How Much Space Does Dota 2 takes on hard-drive?
Space is a limited resource for all seasoned players, but its importance can be more than just the memory space on your hard drive which determines the gaming experience you are going to have and even how long one has to wait for a game to download. The centerpiece of today’s discussion will be Dota 2, which has taken centre stage in many debates concerning space. We will therefore examine the size of Dota 2, how it gets affected by updates and what this means for you as a gamer. Brace up; we are about to go deep into the world of gigabytes and patches!
How much space does Dota 2 take up?
At its core, Dota 2 is a complex and multifaceted game featuring a wide range of heroes, maps, and game modes. However, this comes at a cost measured in disk space. As of 2023, Dota 2, once unpacked, occupies 47.9 GB of hard drive space.
When Dota 2 was first released in 2013, it weighed in at just 8 GB. Over time, the game's size has increased, reflecting the addition of new features, heroes, and game elements. 
Credit: Valve Corporation
How to check the size of Dota 2?
It is important to know how big is dota on computer especially if you have limited hard disk capacity. To find out follow these steps: go to your Game Library on Steam; Locate Dota 2 from list of games; Right click on title of game; Select Properties from context menu that appears; Proceed then to Local Files section just next to General tab where you clicked before opening properties window where one can find view local files button upon clicking it reveals folder containing our games files; If no content appears right click within folder empty spots choosing properties showing summation every document present equals number representing entire direct containing respective PC.
Is it okay to put Dota 2 on an HDD?
If you are wondering whether installing Dota 2 on a traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a viable option, the answer is yes—it’s completely fine, but with a few caveats. Dota 2 is not as demanding on storage speed as some modern AAA games, which means it will run on an HDD without major issues. However, installing the game on an HDD may result in slightly longer load times compared to a Solid State Drive (SSD).
During pre-match hero selection, map loading, and transitioning between screens, an HDD will generally be slower, which means you might end up being the last one to load into the game. This delay can affect your overall experience, especially during the crucial early seconds of a match where planning and preparation take place. While these loading times don't directly affect the in-game frame rate or gameplay once you're in, the slower access times can be inconvenient if you value a fast and smooth start to every match.
On the other hand, if you install Dota 2 on an SSD, you will benefit from faster load times and quicker game updates. SSDs have much better random read and write speeds compared to HDDs, which means less waiting when patches are applied or assets need to be loaded. This makes SSDs a preferred choice for players who want a seamless experience without delays.
Ultimately, putting Dota 2 on an HDD is perfectly acceptable if you don’t mind a few extra seconds here and there. If you have limited SSD space and want to reserve it for games that absolutely require faster storage, Dota 2 will run just fine from an HDD—but if you want the best possible experience, particularly during updates and initial load times, an SSD is the ideal option.
The impact of updates
Updates are responsible for making it happen. All those changes are made by Valve during each update which can range from new heroes and items to the whole events or modes. Each of these additions changes game size, and such accumulations over time can be significant.
To exemplify, Dota 2 when unpacked in 2022 was around 37.13 GB which greatly exceeded the games original download size of 15 GB. This indicates how many things have been included in it as updates since then.
What does this mean for players?
If you are a novice player or have little space left on your hard disk, the DotA2 sizes can help you decide whether to install it or not. It is just under 50 gigabytes which is quite substantial and given the size of some modern video games there may be no room for DotA2. However for most gamers who already play DotA2, this information serves as a reminder that updates consume space and they should regularly examine their drives in terms of usage.
Conclusion
Understanding its dimensions as well as how Dota 2 expands with every update will help you make best use of gaming experience. As much as the enlargening game has presented issues, it also shows how richly alive and vibrant world continuously being built by Valve.
