- 7.41f Gameplay Patch - 15 September 2026
Patch 7.41f is out now and you can check out the patch notes here. In addition, we've recently addressed the following issues: Fixed spot on map near the top Roshan Pit where a hero could hide within the geometry of the cave Fixed being able to mark items for sale that are normally unsellable during their initial sellback period Fixed Tranquil Boots not going on cooldown when disassembled from stash Fixed Bane's Nightmare removing vision from debuff immune targets Fixed Bounty Hunter's Big Game Hunter not granting any bonus gold Fixed Elder Titan's Astral Spirit being able to Echo Stomp while being recalled Fixed Lone Druid's Spirit Bear remaining under the control of the original player when swapping heroes Fixed interaction between Lina's Level 25 Critical Talent and other sources of critical strike Fixed Spirit Breaker's Planar Pocket redirecting Alchemist's Aghanim's Scepter and Moo…
- The International 2026 Grand Champions - 27 August 2026
Congratulations to Team Spirit, Grand Champions at The International 2026. After enduring a challenging year, Team Spirit regained their ultimate form just in time to take a five-game Grand Finals slugfest and claim the Aegis of Champions in Shanghai.Spirit's Group Stage started strong, with 2-0 victories over both Xtreme Gaming and Aurora Gaming. They followed with 2-1 win over Team Liquid that put Spirit just one series win away from qualifying for the main stage. They wouldn't get it. Instead, they served as a stepping stone. First to Team Vision, who dropped Spirit in just two games to secure their own invite to the arena. Next, Nigma Galaxy followed suit, handing Spirit another 0-2 loss to snatch a spot on the main stage and force Spirit into elimination play.Their elimination-round opponent? A scrappy Team Resilience who, despite their lower spot in the standings, had clawed out a…
- 'Dude no joke looks like Hugh Jackman now': The internet is swooning over Gabe Newell's svelte new look at The International - 20 August 2026
Valve honcho Gabe Newell recorded a video to kick off The International 2026, the latest edition of Valve's annual Dota 2 championship tournament, and as noticed by GamesRadar , the reaction to it is pleasingly wholesome... Read more.
- The International Main Event - 19 August 2026
The sixteen best Dota teams in the world spent the last week battling through an intense Group Stage, and now only eight contenders remain. In a matter of hours Team Vision, Team Liquid, Nigma Galaxy, Team Falcons, BoomBoys, Team Spirit, Iron Wing, and Team Yandex will begin the final push to claim the Aegis of Champions as they all fight to be the last team standing at The International 2026.The double elimination bracket that will crown our champions kicks off at SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai on Thursday, August 20 and will culminate in a best-of-five Grand Finals on Sunday, August 23. We congratulate everyone who has made it this far, and we eagerly await the final test.Attending The InternationalIf you're heading to the arena in Shanghai to watch The International live, a flurry of activity awaits you. Check out some of the more important details below.Schedule The Int…
- The International: Streams, Secret Shop, and More - 12 August 2026
It's the final countdown: Players and talent have landed, and all of the pieces are falling into place to make Shanghai the center of the Dota universe for the next two weeks. It's time to finish crafting your fantasy rosters, lock in your first round of predictions, and get ready to tune in because The International 2026 is almost underway.Whether you're looking to watch online, find Dota activities in Shanghai to keep you busy until streams start, or looking for merch you can wear while you're out in Shanghai waiting for games to start, we've got you covered below.The International Group StageSixteen teams have earned the right to compete for the Aegis of Champions in Shanghai, but only eight will face off in the main event. First, they must survive the gauntlet of the Swiss Format Group Stage.Group Stage games begin on Thursday, August 13 and wrap on Sunday, August 16. In that span,…
- Gameplay Patch 7.41e and Summer Scrub - 30 July 2026
{STEAM_CLAN_LOC_IMAGE}/3703047/5179a724ee3987b0b0dab399b9ef2eaba7b2abf4.png The International approaches and we've just released an update that includes predictions, fantasy, supporter bundles, and a chance to prove your skills and win new Immortals and unlock terrains. But that's not all. Today we're also releasing patch 7.41e. Even that's not everything, though. Dota is a complicated game, and while we greatly enjoy the creativity and diligence of the dedicated players who find intricate and absurd bugs, we also like *fixing* those bugs. So today we're also releasing the Summer Scrub, a huge collection of new features as well as fixes for gameplay and content bugs, ranging from Abaddon's taunt to Zeus's Dota Plus challenge. The list is too long for this post, so we made a whole page just to list all the changes.
