Dota 2's Windrunner leads the charge on our cover this month in PC Gamer UK issue 254. We visited Bellevue to get inside development at Valve HQ as the Dota community prepares for The International tournament and Dota 2's long-awaited launch. Dota can be baffling to the uninitiated, but with a bit of knowledge anyone can enjoy the spectacle, chaos and depth of competitive play. That's why, in addition to our six page preview, we've created a six page guide to watching Dota 2 that will help demystify this fast-moving and famously complex esport.



But that's not all, of course. We've also taken an early look at The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, revisited some of the great old sim games kept alive by their amazing communities and put to paper Rich and Graham's two-year 300+ game Fifa rivalry. That's as well as our normal brace of previews, reviews and more. The issue is available now via the App Store, Google Play or Zinio. If you prefer the weight of a glossy tome in your hands, you can subscribe to get each issue delivered to your door. Read on to find out what else lies within.







In this month's issue...

We pay a visit to Valve for an inside look at the creation of Dota 2.

Breaking Down Dota 2: your guide to deciphering and enjoying the beautiful, complex chaos of a competitive match.

Craig Owens dons his finest hat to preview The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.

We take an early peek at the fascinating indie sci-fi god game, Maia, promising kickstarted RPG, Torment: Tides of Numenera, Paradox grand strategy, Europa Universalis IV, ex-Homeworld developers' new RTS, Hardware: Shipbreakers and goon-punching simulator Batman: Arkham Origins.

Rich and Graham document the highs, lows of their intense, life-changing two year rivalry in Fifa 13 in the PC Gamer Champions League.

The Sim Imortals: we pay tribute the classic sims that, thanks to mods and dedicated fan communities, are still going today.

We review Remember Me, Zeno Clash 2, Dead Island: Riptide, Fez, Slender: the Arrival, Kairo, Tectical Intervention, Leviathan Warships, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Star Trek and publish our first alpha review of Prison Architect.

We evaluate the best SLI graphics cards set-ups in this month's hardware supertest.

Rich's story of survival against the odds continues in part five of our Game of Thrones Crusader Kings 2 diary.

Chris skis back into Tribes: Ascend to see what's new in this month's Update.

We re-install Doom Engine RPG/shooter Strife.

Tony returns to Amnesia and Tom drifts through Eve Online in Now Playing.

And lots more!