Dota 2
Released 9 July 2013 Developer Valve
A team strategy game in which two teams of five each control a powerful hero and fight to destroy the other side's base, buying items and levelling up during the match. It is complex and takes a long time to learn, and is played mostly by teenagers and adults.
Money health
HarmfulChance, compulsion or exploitation
Addictive design
Moderate3 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
FreeSteam (AU)
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
Drug themes, mild horror themes, mild violence (rating shown on the Australian Steam page)
How it makes money
Harmful: chance, compulsion or exploitation
Dota 2 is free to play, every hero is unlocked from the start, and nothing sold affects how well you can play. Valve earns money from cosmetic items, which come mostly from random treasure chests and themed bundles, from The International supporter bundles, and from an optional Dota Plus subscription (A$5.65 a month, less on 6 and 12 month plans). Rare cosmetics can be traded and sold on the Steam Community Market. Spending is entirely up to the player and has no upper limit.
How you pay
- Loot boxes
Treasures (chests) are bought for a chance at random cosmetic sets, including rare 'Immortal' items and Arcana. New York's Attorney General sued Valve in February 2026, alleging loot boxes in Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2 amount to illegal gambling.
- Free-to-play
Free on Steam with all heroes unlocked. Steam's page says everything needed to play is included before the first match, and cosmetics are optional.
- Cash trading
Cosmetic items can be traded between players and sold on the Steam Community Market for Steam Wallet funds. In October 2025 Valve stopped items that are on a trade cooldown from being listed on the Market.
minor part of the game - Cosmetics
Valve sells hero cosmetics, sets, couriers, music packs and event bundles for real money. Wikipedia describes the items as non-gameplay-altering; the Points Shop has 145 items.
- Subscription
Dota Plus is an optional subscription at A$5.65 a month (6% off for 6 months, 12% off for 12) that adds hero levelling, challenges and rewards, a Plus Assistant with item and pick suggestions, and post-game analytics. Everyone can play without it.
minor part of the game
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Skin betting
Dota 2 items have been used on third-party gambling websites; Valve said in 2016 that it would act against those sites under its user agreements and API rules.
minor part of the game - FOMO timers
Events such as the Monster Hunter crossover (November 2025 to 6 February 2026) stop letting players earn progress or craft items when they end, and The International's supporter bundles and predictions are tied to the tournament dates.
minor part of the game - Pity timer
The Trove of Terror treasure (October 2026) says that opening enough treasures guarantees a new Tormentor appearance and opening more guarantees a new Roshan appearance.
minor part of the game
Used to, but no longer
- Battle passremoved
An annual Battle Pass (originally the Compendium) sold during the year crowdfunded The International's prize pool from 2013, and prize pools grew each year to about US$40 million in 2021. Valve has also sold the Dota Plus subscription since its 2018 overhaul, and the 2026 International was supported by supporter bundles (30% of sales to the prize pool) rather than a pass.
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$5.65–A$14.15 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dota 2 Free to play; all heroes included |
Steam (AU) · PC | Free | Oct 2026 |
| Dota Plus Optional; 6-month plan 6% off and 12-month plan 12% off |
Dota 2 (AU) · PC | A$5.65/month | Oct 2026 |
| The Dota 2 Official Soundtrack | Steam (AU) · PC | A$14.15 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
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9.4/ 10
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92/ 100
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9/ 10
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9/ 10
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8.5/ 10
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings & content
What's in it
Content labels
- Drugs & alcoholmoderate
References to, or use of, illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
From ACB descriptors - Violencemild
Fighting, weapons, injury and death, from cartoon bonks to realistic killing.
From ACB descriptors - Horror & fearmild
Scary scenes, jump scares, horror and supernatural themes.
From ACB descriptors
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes), summed up in the content labels above. They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the money badges are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- Text and voice chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
- Needs an online account
- Terms of service minimum age: 13
Matchmade games are played with strangers, with open text chat and voice chat that can be muted, and critics have long described the community as toxic; a 2019 ADL survey cited by Wikipedia found up to 79% of players reported harassment. Valve uses chat restrictions and low-priority matchmaking against reported players. Custom games made by the community are available from the Workshop and are not checked by Valve. Steam's subscriber agreement requires users to be at least 13.
Who makes it
The company behind it, and its track record
- Loot-box action
Loot-box enforcement
Belgian Gaming Commission, April 2018: found paid Counter-Strike: Global Offensive loot boxes were in breach of Belgian gambling law. - Misleading ads
Misleading-marketing action
Federal Court of Australia ordered Valve to pay A$3 million in December 2016 for misrepresenting Australian consumers' refund rights on Steam. - Competition law
Competition-law action
European Commission fined Valve €1,624,000 in January 2021 for geo-blocking PC games; the EU General Court upheld the decision in 2023.
Latest on the record
- Court case
Brazilian first-instance court ordered R$10 million in loot-box damages, subject to appeal
Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Technical Note 55/2026) - Regulator action
New York Attorney General sued Valve alleging its loot boxes are illegal gambling
New York State Attorney General - Court case
UK tribunal allowed £656 million collective claim over Steam pricing to proceed
Competition Appeal Tribunal
A company's history doesn't change this game's money verdict, which rates only how the game itself makes money. About company track records
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | 9 July 2013 | Store page |
| Mac | 18 July 2013 | Store page |
| Linux / Steam Deck | 18 July 2013 | Store page |
Further reading
- Official website
- Dota Plus: price and what it includes
- New York Attorney General sues Valve over loot boxes in Counter-Strike, Team Fortress and Dota (25 Feb 2026)
- Dota 2 on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, www.dota2.com, en.wikipedia.org, api.steampowered.com, ag.ny.gov, store.steampowered.com, www.metacritic.com, opencritic.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.