Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 496 sampled Steam reviews (385 positive / 111 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
Positive reviews don't converge on specific aspects.
What negative reviews complain about
- Multiplayer & servers14% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
62%
13 reviews
5-15h
28%
18 reviews
15-40h
87%
83 reviews
40-100h
98%
129 reviews
100h+
69%
253 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 91 | 5 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 90 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 81% | 74 | 2442 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 67 | 45 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 68% | 65 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 1, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 45117 total reviews in window · weighted 192.7 up / 89 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (32)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“Dota 2 is a great game that has a price to quality ratio set somewhere around infinity. Beginners are screwed at first, but eventually they will discover a new, extremely satisfying level of gameplay. Dota 2 is an amazing game because of its strategic depth, constantly varying games, and established highly competitive scene. This game generates challenges both for the casual and the more serious player.”
read full review ↗ - 93
“Dota 2 has its claws dug well and truly deep within me... I have a hard time imagining anything due for release in the next few years will eclipse Dota 2 in my mind's eye.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“All of which makes Dota 2 an absurd video game to try to recommend. Being the largest and most immediately open MOBA, with Valve showcasing its talent for rewarding and fostering a community, it demands and offers more than literally any game I can think of. It's almost more comparable to basketball than most commercial games. Something utterly opaque bearing no endgame, but that could happily fill every waking second of your life.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Those who choose to commit to Dota 2 will find many happy hours within this immaculate update.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Gaming’s ultimate eSport gets a well-considered makeover by the masters at Valve, although new ideas, and fixes for old problems, are currently thin on the ground.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“There's a steep, daunting learning curve, but DOTA 2 offers one of the most rewarding game experiences you can find on PC today. [Sept 2013, p.80]”
- 90
“A deep and rewarding competitive game that becomes something special when taken on in the company of others.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It's an amazing game - technically outstanding, showing all of Valve's usual polish and attention to detail, especially in the all-important multiplayer aspects. The continual balance tweaks and new heroes combined with the vast amount of content in the game offer countless hours of enjoyment. It's hard to master but good wins with your teammates are incredibly satisfying. It took me a long time to warm up to, but I'm helplessly addicted and every day look forward to getting home to fire this up with my friends. If you can spare the time - play it.”
read full review ↗ - 94
“But once you start to learn its secrets, there’s a wild and exciting variety of play here that’s unmatched, even by its peers. It’s a challenge of knowledge as well as reflexes, and success is a rush.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A strategic adrenaline rush, but the graphics are dated and the learning curve is steep.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Dota 2 is so carefully constructed and improving at such a rapid rate that it won’t only be played for years, but possibly decades. Though it may take dozens of hours to learn, players that grasp Dota 2’s ideas will find a game that’s almost endlessly enjoyable.”
read full review ↗ - 86
GRYOnline.pl
VGChartz
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Metro GameCentral
PC Gamer
AusGamers
IGN
GameTrailers…and 20 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Gameplay Patch 7.41e and Summer ScrubJul 30, 2026
- Dota 2 Update - 7/1/2026Jul 1, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.41d Gameplay PatchJun 5, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.41c Gameplay PatchMay 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.41b Gameplay PatchApr 7, 2026
- Dota 2 Update - 3/31/2026Mar 31, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.41a Gameplay PatchMar 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.41 Gameplay PatchMar 24, 2026
- Dota 2 Update - 1/30/2026Jan 30, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.40c Gameplay PatchJan 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- 7.40b Gameplay PatchDec 23, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Introducing Largo and Patch 7.40Dec 16, 2025
- Dota 2 Update - 10/09/2025Oct 9, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- 7.39e Gameplay PatchOct 2, 2025
- Dota 2 Update - 8/28/2025Aug 28, 2025
- Dota 2 Update - 08/22/2025Aug 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 08/08/2025Aug 7, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- 7.39c Gameplay PatchJun 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- 7.39b Gameplay PatchMay 29, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- 7.38c Gameplay PatchMar 27, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 3/19/2025Mar 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- 7.38b Gameplay PatchMar 4, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 2/21/2025Feb 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 12/5/2024Dec 6, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 12/3/2024Dec 3, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- 7.37e Gameplay PatchNov 20, 2024
- Dota 2 Update - 11/12/2024Nov 13, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 11/8/2024Nov 9, 2024
- 7.37d Gameplay PatchOct 3, 2024
- 7.37c Gameplay PatchAug 28, 2024
- 7.37b Gameplay PatchAug 14, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update - 8/2/2024Aug 3, 2024
- Update 7.37 Is HereJul 31, 2024
- 7.36c Gameplay PatchJun 25, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- 7.36b Gameplay PatchJun 6, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- 7.36a Gameplay PatchMay 27, 2024
- Update 7.36 and Crownfall Act IIMay 23, 2024
- Dota 2 Update - 4/22/2024Apr 23, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Dota 2 Update 3/28/2024Mar 28, 2024
…and 10 earlier patch announcements.