Dota 2 Collector’s Cache: Contents, Restrictions and Buying Decisions

A Collector’s Cache is a limited-time Dota 2 treasure that contains a pool of hero sets, sold for a few dollars per chest. Each chest gives one set, and the rare tiers get more likely with every opening. Most sets can’t be traded or sold. Winter 2025 (16 December 2025) is the latest Collector’s Cache; Valve has not announced a 2026 edition as of October 2026.

How a Collector’s Cache works

A cache is a stack of treasure chests with its own list of sets. Editions have often drawn their sets from the Dota 2 Workshop, and several were picked by community vote. Every chest you open gives one set from the pool, split into four tiers: Regular, Rare, Very Rare and Ultra Rare.

• Escalating odds. Liquipedia lists first-opening odds for the Diretide 2022 cache of 1 in 2,000 (Rare), 1 in 20,000 (Very Rare) and 1 in 100,000 (Ultra Rare), and the same figures for Winter 2025. Each opening raises the chance. By the 50th opening, Diretide 2022 shows 100% for Rare, about 45% for Very Rare and about 6% for Ultra Rare, and the counter resets once you receive that tier’s item.
• Recycling. Older editions let you recycle an unwanted set for two Battle Pass levels. Since Crownfall Collector’s Cache II (2024), any six sets recycle into one more cache, and Winter 2025 uses the same rule.
• Where it was sold. The TI6, TI7 and TI8 caches were sold only to Battle Pass owners at $1.99. TI10 Cache I and II (2020), Aghanim’s 2021, Nemestice 2021, Diretide 2022, Collector’s Cache 2023, Crownfall II and Winter 2025 all cost $2.49 per chest, and Crownfall II also offered 13 chests for $28.99.
• Restrictions. Regular, Rare and Very Rare sets are normally untradable and unmarketable, but each can be gifted once. The Ultra Rare set is often the exception. Always read the description of the exact item, because rules differ by edition.

The Winter 2025 Ultra Rare, Tiny’s Stone Giant Stronghold, was stated to become tradable after 1 June 2026. That date has passed, so open the set’s description in your inventory to see its current status. To check any item, select it in your Steam inventory and read the Tags section.

The restriction rule explains the market. Because ordinary sets can’t be sold, the only price you will see for a cache is the Ultra Rare set, such as the Morphling set Darktrench Stalker from Nemestice 2021, the only marketable item in that cache. The Pudge set Aberrant Observer comes from the Crownfall Act III cache. Check each item page for its current price.

Collector’s Cache editions by year

The Collector’s Cache reference keeps the current list.

Is there a Collector’s Cache in 2026?

Pages that give a 2026 release date, price or set list rely on anonymous leaks, so treat their numbers as guesses. Valve’s 2026 treasure releases, such as the Dark Carnival Treasure of Wonders in June, are separate products with their own rules. Read each treasure’s page before you buy.

Should you open a Collector’s Cache?

1. Decide what you actually want. If you want one specific Regular set, opening or receiving a gift is usually the only route, because those sets can’t be sold. If you want the Ultra Rare, you can often buy it from another player; check its item page first.
2. Set a budget before the first chest. At $2.49 per chest, ten openings cost $24.90. A 1-in-2,000 first-opening Rare is not a plan. Use the treasure calculator with your own prices and odds, and read how treasure odds work.
3. Count the sets you would equip. If most Regular sets appeal to you, the spend is for fun and for sets you can use. If only one set matters, the other outcomes are cost. For example, if you open twelve chests and keep five sets you like, six of the spare sets recycle into one more chest, which softens the cost but does not remove it.
4. Compare the alternatives. Our Battle Pass versus Cache comparison and the treasure-opening checklist help you weigh a random cache against other ways to get cosmetics.
5. Be careful with gifts. A stranger who sells you a cache set as a gift asks for payment before delivery. Use only a route you understand, and read trade holds and gifting and our trading safety guide first.

A short sale window can keep supply low, but it doesn’t promise a rising price.

Quick answers

What is a Dota 2 Collector’s Cache?

It is a limited-time treasure with a pool of hero sets in four rarity tiers. Each chest gives one set, and the chance of higher tiers grows with every opening.

Can I sell Collector’s Cache sets on the Steam Market?

Usually no. Regular, Rare and Very Rare sets are untradable and unmarketable, though each can be gifted once. The Ultra Rare set is often tradable, so read the item description of the exact set.

Which cache has the Lion set?

Lion’s Caprine Chimera came in Crownfall Collector’s Cache II, released on 1 October 2024.

What is the latest Collector’s Cache?

Winter 2025, released on 16 December 2025 with 16 sets and a $2.49 launch price. Valve has not announced a newer one.

Sources and examples

• Valve: Crownfall Act III and its 16-set Cache
• Collector’s Cache reference
• Steam: item-specific market eligibility
• Valve: The International 2017 Collector’s Cache
• Liquipedia: Collector’s Cache 2019
• Liquipedia: Diretide 2022 Collector’s Cache and opening odds
• Liquipedia: Winter 2025 Collector’s Cache
• Esports.net: Crownfall Collector’s Cache II sets and price
• GosuGamers: Dark Carnival and its Treasure of Wonders
• esports.gg: Summer Client Update and the 2023 Collector’s Cache
• Sportskeeda: Collector’s Cache 2023 sets, price and Ultra Rare
• esports.gg: Aghanim’s 2021 Collector’s Cache
• ONE Esports: The International 2020 Collector’s Cache
• ONE Esports: The International 2020 Collector’s Cache II