- The International: Predictions, Fantasy, and Supporter Bundles - 30 July 2026
{STEAM_CLAN_LOC_IMAGE}/3703047/5c825b3d35627bfc4276c013745aa6fd4de935ea.png Nearly a year has passed since Team Falcons hoisted the Aegis of Champions as the final team standing in Hamburg. But that was last year's story, and the time has come to turn our thoughts to Shanghai and the crop of competitors who vie to write the tale of this year. All of their battles have brought them to the precipice. The International is just two weeks away. After a decisive month of intense qualifiers, dominant performances from prior champions, and upset victories from up-and-comers, all sixteen teams have earned their invitations to this year's International. Now it's time for us to extend an invitation to you. We've just released an update featuring this year's TI-themed activities and item bundles. Not sure what that means? Keep reading for a handy guide to all the different ways to participate so yo…
- Dota 2 Update - 7/1/2026 - 1 July 2026
Over the past few days we've made various bug fixes and improvements: Dark Carnival Playing Regular and Turbo games now reward Scrap tickets. 6 Scrap can be traded for a Hero ticket of your choice. Regular games reward 2, Turbo games reward 1. Scrap is rewarded regardless of winning or losing. Seeing Stones can now be earned by playing Co-op Bot Matches on Hard and Unfair difficulties Candyworks now displays if an offered item is already owned The Dark Carnival Hero Filter button now shows a tooltip displaying the ticket requirement for the next reward Fixed the Ticket Trader not working after being unlocked for some players Fixed Ability Draft and cooperative bot matches not granting Tickets Fixed Candy Shop Rerolls granted from the Fortune Teller being capped by the weekly maximum Fixed Pick the Lock area gameplay changing with FPS Fixed Automaton Personas having the wrong hero chat w…
- Dota 2's Dark Carnival has begun, with a huge story chapter and five automaton hero personas - 26 June 2026
At last, weeks of speculation and mystery can finally be put to bed: the Dota 2 Dark Carnival has begun. Valve's latest big event is here, and as many were hoping (myself included), it's a full-scale story campaign in a similar format to 2024's Crownfall. This time, the tale opens with Legion Commander and Hoodwink trapped on board a clanking circus train, imprisoned by the dastardly Ringmaster. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Dota 2's Dark Carnival has begun, with a huge story chapter and five automaton hero personas
- The Dark Carnival - 25 June 2026
{STEAM_CLAN_LOC_IMAGE}/3703047/7942925df6ae43659acf60f2d2ff827461c02485.png Don't you hate it when you wake up in a prison car with no memory of how you got there and, worse, no way to escape, only to discover you've been captured by an evil puppet-man as part of some dark bargain with an ancient world-conquering evil? We've all been there. We're pulling back the curtain on the Dark Carnival, a new ongoing event in the Dota universe. This first part, "Midnight Run", lets you navigate Legion Commander and Hoodwink through a massive, fully-voiced Dota story featuring a spider-legged convoy of deadly robots, heartstopping secrets, and unique rewards. Today's update features five all-new Automaton Personas (mechanical reimaginings of classic Dota heroes with new animations, effects, icons, and more), 20 new hero sets (some in a brand new treasure, and some that can only be earned by explori…
- After mysteriously vanishing from the game, Dota 2's Axe has been 'replaced' by a fake - 25 June 2026
Dota 2 has a new hero - or should that be an old one? It's tough to be sure. If you logged into the Valve MOBA this week, you might have been surprised to find that Axe, one of its longest-standing and most iconic faces, was completely absent from the roster. You couldn't play him, and his spot in the lineup was replaced by the sort of poster you might find asking for help finding a missing person. All of a sudden, however, Axe has returned, just as quickly as he left... but something's not quite right. Read the full story on PCGamesN: After mysteriously vanishing from the game, Dota 2's Axe has been 'replaced' by a fake
- Valve calls out Dota 2 dataminers desperate for Dark Carnival news: "Why are you guys reading our variable names?" - 20 June 2026
Rumors of a new Dota 2 event called Dark Carnival have been swirling among the MOBA's community for several months, with the leading speculation being that Valve is preparing a new, large-scale feature in the vein of 2024's Crownfall. Lately, in-game signs have suggested that something, at least, is on the horizon, and now eager dataminers have dug out a fresh line in the game's code that doubles down on that promise. In response, Valve has promptly changed the wording, turning it into a direct call-out message instead. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Valve calls out Dota 2 dataminers desperate for Dark Carnival news: "Why are you guys reading our variable names?"
