paiN Gaming is a Brazilian esports organization founded in 2010 by former professional WarCraft III: DotA player Arthur PAADA Zarzour. The club is considered one of the oldest and most well-known brands in Latin America.

The organization’s first DotA roster was formed after players from the GameWise and CNB teams joined forces. It included Michael r22 Fong, Júnior Sune Pereira, Danilo KINGRD Nascimento, Mariano GrentxD Lages, and Arthur PAADA Zarzur himself.

Already in its first year, the team began competing regularly in international tournaments and soon transitioned to Dota 2 with its core roster intact.

2011–2016

The early years for paiN Gaming were marked by constant roster changes. At that time, South America did not yet have its own slots for major tournaments, so local teams had to compete not only against each other but also against teams from North America.

During this period, the club’s main achievements were victories at several local tournaments, including X5 Mega Arena and Brasil Game Cup.

Despite numerous changes and successful performances at regional tournaments, the team failed to qualify for The International, and after yet another unsuccessful qualification attempt, management decided once again to rebuild the roster.

2017–2018

In late 2017, paiN Gaming assembled a roster that many still consider the strongest in the history of Brazilian Dota 2. It included William hFn Medeiros, Alivi w33 Omar, Octavio tavo Gabriel Silva, Danilo KINGRD Nascimento, and Heitor Duster Pereira.

It was this roster that brought the organization the most recognition outside of South America. The team competed at EPICENTER XL, the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2018, Dota Summit 9, and a number of other major international tournaments.

In the spring of 2018, paiN Gaming took third place at ESL One Birmingham 2018 and second place at World Electronic Sports Games 2017, which was one of the best results achieved by South American teams at that time.

A few months later, the team qualified for The International 2018 by advancing through the South American open and closed qualifiers.

Despite a disappointing performance at TI8, it is this particular roster that is most often remembered when discussing the golden age of paiN Gaming. However, immediately after the championship, the entire roster moved to Digital Chaos.

2019–2020

After The International 2018, the organization assembled new rosters several times, building around young players from the region.

They were unable to replicate their previous success, and in March 2019, the club signed the Butterfly Effect roster, which included Leonardo Mandy Viana da Guarda, Rodrigo Lelis Santos, Thiago Thiolicor Cordiero, Anderson 444 Santos, and Adriano 4dr Machado, who had previously spent several years with paiN Gaming.

However, the team failed to achieve significant results. Over the course of two years, the team placed second at DOTA Summit 10 and occasionally qualified for major tournaments, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

A year later, management decided to leave the professional Dota 2 scene, disbanding the roster.

2026

After a six-year hiatus, paiN Gaming made a surprise return to the scene by signing the Peru Rejects roster, consisting entirely of Peruvian players.

Part of this “new era” included David Parker Niho Flores, Gonzalo DarkMago Erreira, Frank Frank Ayala, Elvis Scofield De la Cruz Peña, and Elstin Elmisho Brian Verde Hurtado.

Juan David Vintage Angulo Nijo, who previously worked with Evil Geniuses, BOOM Esports, M80, and OG.LATAM, became the team’s coach.

In late February, a conflict arose within the roster involving Parker, after which he was replaced by Máximo Wits Orozco.

However, Tags' return was short-lived. Just a few months later, the organization announced once again that it was leaving Dota 2 and disbanding the roster.

Their only results during this time were a victory at the Tier 2 tournament CCT Season 2 Series 8 and unsuccessful performances at DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham 2026.