The Dota 2 Game Coordinator error is an old issue many players have encountered for years when trying to play D2 online. This error message says, “Searching for the Dota 2 game coordinator.” What this means is that the game can’t initiate the Dota 2 Game Coordinator that handles matchmaking. Thus, the consequence of this issue is that players can’t play D2 online. These are some ways you can fix the Dota 2 coordinator error on Windows PCs.
Read also: 7 Ways You Can Fix Dota 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC
Check the Dota 2 Server Status
First, check the Valve server status for Dota 2 to see if there’s any issue there. If there is, you probably can’t do much more to fix the Dota 2 Game Coordinator 2 issue than wait for Valve to sort out the server-side issue. You can check the Valve server status for Dota 2 and other games on this Steam status page.
The Steam server status page
Select the Low-End Network Option
Selecting the low-end network option has worked for some players who’ve needed to fix the Dota 2 Game Coordinator error. You can select that in-game Dota 2 setting like this.
- Start your Dota 2 game.
- Click the settings cog button in Dota 2.
- Select the Options tab.
- Click the To Advanced Options button.
- Select the I have a low-end Network radio button.
The I have low-end network option
- Save the setting and restart Dota 2.
Sign Out and Back into Steam Friends & Chat
D2 players also confirm signing out and into Steam Friends & Chat can sometimes resolve the Dota 2 Game Coordinator issue. So, why not try doing that yourself? This is how you can sign out of Friends & Chat and then log back in.
- Start your Steam gaming client.
- Right-click the Steam system tray icon to select Friends.
The Friends option
- Click your Steam user name to select Offline.
The Offline option
- Then press the Sign In button for Friends and Chat.
Play Offline With Bots For 10 Minutes
It seems a slightly odd fix, but some players say playing offline with bots for about 5-10 minutes has worked for them. Practise with bots for at least five minutes before attempting to play Dota 2 multiplayer again. You can play offline with bots like this.
- Launch the Dota 2 game.
- Click the Play Dota button.
- Press the Practise With Bots button.
- Select the Solo radio button.
The Solo option
- Click Start Bot Match.
- Select your hero and have fun playing with bots for 5-10 minutes.
- Click the Back to Dashboard button at the top-left of Dota 2 and select Disconnect > Yes.
- Try playing Dota 2 online again.
Select an Alternative Download Region
Selecting an alternative download region is a fix for the Dota 2 Game Coordinator error players have confirmed can work on Reddit. Doing this will change your regional matchmaking server for playing Dota 2. This is how you change the download region in Steam.
- Run Valve’s Steam gaming client for launching Dota 2.
- Click Steam > Settings.
- Select the Downloads tab for Steam settings.
- Click the Download region drop-down menu to select an alternative region that’s still geographically nearer to you.
The Download region option
- Close Steam to restart the software.
Other Possible Ways to Fix the Dota 2 Game Coordinator Error
The resolutions for the Dota 2 Game Coordinator error above are more widely confirmed, but there are additional troubleshooting methods that could also work. Try applying these extra potential resolutions if more fixes are required:
- Check that Dota 2 is allowed through all firewalls on your PC. Add that game to your firewall’s allowed list if not included.
- Verify the integrity of Dota 2’s files, as outlined on this Steam help page.
- Play Dota 2 with its Arcade mode for 10 minutes.
- Set an alternative DNS server such as Google for your Windows PC.
Many D2 players have fixed the Dota 2 Game Coordinator error by applying the possible solutions above. So, there’s a genuinely good chance one of them will get that game coordinator issue sorted on your Windows PC. You can also contact the Dota 2 team from this Valve page if more possible fixes for this error are required.
