Choose Dota 2
Choose Dota 2 if you want the SteamVR Collectibles, Steam Timeline, and Color Alternatives side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.1% positive across 827,181 reviews.
Dota 2 vs SMITE®
Dota 2 and SMITE® both land in Action, Strategy, Free To Play on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Strategy, Free To Play on Steam. Dota 2 (2013) is 2 years older than SMITE® (2015). Dota 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (88.1% positive) than SMITE® (77% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose SMITE®
Choose SMITE® if you want an Indie, Adventure, and Simulation game with PvP. 67,960 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Dota 2 and SMITE® sit in Action, Strategy, and Free To Play on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dota 2 |  SMITE® | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Free To Play | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | Free to play | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 88.1% positive (827,181 reviews) | 77% positive (67,960 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | Valve | Titan Forge Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Free To Play on Steam.
- Dota 2 (2013) is 2 years older than SMITE® (2015).
- Dota 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (88.1% positive) than SMITE® (77% positive).
- Both are free to play.
- Dota 2 has co-op; SMITE® does not.
- Steam Deck: Dota 2 is Deck Playable, SMITE® is Deck Unsupported.
Dota 2 vs SMITE® — FAQ
- Which is better, Dota 2 or SMITE®?
- On Steam reviews Dota 2 scores higher (88.1% positive) than SMITE® (77% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Dota 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Dota 2 or SMITE® first?
- If you want chronology, Dota 2 (2013) came out before SMITE® (2015). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Dota 2 and SMITE® similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Free To Play on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.