Why Are Dota 2 Queue Times Taking Too Long?
Dota 2 is a famous MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) video game. Dota 2 has been played by millions of people around the world, and also professionally played in competitions and eSports events. Dota 2 (2013) was developed and published by Valve. Dota 2 has been praised for its competitive gameplay, strategy depth, variety of heroes and gameplay styles, as well as replayability. Considering that Dota 2 is mostly played as a multiplayer video game, queue times are an important part of the experience of many Dota 2 players. Considering that queue times are very present in the routine of these players, Dota 2 players may wonder why sometimes queue times may be taking too long compared to other moments.
If Dota 2 queue times are taking too long, it's likely due to some specific preferences in the matchmaker. Queue times are influenced by many factors, some of which can be controlled by the player in order to have faster queue times.
Considering that various factors may influence on queue times on a competitive multiplayer such as Dota 2, in this article you will find some of the most probable causes for long queue times in Dota 2, as well as different strategies which you may employ to try to make your queue times faster.
Possible Reasons for Long Queue Times in Dota 2 (And What You Can Do About It)
Game Mode
What many Dota 2 players may not realize is that the game mode selected also heavily influences the queue times. The popularity of a game mode is tied to how many players actively queue for it. With more peoples queueing for the same game mode, queue times for this game mode tend to be shorter. Conversely, if a game mode is not played by as many players, there will be less players actively queueing for it, and its queue times tend to be longer.
When selecting a game mode to play in Dota 2, consider its popularity among the player population. More popular game modes tend to have shorter queue times.
In a study I did on Dota 2 average queue times, I found out that, for Unranked matches, Unranked Turbo matches tend to have a slightly shorter average queue time than Unranked All Pick Matches. If you are queueing for Unranked matches, consider queueing for Unranked Turbo matches for a slightly shorter queue time.
Time of Day
One of the most recognizable factors in queue times is time of day. A competitive multiplayer video game such as Dota 2 relies on player population pool to draw players to form teams. Considering that Dota 2 is a 5v5 multiplayer video game, a standard Dota 2 match requires 10 total players. Moreover, the Dota 2 matchmaking system will actively search for queueing players who belong to similar ranks, or with similar elo, in order to provide the fairest match possible.
In general, the best times to queue in Dota 2 are the peak times of game population, when the most players are online and actively queueing for matches, and this time period if generally after 6 PM, in your local time.
As the Dota 2 matchmaking system searches for players with similar rank level and elo, this matchmaking is heavily influenced by player population. Player population, on its turn, is heavily influenced by the habits of people, as during certain times of day there will be more players and less players. In general, the peak times of most multiplayer video games are after 6 PM, as this is the time when most people are not working or studying. If you are experiencing long queue times in Dota 2, consider playing at these peak times, which generally occur after 6 PM, in your local time. The best time to queue in Dota 2 is between 6 PM and 9 PM. You may also find good results between 10 AM and 12 AM, and between 3 PM and 6 PM.
Region
Considering that Dota 2 is a multiplayer video game, the formation of matches if heavily influenced by the player population pool available. In general, a standard Dota 2 match is a 5v5 multiplayer battle, requiring 10 players in total. The matchmaking system of Dota 2 searches for players of similar ranks and elos, in order to provide the fairest match possible. Thus, queue times are heavily influenced by the numbers of players of similar elos, rankings and experience levels available.
If you are experiencing long queue times at Dota 2, consider allowing the matchmaking system to find players from other regions as well, as this will increase the number of players available for your matches, which tends to make queue times shorter.
Such as the time of day influences the player population, and thus queue times, the region being played at will also have an important influence on the number of players available, which reflects the player population pool which the matchmaking system uses to create matches. Each region represents a entire portion of the player population pool of Dota 2. By allowing the matchmaking system to include more regions, you will be greatly increasing the number of players available for your matches, which tends to decrease the average queue times. When selecting additional regions for your matchmaking in order to increase the number of player availables for your matches, I suggest to prioritize regions that neighbour your own region, for the most stable Internet connection during matches. The most far away a region is, the most unstable the Internet connection between the players of these different regions tends to be, negatively impacting on the performance during the match. For this reason, when selecting additional reagions, include the regions that are closest to your region. If you are still experiencing long queue times, include more regions.
Queue Settings
If you are high rank player, you may wait longer times in order for the matchmaking system to find players with a very similar rank or elo to yours. If you are a high rank player and your queue times are taking too long for Ranked matches, there are some things you can do to make your average queue times faster. If you are currently only queueing for specific roles, try to queue for all roles at the same time. Theoretically, this could potentially make your queue times faster. Moreover, if you are queueing as a Duo, consider trying to queue as a solo player, as this could also potentially make your queue times faster.
If you are a high rank player, consider queueing for all roles at the same time. If you have been queueing as a duo, consider solo queueing.
Bear in mind that, for Ranked matches, the Dota 2 matchmaking system takes into account your rank, searching for other players of a similar rank in order to provide a fair match. If you belong to a high rank, theoretically the player population at this rank tends to be lower than the overall player population of Dota 2. In other words, theoretically there are less players for you to play with. If you belong to a very high rank in Dota 2 and your queue times are taking too long even after employing the strategies of this guide, including solo queueing and queuing for all roles at the same time, then in this case consider trying to queue for Unranked match. If you desire to advance your rank and play a Ranked match, then in this case you have no other choice, but if at this time you want to play Dota 2 for fun, regardless of playing Ranked or Unranked, then I suggest you to consider queueing for Unranked matches, as in this queue the matchmaking system will not take into account your rank. With one less variable, you could potentially be matched to more players, increasing the player population pool available. In theory, this could deecrease your average queue time. This is not to say that you should not play Ranked matches. This only means that, if you want to play a Ranked match and you belong to a high rank, then the average queue time you experience may be longer than the average queue time you would experience queueing for an Unranked match. If you belong to a high rank, you could consider, for example, sometimes playing Ranked matches and sometimes playing Unranked matches. For the times when you play just for fun, and not necessarily competitively or to advance your rank, Unranked matches may be an excellent choice for a shorter average queue time.
Maintenance
If you are queue times are taking very long, and you already employed the strategies presented in this article, it is also possible that the Dota 2 matchmaking system is undergoing maintenance. In this case, you could wait for a long time and still not find a match. If the matchmaking system is undergoing maintenance, then you could try again in a few hours.