Dota 2 similar games & best alternatives

Dota 2 - Trailer
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Dota 2

Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2013

Should you play it?

Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has taken on a life of its own.

What works

  • Deep and rewarding gameplay
  • Free-to-play with all heroes available
  • Strong team cooperation and strategy
  • Frequent updates and evolving meta
  • Active esports and community

Things to keep in mind

  • Toxic and harsh community
  • Steep learning curve
  • Long match durations
  • Can negatively impact mental and physical health
  • Frequent updates can be inconvenient

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Wildgate

  • Eternal Return

  • Enemy On Board

  • Empires Mod

  • Awesomenauts

  • Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition

Less dominating

Games that feels like Dota 2 but with less domination over others

  • SUPERVIVE

  • Sirocco

  • Bloodsports.TV

  • Legion TD 2 - Multiplayer Tower Defense

  • Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

  • Crystal Clash

Less competitive

Games that feels like Dota 2 but with less competition against others

  • The Red Solstice

  • Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition

  • Divinity: Original Sin (Classic)

  • Frosthaven

  • Ravenswatch

  • Dungeon Defenders II

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • Team Fortress 2

  • Alien Swarm

  • Dota Underlords

  • Left 4 Dead 2

  • Left 4 Dead

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Dota 2. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Dota 2. These titles are not in What to play next.

Dota 2: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Fellowship, Domination. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Cooperation, Fantasy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Last update: 21/08/2026