Dota 2 average player count drops by 7.4% in September: what caused the decline

Dota 2's average player count decreased by 7.42% in September 2026 compared to the previous month. According to SteamCharts, the figure dropped to 571,294 players, ending the positive trend seen in recent months.

Several factors may have influenced September's figures, including the conclusion of The International 2026, students returning from their holidays, a lack of new content, and technical issues affecting custom game modes.

In August, the player count increased by 13.12%, potentially driven by heightened interest in the game during the biggest tournament of the year. Following the championship's conclusion, the figure began to decline.

With the end of the holiday season and summer break, many players have less free time. Returning to their usual work and study schedules may also have affected Dota 2's player activity.

Players are also still waiting for the release of the second act of the "Dark Carnival" event. Meanwhile, minor fixes and balance changes do not offer a comparable amount of new content capable of keeping the audience engaged for an extended period.

Custom game servers have become another issue. Since late August, users have been reporting widespread problems that prevented many custom game modes from launching or caused them to run inconsistently. In September, these issues also affected locally hosted game modes, which may have further impacted player activity.

Previously, CyberScore published a detailed article about Outworld Destroyer, one of the strongest midlane heroes in patch 7.41f.