Topson returns – but it’s only to stream Dota 2

Announced via his X account, Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen is making his return to Dota 2, but it is only as a streamer.

On July 17th, many in the Dota 2 community were celebrating as Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen teased his return to the game. While the post merely hinted at it, there was considerable speculation circulating. From some expecting him to rejoin the professional scene, others recalled him being a stand-in at The International, of which the 2025 iteration is fast approaching.

On July 21st, Topson announced his return with another post on X.

Topson is back in Dota 2

Having announced his retirement from professional Dota 2 in September 2024, following The International, Topson would soon find himself in the Finnish Military Service. With the requirement of compulsory service in Finland, the two-time winner of the Aegis of Champions went off to serve his time. However, around 2 months ago, many began seeing Topson’s account show up on DotaBuff, playing alongside some friends.

Since then, he has been in and out of the game, before we had the first tease of his return posted via his X account.

With that, the Dota 2 community was buzzing with where Topson would be playing. With TI 2025 around the corner, some assumed he might be preparing to join a team as a stand-in once again, especially with visa issues often being a problem. However, revealed on July 21st, Topson confirmed that his return was to simply begin streaming the game once more.

While this was a bit anti-climactic, it does confirm that his military service has come to an end, and there is still a chance we see much more of the famed player in the future. It will be interesting to see if Topson is now just getting himself prepped for a possible return to the pro-scene, or if his retirement will stick.