At FACEIT, we aim to create an enjoyable, clean, competitive, and respectful environment for all players. To achieve this, we ask everyone to follow our code of conduct . Players who violate the code may be temporarily banned, permanently deactivated or placed on probation. Correctly assigned bans are never overturned, so please read the sections below carefully.
What are bans and how do they work?
A ban is a disciplinary action taken against a player for violating the FACEIT code of conduct, which can result in temporary or permanent suspension from participating in games or accessing your account.
“Cooldowns” are time-based restrictions placed on your account for smaller infractions. While verbal abuse will eventually lead to a ban, such behavior will likely be met first with chat restrictions.
Ban lengths vary based on the severity of the offense and the number of times each user has repeated the offense. FACEIT reserves the right to make changes or exceptions to our banning guidelines on a case-by-case basis, including more lenient or more severe ban or permanent ban than those listed under the Ban Level system.
Why do you get banned from FACEIT?
You will be given the reason for your ban when you try to play or login your account. Bans in this policy fall in three main categories:
Toxicity and Account Integrity bans follow a Ban Level system described below:
| Ban Level | Typical Application | Ban Length (Minimum) | Probation |
| Lvl 1 |
First Toxicity Ban
|
1 Week
|
1 Month
|
| Lvl 2 |
Second Toxicity Ban or First Account Integrity Ban |
1 Month | 3 Months |
| Lvl 3 |
Third Toxicity Ban or Second Account Integrity Ban |
1 Year | 6 Months |
| Cooldown | Edge cases that don’t quite warrant a Ban Lvl 1 ban, or players pending manual review | 0 days | 1 Month |
For more details on cheating bans click here.
For more details on our code of conduct click here.
For more details on our Terms & Conditions click here.
How does the "Ban Level System" work?
We are introducing a Ban Level System to provide a clear and structured understanding of the consequences for players who do not reform their behavior. This system ensures that repeated offenses lead to progressively harsher punishments. If a player commits another offense while under Probation, they are automatically escalated to the next Ban level.
Example: A player is banned for harassment and receives a Ban Level 1 punishment. After their ban lapses, they return to FACEIT and, while on Probation, commit a griefing offense. Because they are on Probation from a Ban Level 1, they would automatically receive a Ban Level 2.
FAQ
Why did I get banned beyond the minimum?
Bans may be placed for longer than the stated minimum at our discretion. Reasons for doing so include, but are not limited to, cases of extreme toxicity, racism, sexism, death threats, or other abuses of our platform’s integrity.
What is Probation, and how does it work?
The probation period is a status applied to players whose ban just expired or who have recently received a warning for violating the platform’s code of conduct. The aim of probation is to give players a chance to improve and reform their behavior, whilst ensuring that bans progressively become stronger for those who don’t change. During probation, the player's actions are closely monitored, and any further violations could lead to stricter penalties, including possible permanent bans. It’s a second chance for players to prove they can adhere to the community guidelines and contribute positively to the platform.
What happens after the Probation period elapses?
Once Probation elapses, your Ban Level resets, and you will be treated as if you were not previously banned.
Example: If you committed a Ban Level 1 offense and were banned, you would be given one month of probation. Six months later, if you re-offend, you would be treated as if it were your first offense and start back at Ban Level 1.
Do toxicity bans always start at Ban Level 1?
While most players' first toxicity bans will be Ban Level 1, FACEIT reserves the right to assign a Ban Level 2 or even Ban Level 3 ban for particularly egregious first-time offenses.
Are all bans on a Ban Level of the same length of time?
No, the ban lengths provided in the table above are the minimum duration for each Ban Level. Different offenses and their severities may result in varying ban lengths.
Why were my FACEIT points removed?
In cases such as Ladder or Leaderboard abuse, FACEIT points may be removed if they are found to have been won unfairly.
What is considered a Toxicity Ban?
Toxicity bans include, but are not limited to, the following offenses:
- Harassment / Toxicity / Encouraging Self-Harm / Spamming
- Offensive Content (e.g. a nickname / profile picture / cover photo that can be considered toxic or otherwise offensive)
- Griefing / Ghosting / Blocking / Team Flashing / Intentional Team Damage
- Abuse of ticket/reporting system / Abuse of Live Admins / Support / frequently providing manifestly Illegal Content (a.k.a. content that is against our FACEIT Content Standards and/or infringes applicable laws)
What is considered an Account Integrity Ban?
Account integrity bans include, but are not limited to, the following offenses:
- Account Sharing / Ban Evasion / Boosting / Leaderboard/ Ladder Abuse
- Smurfing / Intentional De-ranking
- Illegal Content (a.k.a. content that is against our FACEIT Content Standards and/or infringes applicable law)
In some cases such as Ladder or Leaderboard Abuse, FACEIT points may be removed if they are found to have been won unfairly.
