Dota 2 is an overall healthy esport, with a thriving professional scene and close to 10 million players. Since February 2024, when the game had one of the lowest points of the last three years, the player base has grown significantly.
In February, Dota 2 had 428.000 average concurrent players. Now it has 486.000. But in May, it had 513.000, experiencing a 12.35% increase compared to April.
To some extent, after such a big increase in the number of average concurrent players, it’s quite normal to see a decline. But Dota 2 is such a good game that it could easily triple its player base if Valve did more to promote it.
Strategies That Have Worked So Far
Dota 2 gains new players after every important tournament. The matches are so exciting to watch, even for newcomers, that they make you want to experience the game yourself.
With most games, it’s easy to start but it’s also easy to get bored. With Dota 2, the start is the most difficult part. This game’s complexity is so high that you cannot possibly understand it without playing at least 400 – 500 games.
The frustration you experience during these games is typically high. Dota 2 is not the friendliest community out there and the game itself will beat you down in a thousand different ways. Not because it’s bugged, but because it enables your opponents to play it in completely unpredictable styles.
But, despite these problems, Dota 2 has preserved its community over the years, oscillating between 8 million and 12 million active players.
Valve
Apart from global tournaments, another marketing strategy that has brought a lot of new players was the Dota-themed anime, called DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. In total, it had three seasons and received a rating of 7.7 on IMDB.
Valve could do more to boost numbers. The problem, however, is that they’re always very busy with many other projects. Last year, the company released CS2. Since then, it’s been heavily involved in improving the game and making it enjoyable after a buggy start.
It’s hard to say when Dota 2 will reach CS2’s numbers in terms of audience. This FPS has a player base of around 20 million and has stood the test of time despite the numerous contenders it had to compete with over the years. For Dota, the only major competitor is League of Legends. But so far, LoL has managed to win by a huge margin.
Header: Valve
