DotA 2 as an esports houses the biggest prize pools in DotA 2 history. Numerous esports games have tried to catch up to the giant but have simply failed. With The International and its several iterations, DotA 2’s winners have been pushed to stardom and riches.
But winning the whole thing is no easy feat. To even play in the tournament, your team must be able to earn enough points throughout the season. And even in the tournament, you are faced with the fiercest competition. But with that said, DotA 2’s tournaments offer the biggest rewards for what you sow. With that said, let’s delve into the biggest prize pools in DotA 2.
10. DotA 2 Asia Championships 2015
image via liquipedia
Date: January 5 - February 9 (2015)
Venue: Shanghai Grand Stage, China
Prize Pool: $3,073,45
1st Place: Evil Geniuses
2nd Place: Vici Gaming
3rd Place: Team Secret
The DotA 2 Asia Championships 2015, better known as DAC 2015, was a tournament based in Shanghai, China. This was organized by Perfect World in collaboration with Valve and resembled the likeness of the biggest DotA 2 tournament in the world, The International.
In a 16-team tournament, from qualifiers to the actual double elimination bracket, DAC 2015 was a blast. 8 teams were invited, while the other eight qualified through a series of qualifiers. With a prize pool of $3,073,451, the tournament can say its thanks to the millions of fans who contributed to the prize pool. The tournament concluded with EG being the victor.
9. The International 12
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Date: October 10 - 29 (2023)
Venue: Seattle Convention Center’s Summit and Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
Prize Pool: $3,380,455
1st Place: Team Spirit
2nd Place: Gaimin Gladiators
3rd Place: LGD Gaming
The latest TI, The International 12, is the concluding tournament of the season that took place in Seattle Washington. In a tournament featuring 20 teams, TI 12 consisted of out-of-this-world plays, strategies, and epic moments. The tournament, despite its lackluster prize pool, still brought out the best of the game. Team Spirit became the 2nd two-time wielder of the Aegis of Champions.
Despite being the latest TI in a long line of ancestors, TI 12 had one of the lowest prize pools in recent years due to player base dissatisfaction with the TI 12 Compendium. Added to the fact that the game’s popularity has declined in recent years, the player base contribution tanked and TI 12’s prize pool found itself as a shell of its former self with an amount of $3,380,455.
8. The International 4
image via ign
Date: July 18 - 21 (2014)
Venue: KeyArena, Seattle
Prize Pool: $10,931,105
1st Place: NewBee
2nd Place: ViCi Gaming
3rd Place: Evil Geniuses
TI 4 had one of the most questionable formats of any TI. It consisted of 11 directly invited teams, 4 from qualifiers, and a final one from the winner between the second-place finishers in each of the regions. The tournament was played in patch 6.81b only a few patches away from TI 3.
With a prize pool of $10,931,105, TI 4 saw a huge growth as compared to TI 3’s prize pool. With a growing player base and a valuable Compendium, the contributed prize pool amount skyrocketed and paved the way for future TI’s to have greater prize pools. The Compendium for TI 4 was the second installment of the item which allowed players to contribute to the tournament’s prize pool. With a Newbee victory concluding the event, the win continued the pattern of TI winners. It was something like China VS. the world. Either of them would win but not consecutively.
7. The International 5
image via redbull
Date: August 3 - 6 (2015)
Venue: KeyArena, Seattle
Prize Pool: $18,429,613
1st Place: Evil Geniuses
2nd Place: CDEC Gaming
3rd Place: LGD Gaming
The International 5 was held in Seattle for its fourth consecutive year, hosting it to around 17,000 people. With a 16-team event, the format was considerably different than the previous year’s. 2 groups of 8 teams each battle it out in their respective groups, and the top 4 from each group would go on to the main stage.
EG was able to secure a 3-1 victory over CDEC, creating one of the most iconic plays, the 6 Million Dollar Echo Slam. With this, they claimed their prize of $6,634,661 from a prize pool of $18,429,613, $7,498,508 greater than the previous TI. The increase is attributed to the growing player base and insanely-worth rewards from the Compendium of that year.
6. The International 11
image via esports.gg
Date: October 15 - 30 (2022)
Venue: Suntec Singapore and Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore
Prize Pool: $18,930,775
1st Place: Tundra Esports
2nd Place: Team Secret
3rd Place: Team Liquid
The International 11 was the second TI to be held after the COVID-19 Pandemic. The format for the seeding still remains similar to previous tournaments. Points would be the basis upon which teams would be invited, and these 12 teams would be directly in the tournament. 6 more will join through qualifiers and 2 will be accepted from the last chance qualifier.
