Win.gg
Dota 2
Valve issues another massive wave of bans in Dota 2 Valve issues another massive wave of bans in Dota 2
Valve is continuing its efforts to improve the overall Dota 2 experience by banning out offending accounts from the game.
The company announced on the
official Dota 2 Twitter account
that more than 40,000 accounts have been banned for “abusing matchmaking.” This was followed by a policy change where these bans are being handled as a game ban on the Steam accounts of the users, rather than a matchmaking ban in Dota 2.
Though “abusing matchmaking” is a fairly vague way to describe the infractions that led to the bans, almost all signs point to it being related to boosters. Dota 2 players can turn to a friend or use paid services to raise the MMR of their accounts, allowing them to illegitimately be ranked more highly. This has a negative impact on the in-game experience, especially at higher levels, as players can find themselves playing against opponents that don’t otherwise belong in that skill pool.
This wave of bans isn’t nearly as large as some of the others that have come through over recent months, but it shows that Valve is still actively working on improving the Dota 2 experience.
With Dota 2 player count in decline, Valve works frantically
While The International 2019 wowed Dota 2 fans with its massive prize pool, the player base for the game has been in a free fall ever since. The game
hit historic player count lows
in December. Time hasn’t helped those troubles either, with January dropping even lower.
Though Dota 2’s peak player has had a number of peaks and valleys over the years, the game had been generally stable since 2014.
2019 saw a precipitous decline following a boom in the spring surrounding Dota Auto Chess. Because Dota 2’s player count tends to be highest in the winter, it’s easy to wonder if things are set to decline even further as 2020 progresses.
Valve seems to share these concerns. In September, Valve kicked off a series of changes to the game that included a
significant matchmaking update
and
sweeping bans of players
with low behavior scores and others suspected of account sharing. Matchmaking has received a number of updates in the months since and the pro scene is set to be
given a significant overhaul.
Valve undoubtedly hopes these changes will help turn things around.
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 ...
