What is the average rank in Dota 2?

What is MMR?

MMR or matchmaking rating in Dota 2 is the number that allows us to compare players based on their skill level. It is a measuring stick and a point of pride.

Matchmaking rating has often been a source of controversy. One of the most common problems related to the Dota 2 ranking system is the appearance of the “smurfs." These players might be on the same ranking level as you, but they're much better in terms of skill. Smurfs are usually high tier players who came to lower tier to have easy, relaxing games. This distorts the determination of the average rank in Dota 2.

What is the average MMR and Rank in Dota 2?

The average MMR in Dota 2 is about 2250 which is between Crusader 5 and Archon 1. In other words, half of the players are above this value, and the other half is below it. With this MMR, you would be somewhere between Crusader 5 and Archon 1. The exact average MMR and associated rank constantly changes, but they are usually somewhere between 2000 and 2500 rank.

Players who are within this tier have a solid understanding of the game, but they have numerous opportunities to improve themselves in Dota 2. A lot of them are casual players and might log into Dota 2 every once in a while. An average player might have a basic understanding of all the heroes, but they probably can’t play some of the harder ones.

Dealing with the MMR uncertainty

As we've already mentioned, these numbers tend to fluctuate a lot, but they will always be somewhere around the mean. The system is far from perfect, and occasionally, a good player can be tossed in a much lower tier and vice versa. This is MMR uncertainty.

Uncertainty represents a standard deviation of a gamer's Dota 2 MMR. If you have high uncertainty, you are more likely to play games with those who are much better or much worse than you. This deviation is especially common for brand new accounts (What level do you need to play ranked in Dota 2?). Even if you played some games back in the day, you would less likely have to deal with the uncertainty factor. The uncertainty chance reduces with the number of games that you play.

Keep in mind that unranked and ranked games in Dota 2 have completely different systems. This means that a player who has played a lot of unranked games will still have high uncertainty until he plays enough games within ranked matchmaking.

Oftentimes, games with high uncertainty are referred to as swing games. This is because they can indicate a player’s progression or regression. While these games can be great if you have confidence in your skill, they can also represent a major setback if you lose them (related: best servers to play ranked in Dota 2).

Can the average MMR change?

It is very hard for the average MMR rank to change. This is because there are so many players in the game, and there would have to be an abnormal swing for this to happen.

Here are some of the factors that might potentially cause a change to the average MMR:

• Account boosters
• Abandons
• Losing on purpose
• Too many players having a long break from Dota 2

The main reason why the average rank probably couldn't change is that Valve has created a system that is meant to keep players relatively comparable to each other. In other words, if your team wins points, the other team will lose points, which will leave the differential unchanged. Anyway, the majority of players will have approximately a 50% win percentage.

Basically, you will get from 5 to 30 points for a win. If you lose, you will lose the same amount. So, the change will always be the same, leaving everyone within the equilibrium. In theory, a potential change of the average MMR might happen during recalibrations if the system miscalculates the skill of the players or if there is a major influx of new players causing a massive uncertainty. However, it should get back to the previous averages rather quickly.

Are you interested in knowing what’s the best rank and MMR, then read our analysis of the highest MMR in Dota 2. Or if you want to learn more about average match time or Dota 2's lowest rank, read our article on Herald.