TI 11 was held in Singapore, a city filled with passionate DotA 2 players. The Battle Pass contained so many unique rewards for this year that players just had to get them. With Valve’s and the player base’s own contribution, the prize pool for TI 11 amounted to $18,930,775. Due to some issues regarding the Battle Pass worthiness and its late release, it’s clear as day as to why the prize pool seems smaller than the previous TI’s prize pool.
5. The International 6
image via dota2.replays
Date: August 3 - 13 (2016)
Venue: KeyArena, Seattle
Prize Pool: $20,770,460
1st Place: Wings Gaming
2nd Place: Digital Chaos
3rd Place: Evil Geniuses
Continuing the meteoric rise of DotA 2’s fame and its prize pool, TI 6 stomps ahead with a prize pool of $20,770,460. The huge event was hosted in Seattle, Washington in the famous KeyArena. This was the last TI with a 16-team format.
In this TI, a two-group group stage was utilized. A round-robin format was used in the group stage, wherein the top 4 from each group were placed in the upper bracket while the others were placed in the lower bracket. Digital Chaos lost to Wings Gaming in the upper round 1, placing the former team in the lower bracket. They then met again in the finals of TI 6 where Wings Gaming stomped the competition and took the Aegis of Champions for themselves.
4. The International 7
image via hotspawn
Date: August 7 - 12 (2017)
Venue: KeyArena, Seattle
Prize Pool: $24,787,916
1st Place: Team Liquid
2nd Place: NewBee
3rd Place: LGD.Forever Young
With a new TI, comes a new format and structure. The International 7 now catered to 18 teams eager to win the Aegis and the gigantic cash prize. Each group had 9 teams and were supposed to battle it out between themselves. The top 4 in each group would advance to the upper bracket, the next 4 would be placed in the lower bracket, while the last placed team would be eliminated.
TI 7 also offered some exciting events for the viewers. Cosplay events and matches against extremely difficult AI took a part of the spotlight from players. But with a staggering prize pool of $24,787,916, the main event stole the show. Team Liquid faced off against Newbee in the finals. With the very first 3-0 sweep in TI finals history, Team Liquid claimed the Aegis and an $11 million prize.
3. The International 8
image via esportstales
Date: August 20 - 25 (2018)
Venue: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
Prize Pool: $25,523,177
1st Place: OG
2nd Place: PSG.LGD
3rd Place: Evil Geniuses
The International 8 was perhaps one of the most dramatic and exciting TI’s to ever come. It was full of stories, sportsmanship, lost friendships, and perseverance. The tournament’s winner, OG, was the star of the show. Still using an 18-team format, TI 8 started off on a high note. Even with OG’s new and ragtag team, they still managed to pull off one of the greatest Cinderella runs in the history of TI.
With a prize pool of $25,523,177, TI 8 showed DotA 2’s unwavering growth through the support of its player base. The growth of the prize pool has never stunted in recent years and still shows signs of never slowing down. And with an explosive 5-game series in the finals to top it all off, DotA 2 looked unstoppable.
2. The International 9
image via indogamers
Date: August 20 - 25 (2019)
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai
Prize Pool: $34,330,068
1st Place: OG
2nd Place: Team Liquid
3rd Place: PSG.LGD
With Valve releasing better and newer rewards for its Battle Pass such as the Collector’s Cache II, cheaper level-ups, and chests, the prize pool skyrocketed to an insanely high new record. After the dust had settled, the prize pool for the 9th iteration of one of the biggest gaming events in the world reached $34,330,068.
As OG dominated the previous TI, they did so again but with more confidence than ever before. They graced through the group stage and upper bracket, beating PSG.LGD one more time to face Team Liquid in the finals. With a very convincing 3-1 win, OG took the Aegis one more time, proving that TI 9 wasn’t a fluke. At the end of the tournament, OG was the first team to win TI twice.
1. The International 10
image via cyber.esports
Date: October 7 - 17 (2021)
Venue: Arena Națională, Bucharest
Prize Pool: $40,018,195
1st Place: Team Spirit
2nd Place: PSG.LGD
3rd Place: Team Secret
TI 10 was one full of doubts and uncertainty. With the COVID-19 pandemic looming in the background, the event was postponed until the following year 2021. But despite the extremities surrounding the event, with more added content and extensions for the Battle Pass, TI 10 was able to achieve a record-breaking $40,018,195.
But this insanely huge amount of money just lay there until the following year, 2021, came. With a quest for a 3-peat, OG was unsuccessful with its new roster. PSG.LGD and Team Spirit went head-to-head in the finals, just for PSG.LGD to lose in a 5-game series again. Despite the fact that the event was held behind closed doors at the Arena Națională in Romania instead of the originally planned Avicii Arena in Sweden, TI 10 was surely one to watch.
