Tired of smurfs? VALORANT’s new Patch 11.08 feature finally lets you fight back

Riot Games is finally turning up the heat on smurfs in VALORANT, with Patch 11.08 introducing the tac shooter’s first in-game feature that lets players report and flag such disruptive behavior.

Set to go live on Oct. 15, Patch 11.08 adds the “Rank Manipulation” criteria to the in-game report system in VALORANT, so you can now report smurfs under a dedicated category. Previously, players had to report smurfs under “Cheating” or “Sabotaging” and leave a note to explain—a system that rarely led to fair investigation from Riot’s side.

The rank manipulation reporting category was launched as the first step in a larger initiative to tackle the heavily reported smurfing problem in VALORANT. Last month, Riot confirmed it’s aware of the widespread issue and plans to launch a series of anti-smurf updates to eliminate rank manipulation and account boosting at its roots. 

“Playing against smurfs is one of the most frustrating experiences in VALORANT, and a sizable amount of this disruption comes from shared accounts,” the team had explained in an article on X back in September. “By decreasing the number of accounts that can be shared, we expect smurfing to decrease.”

Once Patch 11.08 goes live with Act Six on Oct. 15, you can start reporting players you think are smurfing, wintrading, or boosting under rank manipulation. To report a player for rank manipulation or any other category, follow these steps:

1. Open the in-game settings page (ESC key on PC) while in a match.
2. Under the Match tab, find the player name you want to report and select the Report button.
3. Check the box beside the category under which you want to report the player. Use the text box to explain why you think they fall under the category you selected.
4. Submit the report.

Riot will take active steps to scrutinize their behavior and punish them appropriately. 

Starting Patch 11.09, Riot will enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) via the Riot Mobile App for player accounts detected as shared. You can check out the new banner in the Competitive lobby to learn more about upcoming MFA changes. For more information about upcoming anti-smurf updates in VALORANT, check out our detailed guide.