How can Dota 2 do better for esports in 2026?

Valve’s Dota 2 had a great year in 2025. The MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game has attracted a steady viewership in the many tournaments it has been featured in, especially The International, its own esports event. With prize pools almost reaching $3 million, there’s been no better time to get into Dota 2, both as a player or a viewer.

However, for 2026, there’s plenty that Dota 2 can do better for esports. Games like Battlefield 6 and Fortnite are dominating the battle royale genre, as well as VALORANT, Counter-Strike 2, and Overwatch 2, doing the same for free-to-play first-person shooters. But Dota 2 can do a lot for the MOBA genre this year in several ways to reach the next level.

Throughout 2025, Dota 2 never seemed to stop making its mark in esports. The big one was The International, the game’s official tournament, which was held in September in Hamburg, won by Team Falcons in a tense match that earned them a significant portion of the almost $3 million prize pool. The Esports World Cup also hosted matches of Dota 2, with Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes being handed to Team Spirit, Team Falcons, and Parivision.

This year also brought plenty of patches and updates to Dota that changed up the map layout and some Hero balances. Naga Siren and Earthshaker were just some that dominated much of the year, earning an above-average win rate in many matches that helped numerous players. A new hero, Largo, finished off the year in patch 7.40, featuring plenty of attacks to define his frog-like appearance.

With other changes, Dota 2 ultimately evolved over the course of 2025, helping it stay far more relevant in esports thanks to the improvements and its presence in several tournaments. With plenty of welcome balance changes, 2026 begins with Dota 2 in a strong position.

Dota 2’s esports ecosystem is one of the most respected in competitive gaming, and for good reason. Valve’s focus on certain changes and improvements has meant that there’s been no major upset in esports matches, with players relying on certain heroes to dominate certain matches.

However, there are still areas for improvement that Valve can focus on. With so many esports events, including the game’s own, The International, it was difficult to keep track of where Dota 2 was being featured. Valve could help alleviate this by releasing a calendar that can be embedded within the game, focusing on when and where Dota 2 will be featured, complete with links on how to watch the event. Combined with better spacing between events and a clearer tier system, this could also make it easier for new fans to follow Dota 2 in 2026.

There was also the subject of big patches being rolled out just before major esports events. This made plenty of players nervous, as they weren’t sure if their preparation was in vain, due to the chance of some Heroes’ abilities being nerfed or buffed. A better schedule from Valve, informing players of when these patches will be released, could be great for improving communication and providing more preparation before some tournaments.

As we’re expecting teams like Tundra Esports, Team Falcons, and more to be big influences in the esports scene for Dota 2 in 2026, it’s more crucial than ever for Valve to step up the way it communicates new patches that can upend the map and more, as well as bring in new Heroes like Largo.

Finally, much like how we’re hoping for better tools in Counter-Strike 2, it would be great to see something similar for Dota 2 as well. Pro tools like the ability to see greater detail from each team, like Heroes stats, heatmaps for big moments occurring, and potential strategies, as well as potential incentives for viewers to keep watching, could help improve the gap between ranked matches and the esports scene.

Granted, Dota 2 is in a good place already with 2025 in the rear-view mirror. But now, in 2026, the game should be refined, with better communication from Valve, greater tools to help esports events, and more. It’s these points that will help give Dota 2 a better hand for esports events, especially in the MOBA genre.

Dota 2 is one of Valve’s shining franchises, and that’s saying a lot, considering it’s the developer behind the Half-Life series and the Steam storefront. The game’s 2011 debut at The International, in its early state, impressed players even then, and over 15 years later, the game still holds considerable relevance in esports.

But, again, it’s not a revolution that Dota 2 needs for esports this year; it’s refinement. If Valve tweaks its approach to players of all skillsets, as well as giving the tools for esports organisers for where Dota 2 is featured, the game could be an even bigger showcase for how a MOBA game can be at esports tournaments. It’s time for Dota 2 to level up its own game, in order to be an example to others in its own genre, and for esports as a whole.