Can You Get Banned For Smurfing CSGO?

Smurfing is a common technique that CSGO players use to play against lower-skilled opponents. The process of smurfing requires you to play the game in a way that might be against the rules of CSGO. For this reason, many people wonder whether or not they can get banned for smurfing in CSGO. If you have the same question, you are in the right place.

The short answer is yes. You will get banned if you get caught smurfing in CSGO. It is against the rules. Other players can report you for that. Here is a detailed explanation of all the nuances of getting banned for smurfing in CSGO.

What is Smurfing?

The primary game mode that almost everyone plays in CSGO is the competitive or ranked game mode. Each player is assigned a rank based on their skill level. The ranked system of CSGO analyzes the performance of CSGO players in their recent matches and then issues a rank for them.

When you load up a ranked match and enter ranked matchmaking, the game starts finding other players with a rank that is the same, or at least similar, to yours. It means that you will likely come across players who are as skilled as you. It helps the match seem fair. The consequence of this system is that you won’t continue winning every match because sometimes the enemy team will be marginally better than you.

However, if you can reduce your rank to a lower one, which is way lower than your actual skill level, you will come across players who aren’t as skilled as you. Doing this will allow you to win most matches because you are playing against players that can not compete against your skill level. This, in a nutshell, is called smurfing.

Can I Get Banned For Smurfing in CSGO?

The short answer is yes. You can get banned for smurfing in CSGO. According to Valve, players are not allowed to create smurf accounts and start playing against players in a lower-skill group than you. This information is available on the official Steam Support page titled: CS: GO – I’ve been game banned.

The Steam Support thread states that players are not allowed to manipulate the matchmaking system by falsely deranking or from their skill group. The Steam Support thread also states that players are not allowed to intentionally interfere with the normal operation of game servers or other players.

However, that’s not all. There is also an option to report players that are griefing in a match of CSGO. Griefing includes deliberately sabotaging the game so the enemy team can win, which is one of the most common ways smurfs achieve lower ranks. All of these things point to the same conclusion. Smurfing in CSGO is a bannable offense.

What Do People Think About Smurfing

There are two arguments when it comes to smurfing. The first one is from the people who create smurf accounts. According to players who create smurf accounts, they like to have one primary account on which they can play competitively and maintain their rank. They only use their smurf account when they want to play casually and not perform to their maximum skill level.

While creating a smurf account may seem like a great idea, it is not an enjoyable experience for players on the receiving end of this. Imagine that you are a beginner at CSGO and are currently stuck at the Silver rank. If you have to play against players who are on the Master Guardian Elite or Distinguished Master Guardian Rank on their main accounts, you have no chance of winning against them.

Conclusion

The short answer is yes. You can get banned for smurfing in CSGO. Smurfing requires you to deliberately play badly to lose more matches and play against lower-ranked players. Playing like this is not allowed, which may get you banned.