Valve’s popular game, Dota 2, experienced a significant drop in player count today, reaching a new record low of 449,000 concurrent players. This decline raises concerns about the current state of Dota 2.
Games Surpassing Dota 2’s Player Count
Dota 2 concurrent player count drops (Image credit: SteamDB)
Despite being one of Valve’s oldest games on Steam, Dota 2 has been surpassed by many other games in terms of player count multiple times in the past.
Today, a new AAA game, Black Myth: Wukong, has taken the spotlight as the most-played game, surpassing Dota 2’s peak player count. Black Myth: Wukong has reached a peak player count of 2.2 million, while Dota 2’s peak was 1.2 million. Although there’s a significant gap between the two games, Dota 2’s peak count remains impressive.
However, the concern arises when we realize that Dota 2 achieved its peak back in March 2016, eight years ago. Since then, Dota 2 has been unable to reach such high player counts.
Is Dota 2 Losing Its Player Base?
Dota 2 and other games’ all-time peak player counts (Image credit: SteamDB)
The age-old question of whether Dota 2 is dying has resurfaced, especially after it dropped to fourth place in player count. Despite the doubts and worries, Valve has been making efforts to not only sustain Dota 2 but also attract new players.
Their recent shift in development focus from cosmetics to in-game updates has been successful. Changes like Aghanim’s Shard abilities, an expanded map, unique mechanics, and innate abilities have made Dota 2 more engaging and fun while staying true to its roots.
Will Dota 2 Reach Its Peak Player Count Again?
As a long-time Dota 2 player, it’s disheartening to see the average player count at 440K and likely to remain stagnant. Despite the excitement for upcoming events like TI13, new hero introductions, or special events, it’s unlikely that Dota 2 will reach its previous peak player count in 2024 and beyond.
