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For a game that is almost a decade old, Dota 2 still boasts some impressive numbers when it comes to the number of players playing it. In April 2022, there were an average of 450K players continuing to play Dota 2, making the game one of the most popular multiplayer games throughout the world. It is undeniable, however, that Dota 2 has lost a majority of its player base over the past few years, with only a minimal amount of new players joining in.
Arguably the most popular Dota 2 streamer on Twitch, Janne "Gorgc" Stefanovski, explained why the game struggles to attract new players in a recent livestream.
Gorgc: “It is way too complicated, too noob-not-friendly”
In a recent livestream, Gorgc explained that Dota 2 is just not welcoming to new players. “I get why people don’t play Dota 2, I really do. I would never pick up Dota, if I wasn’t early in Dota. Like if I didn’t start ten years ago, I would never pick up Dota right now personally,” he said.
“It is way too complicated, too noob-not-friendly,” he added. “I kind of get it… I am not going to hate on people who don’t play Dota. I would f**king pick up Valorant or Fortnite right away, you know some simple games, Dota is way too complicated. It is for us nerds who have been playing it for a few years now. We’re too pot-committed to get out.”
According to Steam Charts, the average number of people playing Dota 2 has largely remained stable around the 400k to 450k range over the last year. The game is not in danger of dying, but it is also not growing significantly.
However, the esports viewership of the game continues to grow every single year. In 2021, The International 10 became the most viewed Dota 2 tournament in history drawing in an average viewership of 857K and a peak viewership of 2.74M, according to Esports Charts. It is currently the fifth most-watched PC esports tournament in history.
