The 2014 edition of The International featured nineteen Dota 2 professional gaming teams that competed for a Grand Prize of over US$5.0 million.

The current format put teams against each other on a best-of-three basis, with winners and losers moving onto two brackets (Upper and Lower) for the knockout stage.

ESPN2 broadcast a preview of the Grand Final, which was disputed between Chinese teams ViCi Gaming and NewBee.

The International 2014 was announced by Valve in March 2014 to be taking place in the new venue of KeyArena in Seattle.

When certain prize pool milestones were met, rewards were unlocked, including a new Dota 2 game mode and visuals.

Natus Vincere America edged out fellow Americans Team Liquid in the Americas qualifier to earn their spot, while Malaysian team Arrow Gaming came out victorious against Koreans MVP Phoenix for the South-East Asian spot.

A total nineteen professional teams from across the globe were invited to the event: Phase One of the playoffs for The International 2014 began on July 8, 2014, with teams Virtus.Pro, MVP, Liquid, and CIS Game competing for the last spot for the next phase.

NewBee won both matches against LGD Gaming and Mousesports, hence taking 9th place.

The Upper Bracket consisted of two rounds to decide one of the two teams to dispute the 2014 Grand Final.

The Lower Bracket consisted of four rounds to decide the remaining team to challenge Newbee in the Grand Final.

Xbox was the leading viewing platform of The International 2014, despite Dota 2 being a PC game.

This merchandise was available on the upper level of the arena with long waiting lines curving around the hallways.