Smurf Account: What is it - and what's the purpose?

The term Smurf account is common in the gaming scene, and there especially in certain games. Our guide explains the term and reveals what's behind it.

Smurf accounts are not welcome, but nevertheless widespread.

If you search for smurf accounts, you will even find platforms that specialize in selling them. However, this is not risk-free.

This is how smurf accounts work

On smurf accounts you should know this info:

• Smurf accounts are secret secondary accounts of good or very good players.
• The purpose of a smurf account is anonymity.
• In detail, the advantage depends on the game mechanism: In games where accounts are assigned to a ranking, smurf accounts allow playing in lower ranges than would be possible with the main account.
• In other games, again, it's all about the name: Very well-known players sometimes have a hard time finding opponents - with a Smurf account, this is possible again.

The term was originally created by two Warcraft II players a long time ago and has since become a general description of this strategy. Smurf accounts are common in competitive online games, such as League of Legends, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and are considered a problem by game operators.Most recently, the actions against "smurfers" became much stricter: those who are caught must expect long bans. Of course, these also affect the main account, which should make the deterrent effective.