What LOCKDOWN Protocol is
LOCKDOWN Protocol is a first person social deduction game where up to 16 players share a space and try to get work done while someone among them works against the group. The core setup is simple: most players cooperate to finish tasks before time runs out, and a small number of dissidents try to sabotage those efforts without getting caught. Everything is played from a first person view, so you are physically moving around, doing tasks and watching other players up close rather than reading menus.
The game mixes real time action with talking. You are not just voting from a lobby — you are acting in the moment, doing the work, and reading what other people say and do. That combination of investigation, strategy and puzzle solving is what defines the round: you have to figure out who is working against the group while keeping the objectives moving.
How your group plays it together
Play starts as an online session with your friends filling the lobby. The size of the group matters, since the game scales from 1 to 16 players, and the dissidents are a small portion of the roster rather than half the lobby. That means most of you will be trying to complete objectives as a team, and a few will be quietly working against everyone else.
Talking is a big part of it. The game leans heavily on dialogue, so a group that communicates well will get further — sharing what they saw, calling out suspicious behavior, and coordinating who handles which tasks. Communication is also the dissidents' main tool, since their job is to blend in, deflect suspicion and avoid being identified while they stop the group from succeeding. Expect the social side to run alongside the action the whole round: doing tasks and reading people happen at the same time.
Rounds are played against the clock, so time management counts. Tasks have to be completed together and within the time limit, which keeps the pressure on and gives the dissidents something to slow down.
What to know before starting
The game has permanent death, so when your character is gone, you are out for that round. Keep that in mind before you rush into a risky situation.
Since suspicion is the main mechanic, expect to be questioned. Being quiet or being somewhere you should not be can draw attention, and being too eager can draw it as well. If you are a dissident, the goal is to stop the objectives while staying off the radar — getting caught ends your usefulness fast. If you are not a dissident, your job is to keep working and pay attention to what others are doing and saying.
The presentation is stylized and cute rather than gritty, with a space and sci-fi setting, but the gameplay underneath is real time tactics and deduction. Bring a group that enjoys talking through problems, working under a timer, and second-guessing each other.