Dota 2 sees the biggest player count increase in 5 years cover image

Dota 2 sees the biggest player count increase in 5 years

Following the end of TI10 and the new hero release, Dota 2 sees a jolt of player count increase; the biggest we’ve seen since 2016.

The conclusion of October 2021 witnessed a huge player count gain for Dota 2, following the culmination of The International 10. The player count went from 666,838 in September 2021, to 752,482 in October 2021, boasting a 15.26% (59,679) increase. The last time a big jump in player count gain was seen in Dota 2’s client was in February 2019, when Dota Auto Chess, an in-game mod, became a big hit. However, when it comes to genuine Dota 2 numbers, the last big jump was seen all the way back in February 2016. You can find more details below.

Dota 2 achieves the biggest player count Gain since 2016

In October 2021, the highly anticipated Dota 2 championship, TI10 took place in Bucharest, Romania. And as per the annual pattern, Dota 2 sees a rise in player gain due to the grand event. Valve also released the new Dota 2 hero, Marci in late October, which possibly helped the rising number.

The month of October achieved 752, 482 peak players, which has a +15.26% (59,679) player count gain increase from September. In fact, this is also the highest peak player count Dota 2 has seen since May 2020, which had a peak player count of 793,135.

Dota 2 Player Count for October and September 2021.
Dota 2 Player Count for October and September 2021.

Dota Auto Chess brought a +18.74% player increase in Feb 2019

Technically, the last time Dota 2 had a higher gain was in February 2019. At that time, the popular game mod, Dota Auto Chess had roaring success in the community. Although the game was released in January, it gradually blew up and attracted +18.74% (89,162) more players in February. The game even inspired publishers to make their own titles of the same genre such as Dota Underlords by Valve and Teamfight Tactics by Riot Games.

Player count for Dota 2 rises after a Lengthy Period

However, we might want to rule out Dota Auto Chess from this one. Therefore, the latest Dota 2 had such a boost was in February 2016, which saw a +15.85% (97,003) player gain. During that phase of Dota 2, Valve just introduced the Reborn version. Likely due to the release, the player count gradually rose and peaked in February 2016. 

Dota 2 Player Count from September 2015 to February 2016
Dota 2 Player Count from September 2015 to February 2016

The Shanghai Major Group Stage also took place in February, which could be a factor in the player count rise.

The player rise in October is definitely great news for Dota 2. We have yet to see if the number maintains or if we'll see any significant changes in the following months.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates