026 it said it was working on "progression and hero/hideout customizations", and that it wants to change them based on feedback before the game is fully released. That suggests they'll arrive before full release.
- Will Deadlock skins cost money?
- Nobody outside Valve knows yet. The game's files have an event system with an "owned" version and premium points, which points to something paid, but they don't list any prices.
- How do you get the Deadlock Christmas skins?
- During the event, you unlocked each one by completing a secret challenge with that hero in a normal or Labs match. They were free. The event ended on 17 January 2025.
- Can you still get the Christmas skins?
- The winter event ended on 17 January 2025. We found nothing from Valve saying those skins or their challenges will return.
- Did Valve publish the skin challenges?
- No. Valve's post about the update didn't mention them, and they weren't listed in the game. Players worked them out, which is why some lists disagree.
- Which Deadlock heroes have skins?
- Abrams, Bebop, Dynamo, Grey Talon, Haze, Infernus, Ivy, Kelvin, Lady Geist, Lash, McGinnis, Mirage, Mo & Krill, Paradox, Pocket, Seven, Shiv, Vindicta, Viscous, Warden, Wraith and Yamato. Those are the 22 heroes with a 2024 winter skin. Every other hero has no official skin yet.
- Does Deadlock have emotes?
- There is emote code and emote animations for seven heroes in the game's files, but Valve hasn't announced emotes for players.