- A new Dota 2 update buffs Nature's Prophet and Arc Warden, but everyone's talking about a mysterious Axe 'change' - 5 June 2026
Fresh Dota 2 patch notes have just dropped, and that means the meta will start to creak and shift under the weight of Valve's latest balance adjustments. There are some welcome changes in Dota 2 update 7.41d, along with a few that I'm sure people will question, and even a nice quality-of-life buff. The line that's got people talking, however, is a mysterious footnote for Axe that doesn't appear to have any current meaning. Is it a clue hinting at the next addition to the MOBA? My heart tells me yes. Read the full story on PCGamesN: A new Dota 2 update buffs Nature's Prophet and Arc Warden, but everyone's talking about a mysterious Axe 'change'
- 7.41d Gameplay Patch - 5 June 2026
Patch 7.41d is out now and you can check out the patch notes here. In addition, we've recently addressed the following issues: Fixed Greevils not spawning their equipped effects Fixed Earthshaker's Planetfall Arcana not tracking combos and combo damage properly Fixed right click on Dota Labs Overlay Map not working when "Auto-Repeat Right Mouse" is enabled Fixed Bottle with a stored Rune being able to be moved in and out of the backpack Fixed Harmonizer not considering abilities with charges on cooldown Fixed Elder Titan's Astral Spirit's movement speed not taking Wind Lace into account Fixed Elder Titan's Echo Stomp shard not swapping places with Astral Spirit if he is being moved by another ability when the stomp goes off Fixed Invoker not receiving an Aghanim's Blessing from Alchemist if Alchemist casts Aghanim's Scepter on Invoker when his main inventory is full but the backpack had…
- The International 2026 Ticket Sales - 26 May 2026
In just a few short months, the finest Dota teams in the world will gather in Shanghai to battle for the Aegis of Champions in front of thousands of cheering fans. We've announced the official team invitations, and now we'd like to extend one to you. If you want to be one of those fans cheering live at the arena, it's time to get ready: ticket sales for The International 2026 kick off on June 10th at 2pm China Standard Time. The in-arena action runs from August 20 - 23 at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, with two ticket options available: single-day tickets for any day, or two-day bundles covering Thursday/Friday and Saturday/Sunday. All seating this year will be assigned, with no General Admission options available. Ticket prices vary based on day and section, so check out the full chart of options below: {STEAM_CLAN_LOC_IMAGE}/3703047/eeda1e52cc7d32f4c0db01e2ed4f7ff409a95c4f.png T…
- The International 2026 Invitations and Qualifiers - 26 May 2026
Throughout the year, Dota teams around the world battle to prove themselves worthy of direct invitation to The International — and a chance to compete for the Aegis of Champions on the world's biggest stage. Teams that secure invites can begin to focus on their final preparations, while the remaining contenders face one last chance to fight their way in. Direct Invites With less than three months until we raise the curtains on the big show, we’re excited to extend these seven teams invitations to Shanghai, China to compete in The International 2026: Aurora Gaming Egor "Nightfall" Grigorenko Rafli "Mikoto" Fathur Rahman Wei Shen "Ws`" Chung Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov Oleh "kaori" Medvedok BoomBoys Ilia "Kiritych~" Ulianov Danil "gpk~" Skutin Matvei "MieRo`" Vasiunin Vitalie "Save-" Melnic Vladislav "Kataomi`" Semenov Team Falcons Oliver "Skiter" Lepko Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak Ammar "ATF…
- Dota 2 patch 7.41c is awful news for Batrider and Puck, and keeps Roshan under wraps - 7 May 2026
