Is FACEIT being overrun with smurfs after CSGO Prime changes?

Steven Rondina Published 02/09/2021

FACEIT has been having a variety of issues in recent months, and it now seems that at least one more has been added to the pile.

There has been a slew of complaints among users of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matchmaking service regarding an uptick of smurfs in lower-level play. Newer and less-skilled players are being pitted against high-level players on new accounts that have unusually strong stats. The end result is a poor in-game experience for these lower-ranked players, as well as an undeserved hit to their hard-earned ELO.

Multiple discussions around this trend have popped up across social media, with fans showing off the profiles of brand new accounts posting strong numbers against opponents that should be much stronger if judged by rank, as well as lopsided scoreboards from similar situations.

FACEIT has been put in an unfortunate position this summer. In June, Valve introduced massive changes to CSGO by putting ranked matchmaking and item drops behind a paywall in the form of a $15 ticket for Prime status. Alongside this were multiple ban waves in CSGO that were meant to attack smurfing and boosters. Both of these tactics were meant to clean up the experience of playing standard CSGO matchmaking.

While there are varying takes on whether things have improved in CSGO’s base matchmaking, there’s little question that third-party matchmaking services including ESEA and FACEIT have been left worse off. The inability to obtain free-to-play accounts with access to everything required has left these services with the most vulnerable player bases, as bad actors don’t have the same concerns over bans as they do when risking their primary paid CSGO accounts.

Hackers in particular have swarmed to FACEIT in order to light up opponents without challenge, and FACEIT hasn’t been able to keep up with either the hack creators or the influx of new players. Smurfing is a similar problem, but even more difficult to approach as a high-level player can freely make a new account and immediately take on overmatched opponents.

What is smurfing in FPS games?

Smurfing is a slang term in FPS and other games describing the act of a skilled player actively seeking to play against weaker opponents. Most online multiplayer games have a matchmaking system that tries to pit similarly skilled players against each other. Smurfing typically requires a player to either intentionally lose games in order to trick the system into thinking they’re unskilled, or to create new accounts in order to ignore any ranking that may occur with regular play.

Smurfing is widely seen in a negative light by players and is a punishable offense in most online games. The trouble is that policing it is very difficult since players are free to create multiple accounts at will.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...

Counter-Strike

BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...

Counter-Strike

Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...

Counter-Strike

The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...

Esports Betting

All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Owen Harsono IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...