Twitch game
Dota 2
What it is
Dota 2 is a free five-versus-five online strategy battle game from Valve, where two teams of heroes fight to destroy each other's base. It grew out of a fan-made Warcraft III mod and is now one of the most-watched competitive games on Twitch, with tournaments offering multi-million dollar prizes.
What they actually see
Players pick one hero from over 120 options and spend roughly 40 minutes farming gold, buying items, and pushing lanes of enemy towers alongside four teammates, with fantasy spell effects and stylized cartoon combat. On Twitch, kids watch streamers narrate their own matches or commentators break down pro games with maps, replays, and a live chat scrolling beside the action.
In this one
- Competitive
- Cooperative play
- Long sessions
- Chat with strangers
Why kids love it
It rewards deep knowledge and teamwork in a way few games do, so a kid who learns the heroes feels genuinely skilled and can follow professional matches like a sport.
Worth knowing
The game itself is free and cosmetic-only for purchases, but matches run long, voice and text chat with strangers can get harsh, and Valve sells treasure chests with randomized cosmetic contents.
One way in
Which hero do you actually like playing, and is there one everybody on your team groans about?
The trajectory
From our tracker’s history, refreshed every six hours.
Where it’s charting now
🇫🇮 #9
Best current chart position in each country we watch.
Also moving this week
The Sunday briefing explains what all of this means for your house: join free.