The Battle Pass has historically been one of the best features of Dota 2. It was instrumental in allowing The International to amass such large prize pools and always provided players with several months of engaging progression, including completing the “Cavern Crawl” and earning cosmetic items. However, for the past two seasons, Valve has neglected the Battle Pass in favor of releasing a Compendium focused purely on esports enthusiasts. Now, in 2025, the community is buzzing about the potential comeback of this legendary feature. So, when might the Battle Pass be released, and will it happen at all?
Historically, May has typically been Valve`s preferred month for the Battle Pass release. The pass usually launched approximately three months before The International began.
In contrast, recent years have seen us receive scaled-back Compendiums without cosmetic items, released just a couple of weeks before TI commenced.
This pattern suggests that if Valve does indeed plan to release a Battle Pass this year, it could theoretically still arrive in late May, considering The International 2025 is set to begin on September 4th. Alternatively, the release might be pushed to early June to align with the roughly three-month window. If, however, we are getting another Compendium, its release is still more than three months away.
Discussions about a potential Battle Pass 2025 are intensifying within the community. In early May, Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov, the manager for Team Spirit, addressed the topic. He noted that Valve has not yet requested content from teams for the club bundles used in the Compendium. He speculated that if this request still hasn`t been made after the regional qualifiers conclude, it might suggest that the developers are planning a return to the Battle Pass format.
Among the general player base, rumors about the Battle Pass`s return are circulating even more actively. However, it`s important to clarify that there is currently no substantial confirmation for these theories. The primary basis users point to is Valve`s activity involving old Battle Passes on test servers. Yet, this activity could potentially mean absolutely nothing.
Therefore, the rumors surrounding the Battle Pass are primarily fueled by the players` own hopes and desires. Valve, meanwhile, has not given any indication or hint regarding potential changes to its policy concerning seasonal passes.
Finley Holt