The 19th Asian Games was a multi-sport tournament held in the Asian region, with over 40 nations competing across a multitude of events. 2018’s edition in Palembang-Jakarta featured esports as an exhibition event, but the 2022-2023 edition saw gaming take center stage.
While only countries from the Asia-Pacific region can compete, and players must represent a country rather than any team they play for, the Asian Games is one of the largest Olympic-like competitions and arguably the closest event to the Olympics for the region.
The 2022 Asian Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but returned for completion in Hangzhou, China in early October 2023. In total, 14 Dota 2 teams attended the tournament, with the winners taking home a gold medal for their country.
Some of Dota’s best were in attendance to represent their home country, but who’s got what it takes to take gold?
A complete guide to Dota 2 Asian Games 2023: Schedule, scores, results, and more
Asian Games 2023 tournament format
The 14 countries were first seeded at the Road to Asian Games prelude, which saw teams compete in their individual Asian region: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia. Once teams were sorted and seeded, the top team from each subregion was given a pass to the playoffs, with the other teams battling out via a group stage.
- Group Stage: (Sept. 29)
- Three groups of three teams.
- All teams play a round-robin best-of-one.
- The top team progresses to the playoffs, all others are eliminated.
- Playoffs: (Sept. 30 to Oct. 2)
- Eight teams (five from seeding, three from group stage) reseeded into a playoffs bracket.
- Single-elimination, all matches are best-of-three.
- Grand final is best-of-three.
- Third-placed playoff is a best-of-three.
Asian Games 2023 teams and standings
The following countries competed at the Asian Games 2023:
- Top five seeding (direct to playoffs)
- China (East Asia)
- Malaysia (Southeast Asia)
- Kazakhstan (Central Asia)
- Saudi Arabia (West Asia)
- Nepal (South Asia)
- Road to Asian Games qualifiers:
- India
- Indonesia
- Kyrgyzstan
- Hong Kong
- Philippines
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Uzbekistan
There has been no reported prize pool for the Asian Games 2023 Dota 2 tournament, but the event will contribute medals to the country’s total tally at the Asian Games.
| Place | Team(s) |
| Gold Medal | China |
| Silver Medal | Mongolia |
| Bronze Medal | Malaysia |
| Fourth | Kyrgyzstan |
| Fifth | Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Nepal |
| Ninth | Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar |
| 12th | India, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan |
Asian Games 2023 Dota 2 schedule and results
Group Stage
Group A: India, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines
Group B: Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong
Group C: Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Mongolia
Friday, Sept. 29
- Group A:
- India 0-1 Kyrgyzstan
- India 0-1 Philippines
- Kyrgyzstan 1-0 Philippines
- Group B:
- Thailand 1-0 Indonesia
- Thailand 1-0 Hong Kong
- Indonesia 1-0 Hong Kong
- Group C:
- Mongolia 1-0 Uzbekistan
- Mongolia 0-1 Myanmar
- Uzbekistan 1-0 Myanmar
Playoffs
Saturday, Sept. 30
- 1am CT: China 2-0 Thailand
- China progresses to semi-finals, Thailand has been eliminated.
- 1am CT: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Malaysia
- Malaysia progresses to semi-finals, Saudi Arabia has been eliminated.
- 6am CT: Kazakhstan 1-2 Mongolia
- Mongolia progresses to semi-finals, Kazakhstan has been eliminated.
- 6am CT: Nepal 0-2 Kyrgyzstan
- Kyrgyzstan progresses to semi-finals, Nepal has been eliminated.
- 8pm CT: China 2-1 Malaysia
- China progresses to grand final, Malaysia drops to third-place playoff.
Sunday, Oct. 1
- 1am CT: Mongolia 2-0 Kyrgyzstan
- Mongolia progresses to grand final, Kyrgyzstan drops to third-place playoff.
Monday, Oct. 2
- 1am CT: Malaysia 2-0 Kyrgyzstan.
- Third-place playoff.
- 6am CT: China 2-1 Mongolia
- Grand final.
How to watch Asian Games 2023 Dota 2
Unfortunately, a live stream for the Asian Games was not available for the group stage or first round of the playoffs. Streams for the semi-finals were available on both Twitch (CyberGamesArena) and YouTube (CGA) but required VPNs to access.
Community caster Bkop jumped on to broadcast the games where possible in English.
This caused frustration among fans across social media, with many wanting to tune in to watch their favorite players (particularly the likes of Ame, Somnus, and chalice on Team China) take on one another at such a prestigious event. It remains to be seen if streams will be widely available for the grand finals.
