Boosting means raising a player's rank or progress without them earning it, usually by playing on their account or carrying them in a duo, often for money.
Because it distorts matchmaking and ranks, most competitive games prohibit it, and many publishers have been increasing enforcement.
How players use it
- "Selling boosts, DM me" (an advert, against most terms of service)
- "My account got banned for boosting"
- "That duo is boosting their friend, look at the stats"
- "Anyone offering a boost?" (a request, and risky)
Types of boosting
- Account boosting. A booster logs into your account and plays on it. This breaks account-sharing rules in virtually every game.
- Duo boosting. A much stronger player queues with you on your own account to pull you up.
- Win trading or farming. Players arrange results between accounts.
- PvE carries. Paid carries through raids, dungeons or bosses. Rules vary, and not every game treats these as bans.
Why games ban it
Boosting puts players in matches they should not be in, ruins the experience for teammates and opponents, and makes rank meaningless. Account sharing also exposes your login to theft.
Riot Games is a clear example. In League of Legends, it has targeted account selling, account sharing, boosting and duo boosting since patch 25.18 (September 2025), and penalties can carry over to linked accounts. For Valorant, Riot's July 2026 "Playing Fair" post forbids sharing, buying or borrowing accounts and deranking, and lists suspensions, rank and reward reversions, and permanent bans for repeated abuse. Players who queue with a booster can also have their rank reverted. Other publishers have similar rules, so read the current terms of your game and avoid paid boosting services.
Boosting versus playing with a friend
Queueing with a friend of higher rank is not boosting by itself. Games set rank-gap limits for parties to prevent it, and what matters is the purpose and the rules of the specific game. Playing with someone and helping them improve is fine, and our duo queue and solo queue versus duo queue pages explain how parties work.
Safer ways to climb
- Review your own games and focus on one role.
- Play with a steady partner of similar rank.
- Find teammates through /find-players or Discord.
- Read why your rank does not climb solo.
Related terms
- Smurf: a veteran on a fresh account.
- Carry: leading a team to a win.
- Duo queue: queueing as a pair.
- SBMM: the matchmaking boosting tries to bypass.
FAQ
Is boosting bannable?
In most competitive games, yes, particularly account sharing and paid boosting. Check the terms of service for your game.
Is duo boosting the same as playing with a friend?
No. It means playing with the aim of raising someone's rank, especially for payment. Normal duos are allowed, usually with limits on rank gaps.
Is boosting the same as a carry?
A carry is a normal term for helping a team win. Boosting is organized, often paid, and breaks rules in competitive modes.