New Dota 2 7.41c patch notes have arrived to shake up the meta once again, and Valve is bringing some of the most impactful heroes in line with targeted nerfs across the roster. We're still recovering from the grand shakeup of 7.41, which removed Facets from the game altogether, but it feels like the team is honing in on that balancing sweet spot once more. That doesn't mean it's resting easy, with 81 heroes receiving adjustments in the MOBA 's latest update. Here's what you need to watch out for first. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Dota 2 patch 7.41c is awful news for Batrider and Puck, and keeps Roshan under wraps RELATED LINKS: Beloved Dota 2 esports team Heroic has just disbanded, saying it's a "tough game to commercialize" The best Dota 2 options and settings Dota 2 patch 7.41b puts a stop to Meepo's reign of terror as Valve locks in its new meta
- 7.41c Gameplay Patch - 6 May 2026
Patch 7.41c is out now and you can check out the patch notes here. In addition, over the last few days we've addressed the following issues: Fixed illusions not duplicating the correct level of neutral item enchantment Fixed Bloodstone's Bloodpact having a superfluous stack counter Fixed Conjurer's Catalyst getting into a state where it never triggers Fixed Consecrated Wraps having varying sell cost based on how many charges are active Fixed Crella's Crozier Rite of Rumusque healing for more than intended when redirecting heal from targets with other sources of health restoration Fixed Crella's Crozier not working on health regeneration Fixed Crella's Crozier working on overheals Fixed Jidi Pollen Bag's tooltip overstating the damage it deals Fixed Refresher Shard's mana cost not showing on the item icon Fixed Refresher Orb and Refresher Shard sometimes not sharing a cooldown Fixed Abad…
- Beloved Dota 2 esports team Heroic has just disbanded, saying it's a "tough game to commercialize" - 5 May 2026
Dota 2 esports is in an odd place. Once the premier sphere, it's been overtaken by the mammoth that is League of Legends - a beast that isn't showing any signs of slowing down. While Dota 2 remains huge in the East, its Western appeal has started to falter over the years, partly because it doesn't quite have the same content release cadence as other MOBAs , and partly because there's that big shiny thing called 'Deadlock' in the works. We've seen the legendary OG rip out its roster and start all over again, The International 2025's prize pool capped out at a mere $2,881,791 (for context, in 2021 it was $40,018,195), and now, Heroic has confirmed that it's leaving Dota 2 behind. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Beloved Dota 2 esports team Heroic has just disbanded, saying it's a "tough game to commercialize" RELATED LINKS: Dota 2 patch 7.41c is awful news for Batrider and Puck, and keeps…
- The International Team Registration - 4 May 2026
The International is getting closer. After many years, Dota's ultimate proving ground is returning to China and returning to August, which is now just a few short months away. In preparation, we've updated the registration process for any teams interested in participating in The International this year. All interested teams must sign up through the Dota pro team registration site. A manager must first register their team, and then each of the players must join individually. As part of team registration, a team representative must agree with the team participation agreement for this year's event. This agreement requires that teams and players abide by certain rules, including treating their players fairly and equally, and can be viewed during the registration process, as well as here. Teams must complete the registration process by 2pm PDT on Monday, May 18th to be eligible for a direct…
