Is smurfing illegal in LoL?

Yes, smurfing in League of Legends can be bannable, especially when it involves boosting, account sharing, or ranked manipulation, though simply having a second, legitimately leveled account isn't the primary target; Riot Games is cracking down on behavior that ruins competitive integrity by using new tools to detect and penalize these actions, even applying bans to main accounts in severe cases.
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Is smurfing bannable in LoL?

Can you get banned for smurfing in LoL? The simple answer is No, smurfing isn't against League of Legends' Terms of Service. You can't get banned for smurfing. Some players usually own tons of alternative accounts and they never get banned.
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Is smurfing cheating in League of Legends?

@OldTreeCreeper nah smurfing is cheating regardless of what game mode you play. Smurfing is a way for people to by pass matchmaking so they can have a more "relaxed" game. Smurfs are often used by people so they can play with lower rank friends or feel better about themselves.
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Does LoL have a smurfing problem?

The Frustration of Facing Smurfs – Ranked AND Normal Games

If you've played League of Legends for any length of time, you've encountered smurfs—higher-skill players on fresh accounts. And let's be honest: they ruin the experience for everyone except themselves.
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Does Riot detect smurfing?

Riot's Detection System and Anti-Smurfing Measures

Riot Games developed sophisticated detection systems that target smurfing through behavioral analysis rather than simple account monitoring.
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KatEvolved's Unpopular Opinion About Smurf Queue (UNRANKED TO CHALL)

Is Riot banning Smurfs now?

Riot never said they will end smurfing, it's just that the changes that they are actually focused on will result in less smurfing by default. All they are focusing on is removing bot accounts, account sharing, boosting, and ranked manipulation by losing intentionally in order to keep an account low elo.
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Can I have two LOL accounts?

Yes, you can have multiple League of Legends accounts (often called "smurfs" or "alts"), as long as each uses a unique email address and you don't violate terms like buying/selling accounts or boosting; Riot allows multiple accounts for practice, playing with friends, or avoiding pressure, but they crack down on purchased accounts and rank manipulation to keep games fair. 
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Why do people smurf in LOL?

Smurfing is tanking your rank to play against worse players. Most people with multiple accounts use them to play with friends, make one trick accounts, or practice their bad characters without ruining their stats.
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Can I report smurfs in LOL?

How do I report someone for smurfing or having a bought account? If you believe this to be the case for someone that was in one of your games please report them using the Ranked Manipulation category.
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Will Riot fix smurfing?

Games is officially fixing Smurfing so tag someone who's sick of getting smurfed against. Starting in patch 11 point zero eight, anyone with a alternate account, shared account, Smurfing or Boosting will have to do multi-factor authenticator through Riot Mobile.
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Can smurfing get you banned?

Yes, smurfing is bannable in many online games, especially when it involves intentionally ruining matches, boosting, or exploiting the matchmaking system, with developers like Riot (League/Valorant), Blizzard (Overwatch), and Ubisoft (Rainbow Six Siege) actively banning or penalizing offenders, though enforcement varies by game and intent. While some games might tolerate casual smurfing, actions like griefing, throwing games, or account purchasing often lead to bans on both the smurf and main accounts, with stricter measures emerging as detection improves. 
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What is hitchhiking boosting?

Simply put, boosting is when someone else plays on your account to climb to a higher rank, and hitchhiking is when a higher skilled player duos on a fraudulent, usually purchased account with the lowest skilled player to artificially increase their rank.
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Is smurfing cheating LoL?

Kaileigh Hildreth it's literally cheating. If youre in a elo that you can't play with another person then you make another account to by pass the way rank is designed so you can play with them you are breaking the way rank is designed by making another account to stay at the level you're not supposed to be at.
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What is hitchhiking in league?

Hitchhiking (aka bussing) is where a player queues up with another player (typically a cheater/booster, but not always) as a service in order to “climb” and artificially inflate their own MMR/rank.
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Can you get banned for dodging LoL?

In order to prevent abuse, missing a Ready Check too many times results in escalating penalties, including a timed queue ban, temporary game bans, and even a permanent ban.
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How many reports till banned LoL?

Instant Feedback Report

First Offense: 3-Day Chat Restriction. Second Offense: 7-Day Chat Restriction. Third Offense: 14-Day Ban. Fourth Offense: Permanent Ban.
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How bad is smurfing in LoL?

To understand some exceptions, getting some penalty from Riot to your smurf account, let us dive into the problems on smurfing in LoL. Firstly, it can ruin the game for beginners. A smurfing player will play a lot better and have a greater advantage as he is more experienced in the game.
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Can I get banned for smurfing in LoL?

The simple answer is No, smurfing isn't against League of Legends' Terms of Service. You can't get banned for smurfing.
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Is smurfing a bad thing?

When Smurfing, high-level players generally face off against new or lower level players. This means matches are one-sided and create a negative experience for the players facing Smurfs, as they're battling someone way out of their league and stand no real chance of winning, or even learning anything from the match.
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Is smurf queue real lol?

When a game detects that a beginner account is at a higher rank than it should be, that account is put into smurf queue and forced to play against similar smurf accounts (by putting into consideration many factors such as the account level, how the account has been performing in matches, and the total playtime).
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Can Riot detect account sharing?

From Patch 11.09, accounts detected for sharing in North America, Latin America, Brazil and Korea must enable Riot Mobile MFA to play ranked; other modes are unaffected. Riot also reiterated that reports for smurfing should be filed under Rank Manipulation.
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What is the +1 email trick?

The "+1 email trick," also known as Plus Addressing, lets you create infinite email variations for your single Gmail (or similar) account by adding +anything before the @ symbol (e.g., [email protected]), directing all mail to your main inbox but allowing for custom filtering, spam tracking, and easy account management without creating new accounts, perfect for signing up for services or testing.
 
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Is LoL's player base growing or shrinking?

League Of Legends Monthly Active Users (MAUs)

The number of players decreased by 37.6% to 29.7 million in December 2024, after the peak of November 2024. By August 2025, a 62.5% increase had occurred, as 46.4 million players had played the game. In September 2025, the number fell again by 36 % to 29.7 million.
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