Watch Dota 2 Online – Best Streams and Tournaments
Dota 2 is one of the biggest esports out there so it makes sense that fans of pro gaming would be interested in checking it out on as many platforms as possible. Apart from the big tournament broadcasts, there are also many popular streamers worth checking out either to watch high-level gameplay or to figure out the intricacies of the title.
The biggest Dota 2 live stream every year is the broadcast of The International, one of the most prestigious esport events on the calendar with seven-figure prize pools as the culmination of the season’s hard work in the circuit. Apart from their official Twitch channel, the event (as other Valve-sponsored ones) can also be found on steam.tv. The coverage of the different events in the DPC (Dota Pro Circuit) are your next best bet to watch the greatest pros duking it out as part of the eternal war between the Radiant and the Dire on a regular basis. The Dota-specific Twitch channel of the Electronic Sports League (ESL) is also a good one to look at for the bigger events. There are also other resources which list basically every pro game out there: for instance, you can check out the Dota 2 match pages on Rivalry where every Twitch stream is made available alongside their betting odds and options.
Beyond the options mentioned above, you can also find a curated list of Dota broadcasts on TrackDota. For a collection of every Dota 2 livestream broadcasting on Twitch at a given time (which, of course, includes its fair share of pub games and fun content beyond the tryhards and the pros), you can either look at Twitch’s corresponding game directory or LiquidDota’s list of streams. If you want to watch VODs of old classics, Dota 2 Tournaments TV on YouTube is the best place to go for a complete collection: the channel has specific playlists dedicated to each major event so you can easily binge it all without the downtime or the panel discussions. No extra searching required! If you’d like to gain a better understanding of the wider esport scene of Dota 2, its storylines and ongoing dramas, you could do worse than checking out the Rivalry Cooldown, a podcast featuring some of the most popular personalities in the scene.
But wait, there’s more: some of the best educational Dota 2 material and the top Dota 2 content creators can also be found on Twitch: the community around the game is so huge that you can always expect to find great learning material on the platform if you’re still looking to figure out the ins and outs of the game. For instance, US audiences (and anyone else with a strong command of the English language who can manage their streaming hours) have BananaSlamJamma and Purge to enjoy who are explicitly focused on teaching tools and learning experiences. They also produce great YouTube content alongside their regular broadcasts. For top-tier gameplay, how about Wagamama or Arteezy – yeah, that guy from Evil Geniuses! – or perhaps Ben “Merlini” Wu?
That said, here’s a word of friendly advice: Dota 2 is a very complicated game, which is a big part of its appeal. Boasting a hero pool of over 100 different options, the draft phase and the composition of your five-man team can make or break your strategy. A proper understanding of this facet of the game invariably requires some study, and it’s very tough to pick up just based on broadcasts. It’s one thing to watch Dota 2 online – it’s very different to play and learn the important details by osmosis!
