Is DOTA Still Popular in 2023?

After nearly 10 years since its release in 2013, DOTA 2 remains a favorite among its player base. The game does come with a lot of pluses backing this, particularly the fact that it’s free to play online. The multiplayer RTS is also still receiving exciting updates in 2023, serving as the game’s driving force.

However, the game has been criticized for being a bit too niche and unfriendly toward newer players who are learning the ropes. This has been cited as one reason for a steady decline in active player rates.

With that, is DOTA still popular? Let’s go over the details.

Is DOTA 2 Popular?

At the time of its release, DOTA 2 took the online gaming community by storm. The official website for the game even remarks on player participation, proudly stating that millions of players login every day to enter 5v5 battles as Dota Heroes.

Despite this claim and the organization of upcoming events like the Spring Dota 2 Workshop, the online game is still seeing a decline in active player rates on Steam.

This is not to say that the game is no longer popular, but the decline in player rates does speak for itself when comparing the initial popularity of Dota 2 to its present rates.

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When is the Next DOTA 2 Update?

According to the latest news released on the DOTA 2 website, there is a current workshop that began on March 24, 2023. In this Workshop Call-to-Arms, contributors can create and submit sets for some of their favorite heroes. The end date for all submissions is May 29, 2023.

This follows the Dead Reckoning update that introduced Muerta. However, a date for an upcoming update was not confirmed in the news post.

Despite this, another Workshop Call-to-Arms will launch later this year with a deadline in late August, according to the DOTA 2 team.

While there is a mutual give-and-take between avid players and the team at DOTA 2, it’s likely that an announcement for a hefty update or expansion could help to boost falling player rates.

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