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Riot Games is stepping up its fight against smurfing in VALORANT, announcing a new mobile verification beta that will soon become a requirement for certain accounts. The feature, which uses multi-factor authentication (MFA) through Riot Mobile, aims to make life harder for account sharers, boosters, and smurfs while also improving account security.

“Playing against smurfs is one of the most frustrating experiences in VALORANT,” Riot explained in its update. “A sizable amount of this disruption comes from shared accounts. By decreasing the number of accounts that can be shared, we expect smurfing to decrease.”

Who Needs to Verify?

The MFA system will be rolled out in stages, beginning with Patch 11.09. Accounts flagged as shared will need to complete Riot Mobile verification, while bans will be issued against accounts Riot believes were purchased or boosted.

From Patch 11.10, players ranked Ascendant and above will also need to activate Riot Mobile MFA. According to Riot, high-ranked players pose the biggest risk to competitive integrity when smurfing and are most prone to win trading or other violations.

Importantly, players who only use their own accounts and aren’t sharing with others won’t notice much change. Riot says the one-time verification process is simple and links a player’s Riot account to their mobile device.

Why MFA Matters

Beyond reducing smurfing, Riot says MFA is also about player security. Around 80 to 90 percent of stolen VALORANT accounts had MFA disabled, making them easy targets for hackers. Requiring verification should not only cut down on smurfing but also help keep accounts safer.

How It Works

Setting up Riot Mobile MFA is straightforward:

  1. Sign in to your Riot account page.
  2. Find the Multi-Factor Authentication card.
  3. Click “Enable” or “Resend” to receive an email.
  4. Open the MFA email in your inbox.
  5. Click the “Enable Multi-Factor Authentication” button.

Once complete, your account is verified, secured, and ready to go. Riot has confirmed that free rewards will also be given to players who activate MFA.

What’s Coming Next

Riot has laid out a timeline for the new measures:

  • Patch 11.08: Players will be able to report others for “rank manipulation” through the in-game system, helping Riot gather more data on smurfing behaviour.
  • Patch 11.09: Riot Mobile MFA becomes mandatory for shared accounts in NA, LATAM, BR, and KR. Purchased and boosted accounts will face bans.
  • Patch 11.10: MFA is required for Ascendant and higher-ranked accounts in NA, LATAM, BR, and KR.
  • 2026: The requirements will expand to APAC and EU for both shared and high-ranked accounts.

Riot stressed that the system is still in beta and will evolve based on player feedback. The developer is encouraging players to share their experiences, especially if they encounter false detections or issues with the mobile verification process.

While Riot acknowledges this won’t completely eliminate smurfing, the changes are expected to make a “meaningful dent” in the number of accounts used for boosting and manipulation.

For casual players tired of running into smurfs in lower lobbies, this update might just be the step in the right direction.