Dota 2 Sees Biggest Player Loss in 32 Months

With regards to Dota 2's player count, it has been a tumultuous few months with positive as well as negative trends. It was a successful November 2022, but the final month of the year did not fare so well in terms of numbers. December 2022 showcased that there were 55,000 fewer players. A drop of this sort was last seen 32 months ago. The last time the game lost more players was in April 2019, when it lost 66,286.9. After a long period of time, Dota 2 had reached an average player base of more than 500,000 in November, but the dip in December pushed it back below that mark.

Dota 2 lost more than 55,000 players in Dec 2022, the most since April 2019

It was a moment of satisfaction for Dota 2 fans to see the game's monthly player count surpass 500,000 in November 2022, but the month of December just concluded and snuffed out that happiness. The average player count dropped from 523,684.1 players in November to 468,545.0 in December, a decrease of 10.53%, according to Steam Charts.

The Peak Player count also dropped to 827,395 in December after enjoying two stellar months in October and November. In October, Valve unveiled 'The International Swag Bag' at the end of the month, leading to a month-long player influx. With this initiative, players were able to receive a level 1 Battle Pass (or 24 levels for Battle Pass owners), a month of Dota Plus, as well as a free Arcana.

As December approached, the excitement began to fade, and Valve did not introduce any similar rewards or game modes as part of its 2022-23 Battle Pass, which may have contributed to the decline. Additionally, the esports circuit also slowed down with little action taking place.

After the teams finished assembling their squads in the first 10 days of December, the curiosity about the rosters ended as well, and except for a BetBoom Xmas Show event featuring some top-tier Eastern and Western European teams, there were no major events to watch.

Overall, 2022 began with a player count of 485,791.4 in January and finished with a monthly count of 468,545.0 in December, indicating no substantial macro movement. The game has been staying around this number for two years now, indicating that although it is not growing, it is also not declining.

The beginning of Division 1 of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2023 in the next month, which also marks the start of a new year, may bring back many of the players that were lost in December. Almost every top team in professional Dota 2 altered their lineup, and since the majority of them will be competing for the first time in their updated versions, there will be a lot of excitement among Dota 2 fans.