Alt Account

An alt account (short for “alternate”) is any secondary account a player keeps in addition to their primary, or main, account. People use alts to experiment with new characters, play a different game mode, stay anonymous, or separate casual play from serious ranked sessions.

Unlike a smurf, which specifically means a strong player on a deliberately low-ranked account, an alt is just any extra account regardless of skill. Alts are a major reason the account market exists: rather than grind a fresh second account from scratch, players often buy a ready-made gaming (general) accounts to use as one.