What is Smurfing? Why It’s a Hot Topic in Online Gaming

Posted by: Yeans

Posted on: 19/08/2025

Have you ever been a new player dropping into Bronze rank, only to face an opponent playing like a pro-league champion? That’s exactly what’s called Smurfing or “smurfing in games”—a behavior where high-rank players create new accounts to stomp in lower ranks. The result? New players get crushed like they accidentally wandered into a dungeon boss fight. This article will explain what Smurfing really is, why it has become such a big problem in online gaming, and how to deal with it without tilting and rage-quitting.

What is Smurfing?

The term Smurfing, often called “smurf” by gamers, refers to when high-level or top-rank players create new accounts to play in lower ranks or newbie lobbies. The result? Matches that should feel balanced turn into pros stomping beginners, leaving new players frustrated enough to rage-quit.

Origin of the Term “Smurfing” in Gaming

The term Smurfing originated in the mid-1990s during the Warcraft II era. Two top pro players, Geoff “Shlonglor” Frazier and Greg “Warp!” Boyko, were so skilled that few people wanted to face them. To get around this, they created new accounts under the names PapaSmurf and Smurfette, inspired by the cartoon The Smurfs, and joined lower-ranked matches. They crushed inexperienced players so badly that the term “Smurfing” stuck and became the universal word for when skilled players create new accounts to dominate lower ranks.

Examples of games where Smurfing is common

When it comes to the issue of Smurfing, or Smurf games, it's safe to say that almost no online game is spared. Whether it's MOBA, FPS, or even Battle Royale, there are secret bosses in low ranks that always appear to frustrate new players. Let's take a look at which popular games are frequently affected by Smurfing, becoming a hot topic in gaming communities worldwide.

League of Legends (LoL)

The original source of the big problem with Smurf games is that it's a game with a clear ranking system. Skilled players often create new accounts to play at lower ranks, leading to new players being completely dominated.

Dota 2

A popular MOBA game where the MMR system is used to measure skill, but smurfing is still unavoidable, especially when there's a new patch. Pro players often create new accounts to try out heroes.

Valorant

Riot's shooter game, with a very clear competitive ranking system, leads to a lot of smurfing. Radiant/Immortal-level players create new accounts to play in Iron or Bronze ranks.

CS:GO / CS2

FPS games The ease of buying and creating new accounts leads to constant smurfing, especially in low-ranked matches.

PUBG / Apex Legends / Fortnite

Battle Royale games like PUBG, Apex Legends, and Fortnite are all plagued by smurfing. Skilled players create new accounts to hunt down new players, resulting in a broken game balance and new players losing interest from the very first few matches.

ROV / Mobile Legends

MOBA mobile games also have this problem, especially for Conqueror or Mythic-ranked players who are tired of high ranks and drop down to lower ranks.

The Impact of Smurfing on Players and the Gaming Community

Imagine we're running the school 100-meter dash, but suddenly Usain Bolt shows up to run with us... That's exactly how it feels when you encounter Smurfing in a game. The impact is that new players lose all the fun before they even catch their breath, the game becomes unbalanced, and the game community becomes even more toxic.

Disadvantages of Smurfing

This ruins the gaming experience for new players, who lose badly and lose all enjoyment.
The matchmaking system is broken, and the balance is off.
Creating toxicity in the gaming community

Reasons why players choose to smurf

The reasons why players choose to smurf range from cute to trolling. Starting with those who want to play with lower-ranked friends and have to create a new account to be able to party together, or some who want to practice new characters without affecting their main account's rank. Others just want to play casually to escape the pressure of high ranks, but there are also many who do it for fun, bullying new players to get angry or to collect highlights to show off their brutality on social media. All of these are the main reasons why smurfing in games has not disappeared from the online gaming industry.

How is smurfing different from cheating?

Many people are confused about whether smurfing in games is cheating. In reality, smurfing doesn't directly cheat the game system like hacking or cheating does. Instead, it involves "taking advantage of new accounts" to gain an advantage in gameplay. While not directly against the rules, this practice causes problems in online gaming communities.

How do game companies handle smurfing?

Game developers are trying to fix this in several ways, such as

Check player IP and behavior.
Use a matchmaking system that prioritizes skill over rank.
Some companies even ban clear Smurf IDs.

How to Deal with Smurfs in Games

Sometimes we can't avoid encountering smurfing, but we still have ways to handle it without getting so frustrated that we quit the game mid-way.

Focus on your own training.

See it as a chance to face skilled players—watch how they play and adapt their techniques to improve your own game.

Play with friends

Playing with a team we know well will help balance the situation and make the game more enjoyable.

Use the Report system

If you find clear Smurfs, report them to the game company for review. At least it helps improve the gaming community.

Summary of Smurfing in the Online Gaming Industry

In conclusion, Smurfing, or what many people call "smurf gaming" may start out as fun or a desire to play with friends. However, in reality, smurfing in games is a problem that makes new players lose interest and undermines the atmosphere in online gaming communities. For gamers looking to experience something new, playing on foreign servers without encountering lag or high ping, there's a helpful tool like VPN4Games, a VPN for gaming with over 100 servers in 20 countries worldwide, easy to use on both PC and mobile.