VALORANT Update: Riot Games Introduces MFA and Bans to Combat Smurfing

Smurfing has been one of the most common frustrations in VALORANT’s competitive experience. The idea of high-skilled players using low rank accounts to crush games does more than ruin the matchmaking process, discourage player bases, and hurt the recognition of ranked play. It also completely ruins the competitive vibe, and brave players who work hard to improve shrink the gap.

Although Riot Games has already taken many steps, smurfing is an issue the community continues to face. So, in an attempt to adapt and combat smurf accounts, Riot has announced a new system launching Riot Mobile MFA, and bans for boosted or purchased accounts to directly combat smurfing.

Riot Mobile Verification Beta Announced

Riot Games has announced a large new security measure in VALORANT designed to help diminish smurfing and boosting. Called the Riot Mobile Verification Beta, the update requires certain accounts to turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) with the Riot Mobile app. This policy comes after ongoing community feedback about the effects that smurfers have had on competitive integrity.

Beginning with patch 11.09, Riot will start suspending banned accounts that are confirmed to be purchased or involved with any boosting. In tandem with v 11.09, Riot has also provided clarification about alternate accounts, shared accounts, smurfing, and boosting to help players understand this new policy. The intent of reducing account sharing is for Riot to lessen the number of smurfers and to find suspicious activity more easily.

Who Needs to Activate Riot Mobile MFA

Riot has stated that MFA will be required in two main situations:

• Shared Accounts: When an account is identified as being used by multiple players, it will be required to complete a one-time verification via Riot Mobile.
• High-ranked Accounts: Starting as early as patch 11.10, players of Ascendant rank or higher (which includes Immortal and Radiant) need to enable Riot Mobile MFA.

Shared accounts contribute tremendously to smurfing, as many players can leverage the same account to game matchmaking. Requiring MFA will help Riot verify ownership of the account while minimizing account sharing.

Additionally, high-ranked players are also required to enable MFA since they present the most risk for competitive integrity – when high-ranked players smurf on low-ranked accounts, they unaffectionately and heavily interject in their games. By requiring MFA for these two audiences, Riot can reduce smurfing and protect the integrity of ranked play.

This requirement will start in NA, LATAM, BR, and KR, with AP and EU regions expected to enable in 2026. Riot said that players with multiple accounts are not impacted as long as accounts are not being shared. By requiring MFA for these two groups, Riot is reducing smurfing and protecting the competitive experience, something just as crucial as when players hunt for new Valorant Codes to get in-game items.

Upcoming Patch Rollout Schedule

Riot has also outlined a specific timeline for this new anti-smurfing initiative:

• Patch 11.08: New "Rank Manipulation" report option added to in-game reporting.
• Patch 11.09: Riot Mobile MFA is required for shared accounts in NA, LATAM, BR, and KR. Bans start for purchased or boosted accounts.
• Patch 11.10: Riot Mobile MFA is required for Ascendant+ accounts in NA, LATAM, BR, and KR.
• 2026: MFA is required for shared and Ascendant+ accounts in AP and EU.

Riot is going to be collecting player feedback during this beta phase to develop further how we will want MFA to work for its full global rollout.

Why Riot Is Targeting Smurfs and Boosters

Riot outlined that smurfing compromises competitive integrity, especially when high-ranked players use low-ranked accounts to manipulate games, with shared accounts being the vehicle for this type of play and, therefore, the target of security efforts.

Riot states that 80-90% of stolen accounts have no MFA, so adding an MFA layer will cut down smurfing while also protecting player accounts.

The consideration for high-ranked players is due to the high levels of potential damage that can be inflicted through smurfing for high-ranked players, as well as their greater vulnerability to competitive integrity violations like win trading.

What Happens If You Don’t Enable Riot Mobile MFA

Players who are identified as using a shared account or have reached Ascendant rank or higher will be asked to complete Riot Mobile MFA when it becomes available in their region. If they do not complete this verification, they may lose access to competitive play and ranked play until they have verified their account.
Riot has further confirmed that accounts that appear to be involved in boosting or purchasing use will be banned outright for the account. Accounts that do not comply with the MFA or continue to share the account could face suspension, reset ranks, or even be banned from the account, depending on the situation.

The new Riot Mobile Verification Beta represents one of Riot Games' most significant movements to maintain as much fairness in VALORANT as possible. With an expectation of MFA enforcement on shared and high-ranked accounts and a prohibition on purchased or boosted accounts, Riot wants to make smurfing much less of a problem.

Players should turn on MFA sooner rather than later to protect their accounts and increase the chance of no interruptions.