The DPC was introduced in 2017 as a replacement for the Dota Major Championship series (2015–2016), which was criticized due to Valve's non-transparent process for sending out International invites.

From late 2015 until early 2017, Valve sponsored a series of smaller-scale, seasonally held tournaments known as the Dota Major Championships.

[14] Starting with the second season (2018–2019), there were a number of adjustments to the rules, with the primary one being that both Major and Minor events are held in pairs, with qualifiers for each set to run in exclusively scheduled windows, as direct invites to them are now forbidden.

Valve also removed roster locks that previously prevented teams that made changes mid-season from qualifying for points for the season.

[17] In addition, Valve also implemented a rule that only allows for a single team owned in an multi-team organization to compete in The International and the qualifiers leading up to them.

[19] In September 2023, Valve announced the 2023 season would be the last, as they believed the DPC had grown too large in the professional scene and wanted to support smaller, grassroots tournaments.

Earlier tournaments in the season grant teams fewer total points, while the events closer to the International weigh more heavily.