What is considered Smurfing?
It is considered smurfing if a user is found to be playing on 2 or more active accounts, regardless of the Elo difference between each account.
What happens when a Smurf is banned?
Smurf Account Penalty
Any smurf account will be permanently banned. In addition, the wins in the last 100 matches played by the smurf will be reverted for Elo adjustment purposes.
Main Account Consequences
The main account associated with the smurf will receive a temporary ban. While this temporary ban does not affect the Elo of the main account, repeat offenses may lead to a permanent ban.
Playing on a Smurf (Main Account Ban)
While Elo is not reverted for the main account, actively using a smurf account is a serious violation of our rules.
If we identify that you have been playing on a smurf account, the main account itself will be subject to a ban. This is considered direct abuse of the platform, and penalties can range from temporary to permanent suspension depending on severity and recurrence.
Cheating Bans
FACEIT is a platform for strategic and competitive play, therefore we take cheating very seriously. If a player is caught cheating, they will be banned for 2 years to protect the experience of other legit players on the platform.
Cheating Ban Evasion
Any user caught evading a cheating ban on a new account will have the new account permanently banned. The cheating ban of the original account will also be extended for another 2 years.
What happens when you post Illegal Content?
Besides our own investigation of the content on our platform, individuals may report your content to us. We will assess whether your content goes against the FACEIT Terms and Conditions (including the FACEIT Code of Conduct, and the FACEIT Content Standards) and/or infringes applicable laws. If we decide your content goes against the FACEIT Terms and Conditions and/or infringes applicable law, we will remove it, and we may impose further restrictions. Depending on the severity of your actions, the repercussions could range from a warning to a permanent ban in line with our ban policy and probation periods.
In case we removed your content (and impose further restrictions), we will inform you by email on:
- the type of restriction we impose, and its consequences;
- the facts and circumstances we have taken into account in our investigation;
- whether the decision was based on our own (proactive) investigation or on a report by another player;
- your options to appeal the decision.
What happens when you frequently post manifestly illegal content?
If you frequently provide content that goes against the FACEIT Terms and Conditions (including the FACEIT Code of Conduct and FACEIT Content Standards) and/or infringes applicable laws, we will formally warn you. This warning explains that if you proceed with this behaviour, we will suspend your access to our services. If you proceed with providing content that goes against the FACEIT Content Standards and/or infringes applicable laws, we may impose further restrictions (such as a temporary or permanent suspension of your access to our services).
What happens when Illegal Content is repeatedly posted within a team or club?
Besides the restrictions on an individual player level, we will remove the content from the team or club, and we may remove a team or club that repeatedly violates the FACEIT Terms and Conditions (including the FACEIT Code of Conduct and FACEIT Content Standards) and/or applicable laws. This includes:
If the name, description or cover photo of a team or club violates the FACEIT Content Standards;
If an admin of a team or club creates content, such as posts, comments or chat messages, that violates the FACEIT Content Standards;
If a group moderator creates content that violates the FACEIT Content Standards;
If a group admin or moderator approves content from a club member that violates the FACEIT Content Standards.
In case we remove a team or club, we will inform the admin of the team or club by email on:
- the type of restriction we impose, and its consequences;
- the facts and circumstances we have taken into account in our investigation;
- whether the decision was based on our own (proactive) investigation or on a report by another player;
- your options to appeal the decision.
How can you appeal the decision imposed as a consequence of posting Illegal Content?
Within 6 months from when we informed you about the restrictions imposed due to your violation of the FACEIT Content Standards, you may appeal against this decision if you believe that:
- Our decision is incorrect because the content is not illegal and/or does not violate our policies (incl. the FACEIT Content Standards);
- You believe your punishment is not proportionate to the type of offence;
- You believe we should have removed content that we decided was not found illegal.
Stream Sniping
To help reduce the risk of stream sniping, streamers are encouraged to take reasonable preventative steps, such as:
- Recommended stream delay: 30 seconds
-
Sensitive information should be hidden:
- Mini-map / radar
- Queue in a 5-stack
Reports are only actionable when supported by clear and reliable evidence, such as the use of information that would not normally be available through standard gameplay or abnormal behavioural patterns. A lack of reasonable preventative measures may be taken into account when determining enforcement outcomes.
If credible evidence of stream sniping is identified while no preventative measures are in place, the streamer may be advised to implement them for future streams.
Are bans public?
Yes, in order to protect the integrity and fairness of games and the platform, bans are made public. The information that can be disclosed on bans includes the banned user’s username, the ban category and the start and end of the ban.
The Appeal Process
If you believe you have been wrongly banned, you can open a support ticket.
In order to facilitate a quick review and resolution of your case please provide us with all the relevant details.