Dota 2: 1,025,362 players at once, the first 1 million peak since 2022

Dota 2 just had a very big week. On 2026-10-10, Steam counted 1,006,804 players at once. One day later, on 2026-10-11, the number grew to 1,025,362 players. These are the highest numbers of the last 20 measured days.

We measure the live count on Steam every 2 hours, and every hour in the afternoon. So the real daily peak can be a bit higher than our highest sample. At 00:33 UTC on 2026-10-21, the newest sample showed 457,935 players. The number goes up and down during every day.

When did Dota 2 last pass 1,000,000 players?

The last month with a peak over 1,000,000 on Steam Charts was October 2022, with 1,038,848 players. So this is the first time in almost four years that Dota 2 has passed one million at once.

Nine of the last 20 days had more than 900,000 players at once. In October 2026 so far, the average daily peak is 890,275. The lowest daily peak this month is 759,368.

How does October 2026 compare with other months?

Last month, September 2026, had an average of 571,294 players and a peak of 919,002. August 2026 was higher, with an average of 617,078 and a peak of 981,123.

So the trend since the summer is up, with a small step down in September.

The same month last year looks lower. In October 2025, the average was 538,998 and the peak was 858,940. The low point of the last 12 months was May 2026, with an average of 422,693 and a peak of 664,213.

1,025,362

Highest count, 2026-10-11

890,275

October 2026 average daily peak

858,940

October 2025 peak

1,291,328

All-time record, March 2016

What happened around the same time?

Around the same time, patch 7.41f came out on 2026-09-15. The newest hero is Largo, who came out on 2025-12-15.

In public games lately, the most played heroes are Pudge with 1,079,251 games, Lion with 970,087 games and Sniper with 788,150 games.

For context, the all-time record is still far away: 1,291,328 players at once in March 2016. The best average month ever was February 2016, with 709,178 players. Want to see what the pros pick now? Read the Dota 2 Pro Meta Report.