A group of Dota 2 players has set a new world record with a match lasting over 24 hours, prompting a rare response from Valve CEO Gabe Newell. Here’s how the historic game unfolded and what made it so legendary.
In a feat that defies endurance and sanity, a group of Dota 2 players has officially broken the record for the longest matchmaking game in the history of the game, clocking in at an astonishing 24 hours and 1 second. The monumental match concluded around 14:00 CEST on May 25, shattering the previous record of 376 minutes and 5 seconds (just over six hours).
What started as a regular public matchmaking game evolved into a record-breaking spectacle. The game was streamed live, drawing attention from the Dota 2 community and even Valve itself. The highlight came when Russian-speaking streamer Grusti_ne reached out to Valve CEO Gabe Newell via email during the match. In classic GabeN fashion, his reply was short and sweet: “Nice.”
At the time of Newell’s response, the players were still locked in their marathon session. The game featured some jaw-dropping statistics. One team managed to rack up 670 kills, while the other’s kill count exceeded 1,200—so much so that the full number didn’t even fit on the in-game scoreboard.
The match saw absurd hero stat builds, particularly a Clockwerk who accumulated over 25,000 armor by repeatedly buying and consuming Chain Mails, an item typically worth just 550 gold. Meanwhile, a Legion Commander became the late-game closer, dealing the final blows to the enemy Ancient with an unbelievable bonus damage exceeding 14,000 from Duel victories throughout the match.
The game ended in fitting fashion: with a dramatic countdown on stream and the Ancient falling in just two powerful hits. The streamers and players celebrated their place in Dota 2 history, having surpassed every endurance record previously known in the game.
Interestingly, this unprecedented public match happened around the same time as another lengthy Dota 2 event—this one on the professional scene. During the DreamLeague Season 26, teams Nigma Galaxy and Yakult’s Brothers endured an exhaustive best-of-three series on patch 7.39. The entire match spanned 223 minutes, with the final game alone lasting more than 82 minutes. Nigma Galaxy, led by veteran Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi, ultimately secured the 2:1 victory.
While long games in Dota 2 are not entirely uncommon, a 24-hour standoff is truly unprecedented. The game’s dynamic systems—endless respawns, infinite scaling abilities, and player creativity—allowed this record-breaking experience to unfold, even if it stretched the game far beyond what anyone might have expected.
With the official acknowledgment from Gabe Newell, the players’ endurance and innovation are now cemented in Dota 2’s rich legacy. Whether it’s a technical curiosity or an extreme test of patience and strategy, this 24-hour match will go down as one of the most memorable moments in the game’s history.
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