The International 8 prize pool surpasses last year’s, making it the largest prize pool in esports

Once again, Dota 2’s community has made The International larger than life. The annual official Dota 2 tournament, run by developers Valve, has surpassed last year’s prize pool of $24,787,916, breaking its own record for the largest purse in competitive video gaming.

According to the Dota 2 Prize Pool Tracker, a site run on Dota 2 data by Matt “CyborgMatt” Bailey, the prize hit the mark the evening of Sunday, August 19. It took 102 days to reach this goal, three days more than last year’s — and there’s still a few days left to throw some money into the pot.

The prize pool starts at $1.6 million provided by Valve. From there, fans purchase the Battle Pass starting at $9.99, which provides opportunities for games, in-game challenges, items and more. Those hoping to give (or earn) more can contribute more to “level up” their pass and earn more. Twenty-five percent of all proceeds in this campaign go towards the prize pool, and the cutoff is the end of the tournament.

For scale, the purse sits somewhere between PGA Open, with $10.5 million this year, and somewhat less than the Wimbledon Open at $45 million.

Fans that contributed through the Battle Pass will receive 10,000 Battle Points (ten levels’ worth) for helping the prize pool reach this point. Valve has included a further incentive: 10,000 more if the pool reaches $30 million. However, at this rate, it’s looking very unlikely.

The International runs from August 15 through the 25th and brings together teams from across the world in Vancouver for a shot at becoming known as the best in a famously-complex game.