Dota 2 vs Shadow Arena
Dota 2 is an action-RPG RPG game (2013) while Shadow Arena is an action-RPG fighting game from Pearl Abyss (2020).
What each one is
Steam files Dota 2 under Action-RPG and RPG. In contrast, it files Shadow Arena under Action-RPG and Fighting.
Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has taken on a life of its own.
Shadow Arena Early Access has ended. A heartfelt thank you to all the players who walked with us on this journey.
At a glance
| Dota 2 | Shadow Arena | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.1/10 | 5.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (81%, 2,768,190) | Mixed (56%, 5,421) |
| Critic aggregate | 90/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | Free | Not listed |
| Install size | 60 GB | 20 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Developer | — | Pearl Abyss |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dota 2 vs Shadow Arena, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dota 2Action-RPG RPG gameShadow ArenaAction-RPG fighting gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dota 2Free to Play, MOBA, StrategyShadow ArenaAction, Free to Play, Battle RoyaleThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dota 2 ✓Score 8.1 · 81% on Steam · 90 criticShadow ArenaScore 5.2 · 56% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dota 22,768,190 reviews · 2 add-ons · 60 GBShadow Arena5,421 reviews · 20 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dota 2FreeShadow ArenaNot listedRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dota 2 ✓PlayableShadow ArenaUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Dota 2 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDota 2 and Shadow Arena on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dota 2 (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Dota 2 (playable)
- Lighter on storage: Shadow Arena (20 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Dota 2 (2,768,190 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Free to PlayMOBAMultiplayerStrategyCompetitiveActionOnline Co-OpPvP
Where they differ
e-sportsTeam-BasedDifficultRTSTower DefenseCharacter Customization
Battle RoyaleMassively MultiplayerFightingEarly AccessHack and SlashMMORPG
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dota 2 is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Shadow Arena is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Dota 2 | Shadow Arena | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 8600/9600GT | — |
| Minimum CPU | Dual core from Intel | — |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | 60 GB | 20 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dota 2 · Shadow Arena.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 3 accessibility features for Dota 2 and 0 for Shadow Arena. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dota 2 and Shadow Arena in scope?
Dota 2 has drawn 2,768,190 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 60 GB. Shadow Arena has drawn 5,421 Steam reviews and installs in 20 GB.
Is Dota 2 or Shadow Arena better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dota 2 rates higher (8.1 to 5.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dota 2 or Shadow Arena?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.