Dota 2’s International 10 hits $25m prize pool after smashing record

The prize pool for Dota 2’s premier annual event, the International, has reached $25 million after a record-breaking period which saw the biggest one-day gain in TI history.

The International 10 does not currently have a scheduled date, after the ongoing global health pandemic forced Valve to postpone it from its original August 18-23 running dates.

That hasn’t stopped fans from doing what they can to make the next TI the biggest ever, as the staple event of the esport which breaks new prize pool records every year.

TI9, which took place in August 2019, featured the biggest prize pool in esports history, narrowly beating the Fortnite World Cup just a few months earlier with $32m up for grabs (for comparison, the Fortnite World Cup was $30m.)

It has been a source of pride for Dota players to consistently have such a huge event, and they proved that on July 2 when they reached $25m after a record-breaking day.

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Thanks largely in part to the extension of the Battle Pass level bundle, which was extended to end on July 2, the TI10 prize pool increased by a whopping $4m – the largest single-day gain in The International history.

The $4m increase actually came on day 30, in which the prize pool rocketed from little over $16m to a huge $20m according to the official TI10 prize pool tracker.

As you can tell from the graph, the current prize money available is far exceeding the point it has reached in previous years, exponentially higher than even last year’s spectacle, which stayed miles ahead of previous years at basically every step of the way.

Should the trend continue as normal from here on out, we will likely see The International reach – and surpass – $35m or more by the time the event rolls around, smashing every record imaginable.