How many smurfs did Faceit 2.0’s ban wave catch?

Faceit 2.0’s main appeal is its harsh anti-smurf policy, and it appears to be delivering on that promise with a fresh ban wave that has already wiped out 40,000 smurfs since 2.0’s launch.

Faceit’s anti-cheat system has long been superior to VAC when it comes to identifying and removing cheaters. However, it wasn’t without its shortcomings. Smurfs remained a significant issue, driving serious players away. On November 26, 2024, Faceit released  an upgraded system designed to tackle this problem head-on. The new system detects smurfs and requires each account to be linked to a government-verified ID.

It seems that the system has already started working, as 40,000 smurfs have received punishment in Faceit 2.0’s first ban wave. According to the platform, the figure may cross 100,000 in the coming days.

Faceit ban wave punishes smurfs and unverified accounts

Taking it to X, Faceit announced the results from the recent smurf ban wave, which led to the removal of thousands of smurf accounts. Faceit expects the number to increase in the next few days.

Faceit allows multiple account owners to prove their innocence by attaching their main accounts to a government-verified ID card. The platform first detects smurfs and bans them 48 hours after a flagged account remains unverified. Since the update isn’t 48 hours old, and some suspects still have time to get verified, more bans are expected after the 48-hour mark in populated regions.

The current ban wave is instant bans levied by Faceit against smurfs that are easy to detect without the verification step in Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia.

“We expect the number to be considerably higher, especially because the majority of those who are detected at the moment are receiving a 48h timer to prove their innocence by verifying. Besides these instant bans, there should be a huge delayed ban wave after the 48h expires,” Faceit said.

This means that owners of multiple accounts have one more day to verify their main account if they wish to continue playing without smurfing. Failing to do so will result in losing access to alternate accounts while compliance will only result in losing alt accounts.

Fans are pleased with the platform for finally cracking down on smurfs, who have quickly become a plague. In the next few days, the CS2 experience on Faceit may feel considerably better, all thanks to the recent ban purge and the upcoming ban wave as the 48-hour verification deadline approaches.