Win.gg
Dota 2
Dota 2 now has a surrender option, but only if you do this Dota 2 now has a surrender option, but only if you do this
Dota 2 finally has a surrender option, but there’s a catch to it.
Valve shipped a major update for Dota 2 on July 6, but it wasn’t a balance patch. A massive overhaul to matchmaking has been implemented that overhauls the experience for those who play in parties. This is exclusively available to full parties of five players, so those who solo queue will have to continue suffering through games long after they’ve been decided.
“We think Dota is best played as a group with friends. To encourage this style of play we’re introducing a few experimental changes with the patch today to improve overall match quality for these kinds of games,”
the update reads.
Alongside the addition of a surrender option, matchmaking has been tweaked to improve queue times. Ranked matchmaking has exclusively matched full parties against each other in recent months but that will no longer be the case as “full parties are now permitted to match against any valid opposing team.”
How to surrender in Dota 2
Players in a full party can surrender by typing “gg” in all-chat after 30 minutes. After typing “gg,” a timer will pop up to allow players on the surrendering team to cancel this. This feature has been available in private lobbies for some time now, but hasn’t ever been used in official matchmaking.
Only players in a full party can surrender. Those who are in a smaller party cannot initiate a surrender vote and will be forced to play the game out to its conclusion. Though games can be decided much sooner than 30 minutes, this should still make for a massive improvement to the game experience.
A surrender option has long been a point of contention within the Dota 2 fan base. Though surrendering is a normal part of almost every other major MOBA in existence, it hasn’t been a part of Dota 2 at any point. Fans have been divided over whether this is to the game’s benefit or whether it
contributes to the game’s toxicity.
The addition of a surrender option is labeled as an “experimental” change, so it may not be around to stay. This is still a huge change that could one day lead to a surrender option in all games.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
View full profile
Read Also
Dota 2
ESIC hand down ruling in EWC Dota match-fixing case: Lifetime ban for coach as DarkMago gets a nickel
Michael Hassall
South American Dota 2 player Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera will be banned for five years from competitive Dota 2, with his coach Juan "Vintage" Angulo banned permanently, following the results of an The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) investigation. ESIC handed down the findings and rulings from its investigation into match-fixing allegations leveled at members of South American Dota 2 team PlayTime during the Esports World Cup on Sep. 10, in a ...
News
Polystrike Turns a Dota 2 Mod Into a Standalone Tactical Shooter
Hannan Mundia
After the community-made mod found success within the community, developer and publisher Robin Entertainment has decided to turn Polystrike into a proper standalone game. Community-made mods of games finding success within the respective game’s community is nothing new. However, only a handful of those mods are able to go on and become a standalone game. One of the more recent examples is The Forgotten City, which started as a mod ...
Dota 2
Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions
Michael Hassall
Team Spirit has defeated TEAM VISION in the grand finals of TI15, The International 2025. In a full five-game series on Aug. 23, Spirit pulled out all the stops and narrowly defeated an incredible VISION team in a back-and-forth series in Shanghai, China. With Spirit’s victory, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov become the first ever three-time TI champions, and Team Spirit becomes the first ever organization to lift ...
Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions
Michael Hassall
The International 2026, TI15, has reached its final day, and just three teams remain in the fight for the Aegis of Champions. With the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come, everything comes down to one final day of Dota 2 action. The lower bracket finalists will first battle for the right to reach the main event’s final series, while the winner will advance to face the upper-bracket ...
Dota 2
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title
Michael Hassall
The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...
Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions
Michael Hassall
The Group Stage of The International 2026, TI15, is in the books and we’ve whittled down 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams to just eight finalists. One of these talented lineups will be the ones lifting the Aegis of Champions come Sunday, Aug. 23, but until then, there’s plenty of playoff shenanigans that could go on. Below we’ve put together a preview of the upcoming Playoff Games, along ...
News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027
Ben Boland
The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
