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Dota 2 in 2025: The good, the bad, and the ugly
For every comeback story and long-awaited resurgence, there’s a region quietly collapsing under its own weight. For every promising new roster, there’s an organization closing its doors, a player packing for Europe, or a scandal that spills far beyond the server.
2025 had all of it.
Ecosystems thinned, financial realities caught up to old ambitions, and the ugliest parts of the competitive scene refused to stay behind closed doors.
Without further ado, here's a quick look at the good, the bad, and the ugly for 2025.
The Good
Not everything fractured this year. Some stories reminded us why we keep watching.
OG's resurgence
Some corners of the scene are rediscovering their spark. Historic names are clawing their way back into relevance, long-dormant regions are showing signs of life, and once-familiar players are reappearing where few expected them.
Once synonymous with impossible runs and unshakeable belief, OG spent the last couple of years drifting from its identity. But in 2025, despite more than 50 roster changes, the organization finally stabilized — and ended the year on a high note by committing to a Southeast Asian roster.
The SEA roster has delivered something elusive for the iconic brand: results and momentum. It’s as much a win for the region as it is for the org. Since OG’s entry, SEA has finally cracked consistent top-eight finishes again — not just surviving, but competing.
New teams rising
For what has felt like ages, the same teams —Tundra, Falcons, Liquid, Spirit — seemed to dominate the headlines and horde the trophies. Now some new contenders are stealing the spotlight.
With their return to topflight Dota 2, MOUZ has had some amazing tournaments so far. PGL Wallachia Season 6 would see them make a glorious run to reach the grand finals and raise the trophy after besting Team Spirit 3:2.
It was the biggest underdog story at PGL Wallachia Season 6.
MOUZ's rise comes with another unexpected pleasant surprise. Yeik "MidOne" Nai Zheng has returned to competitive play under the MOUZ banner after nearly two years out of the spotlight.
Team Yandex has just wrapped up 2025 in the best way imaginable, with a trophy in their hands. Their stunning championship run at DreamLeague Season 27 was the organisation’s first Tier 1 victory, for most of the roster.
Their entire Dota 2 journey is barely six months old. It all began in June 2025, when they signed the Cyber Goose stack led by scene veteran Alexey "Solo" Berezin.
And then for the dire-hard, original fans that have been around Dota 2 since its inception there is NAVI. It isn’t a full renaissance, but it’s no longer just an act of nostalgia. NAVI are back in conversations that matter, making incremental progress and appearing in Tier 1 events — on and offline.
The Bad
As expected, Dota 2 had its share of bad days. Unfortunately, most of it revolved around the warning signs everyone saw coming but did nothing about.
And no one suffered more than NA Dota.
By the end of 2025, North American Dota had effectively vanished from the Tier 1 landscape. Wildcard released their roster. Shopify Rebellion are gone. Essentially all of the NA organisations have left the chat.
Although GamerLegion did pick up the Apex Genesis roster, the organisation itself is based in and from Germany.
It isn't just the orgs that packed up. It is the players too. 2025 saw the last of the heartbeats of NA, Tal "Fly" Aizik and Kanishka "BuLba" Sosale, head east to compete in Europe under the Virtus.pro banner.
It isn't just an NA problem. SEA has been bleeding out as well. BOOM Esports officially shut down its Dota 2 division, marking a bittersweet conclusion to an eight-year journey that cemented its legacy as a regional powerhouse and talent incubator. Talon also exited around the same time. Both teams underscoring sustainability as a more global issue.
The region has always struggled to maintain a consistent Tier 1 presence. A lack of reliable pathways from Tier 2 to Tier 1, combined with top-heavy prize distribution, leaves little room for growth — and sponsors don’t stay where stability doesn’t exist.
The Ugly
And then there were the parts that should have just stayed offline. But didn't. Their toxicity and negativity seeped through into the scene to make headlines.
The Gaimin Gladiators implosion
According to a report by Richard Lewis, Gaimin Gladiators have officially sued four of their Dota 2 team members. The Canadian organisation filed the lawsuit in the Ontario court system, asking for 7,500,000 Canadian dollars in damages.
Gaimin Gladiators' drama became public once the organsiation decided to withdraw the team from The International 2025 in August 2025.
The debacle has overshadowed the team's performance and results including that three of the players carried the GG banner in two TI finals for two years consecutively, 2023, 2024 and also won the Esports World Cup title in 2024 with the organisation.
South America's public unraveling
If the old adage "No publicity is bad publicity" is true, then Peruvian Dota is at the top of their game.
Paternity tests, internal conflicts and interpersonal drama thrust the region into the spotlight for reasons far removed from the game itself.
David “Parker” Nicho Flores was removed from Peru Rejects for a series of internal conflicts and erratic behavior — including falling asleep during matches.
But even more shocking was the drama surrounding Steven "Stinger" Vargas and Crhistian "Pakazs" Savina. It stemmed from confirmation that Stinger was not the father of his seven-month-old daughter. Pakazs is. And this all unfolded on national tabloid TV.
Dota 2 isn’t just a game. It’s the people, the pressure, and the stories that unfold between patches and prize pools. The triumphs, the failures, and the moments that go uncomfortably public.
2025 is in the books. 2026 is unwritten. And if this year proved anything, it’s that Dota will never run out of stories — only new ways to tell them.