How many people play Dota 2 in 2023?

Dota 2 is one of the ancient titles in the gaming world with its roots tracing back to 2003. It is a game of nostalgia, but it is still (very much) alive in 2023. So how many people are actually still playing this game? And is it true what some in the Dota 2 community are parroting.. is Dota 2 a dead game? Let's find out all about the Dota 2 player count below!

In August 2023, Dota 2 reached 855, 495 Peak Players. This makes August the best-performing month in 2023 so far, likely due to the consistent updates by Valve and the upcoming Compendium. The average number of players in August is also the highest of the year, reaching 444,319 players.

This player count has been the norm for Dota 2 in the past few years. Dota 2 has had an average number of players of 400K since around 2020. However, there have been rare instances where it drops to below 400K or even surged to 500K.

Dota 2 had its glorious days of immense traction. From January 2016 to February 2017, Dota 2 maintained one million Peak Players. The games reached its highest-ever Peak Players in March 2016 with 1.29 million players.

This was around the time that Dota 2 Reborn - a game-changing overhaul - arrived in Dota 2. This was also when the Dota 2 Majors were hot in action with back-to-back iconic events such as the Shanghai Major, Manila Major, and the Boston Major.

The month when Dota 2 witnessed the highest-ever Peak Players (March 2016) was also the month when the Shanghai Major took place in China. It is touted as one of the most disastrous Valve Major which ironically could have led to more traction in the game.

Now on to the more serious question.

For a lot of old school gamers, Dota 2 seems like it's dwindling down. On top of a decreased and stagnant player base when compared to the 2016 era, Valve's lack of communication in the past few years also led to the belief that Dota 2 is dying.

The term "dead game" has been uttered countless times in the community. But is it truly dead?

Dota 2 has long been one of the top games in the world. And it remains so until today. On Steam, it is the second most-played video game, just behind the FPS (first-person-shooter) juggernaut, CS:GO. It maintains a passionate player base which is steadily ahead of newer and popular games like Apex Legends and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS.

The game has also been receiving consistent updates recently, both inside and outside of the game. Valve is also renewing its Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) system with an aim to make it more enjoyable for players and fans in the next season.

In short, Dota 2 is not dying or dead. However it is apparent that the gaming and esports industry has grown multifold since the past few decades. And competition is undoubtedly growing fast.

We will update the Dota 2 player count for next month. Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Dota 2 news!