About Dota 2
Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena game developed and published by Valve. Players join a team and each controls a single hero chosen from a roster of more than a hundred, with matches played against opposing players around the world. In the standard format two teams of five compete to destroy the other side's base structure, known as the Ancient. The game is free to play.
Each hero has its own abilities and role, and teams combine them to push lanes, contest objectives and win fights. Dota 2 is a proprietary title distributed and updated online through Valve's Steam platform, and matches run on servers operated by the publisher rather than on hardware you host yourself.
Key features
- Team-based battles between two sides
- Roster of over a hundred heroes
- Hero-specific abilities and roles
- Online matchmaking against players worldwide
- Free to play
Good fit for
- →Playing organized team matches with friends
- Tags
- moba
- multiplayer
- pc-game
- free-to-play
- valve
- team-based
Dota 2: questions and answers
- What is Dota 2 used for?
- Dota 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game from Valve in which teams of players each control one of over a hundred heroes. It is a good fit for playing organized team matches with friends.
- Is Dota 2 free?
- Yes. Dota 2 is free to use.
- Is Dota 2 open source?
- No. Dota 2 is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Games & Emulation category, open-source options include Proton, OpenTTD and Sunshine.
- What are some alternatives to Dota 2?
- Dota 2 competes with League of Legends.
Open-source alternatives to Dota 2
See all
Proton
Games & Emulation
Compatibility tool for Steam Play based on Wine and additional components
OSS★ 33k
OpenTTD
Games & Emulation
OpenTTD is an open source simulation game based upon Transport Tycoon Deluxe
OSS★ 8.3k
Sunshine
Games & Emulation
Self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight.
GPL-3.0vs GeForce NOW★ 42k
RPCS3
Games & Emulation
PlayStation 3 emulator and debugger
GPL-2.0★ 20k
Moonlight
Games & Emulation
GameStream client for PCs (Windows, Mac, Linux, and Steam Link)
GPL-3.0vs GeForce NOW★ 19k
Lichess
Games & Emulation
♞ lichess.org: the forever free, adless and open source chess server ♞
AGPL-3.0vs Chess.com★ 19k
SaaS alternatives to Dota 2
See all
League of Legends
Games & Emulation
Team-based multiplayer online battle arena game from Riot Games
SaaS
Counter-Strike 2
Games & Emulation
Competitive tactical shooter from Valve
SaaS
Apex Legends
Games & Emulation
Free-to-play hero shooter battle royale from Respawn and EA
SaaS
VALORANT
Games & Emulation
Tactical team-based shooter from Riot Games
SaaS
World of Warcraft
Games & Emulation
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game from Blizzard
SaaS
Fortnite
Games & Emulation
Battle royale and creative game from Epic Games
SaaS
