Rocket League tips: ten beginner tips you need to know

These Rocket League tips will help you start racking up wins when playing online

Rocket League only gets bigger and better as time goes by, with the now-iconic car-soccer game being more accessible than ever, with more competitive players than ever. That means that no matter what your skill level is, you can start playing now and have a lot of fun.

If you want to start playing Rocket League for the first time you can do so now, and these tips will help you play a bit more like a professional. Don’t let enemy teams score goals while you don’t know what’s going on, just research these tips and you’ll be ready for the games ahead.

Pole position

Where should you be most of the time? You might think that you should be up close to the ball, smacking it toward the goal, but that can be to your detriment. In reality, you should be ready for a follow-up. If the ball gets knocked out of the corner, you should be on the outer edge ready to redirect it back toward the goal. If players are clashing for the ball, you should be prepared to take the ball after the confrontation and put your team at an advantage. You need to pick and choose your moment to rush in and steal the glory.

Team player

Epic Games

As hinted at by the previous tip, you won’t always be the star of the show, and you need to work with your team to get the best results out of each match. So if you want those good results to be consistent, you should find a strong team. Getting a few friends you speak with regularly to join you in Rocket League is a great idea, and easy thanks to the game being free-to-play with full crossplay across all current consoles.

Wall crawler

You can just drive right up the walls in Rocket League, and you should use that to your advantage. The ball will often get bounced high, and you drive up the walls and leap off in order to target the ball, slamming it back down towards the ground where your team can – hopefully – nudge it in the right direction.

Game mode master

Rocket League loves soccer, but it’s not the only game mode. Dig into the menus and you’ll find Ice Hockey and Basketball variants, in addition to loads of custom modes. If you’re getting bored of soccer or wish to see what else is on offer, dip into these unique game types.

Boost power

Your boost is incredibly important, and you need to use it wisely. While you certainly shouldn’t hold back on spending it all in order to make an important save or goal, you also need to ensure you have boost ready for those important moments, especially when it can be used flexibly.

Floaty football

Another way to use your boost power is to float. The physics of Rocket League are very forgiving. The force that comes from your vehicle when using boost doesn’t just speed up the wheels, it literally adds thrust to the rear of your vehicle. Therefore, if you jump and point the rear of your vehicle towards the ground, followed by using your boost, you can float in the air. You can use this to make super-charged dashes towards the ball in the air, or you might see experienced players hover in front of the goal, or even make incredible shots on the goal from aerial positions.

Goalie

We all love to be the one scoring the goals, but you we really need to show some appreciation for the players who stop goals being scored for the opposite team. Every Rocket League team needs someone who can reliably hang back near your goal, and defend it whenever possible. Hey, it could even be you. You might not get the goals on the scoreboard, but defend a few times and you’ll be known as a legend among your team.

Ball cam

By default Rocket League has you driving about in third-person, with the camera hovering above your car, facing forward. That’s fine, but it can sometimes be a detriment. Ball Cam allows you to fix your camera on wherever the ball is at that moment, making your aware of everything you need to know at a glance. You might want to swap out of ball cam occasionally for some cheeky maneuvers, but it’s often the best starting point for those new to Rocket League.

Fast front flip

Drive straight forward, hold the direction forward, press jump, and then press jump again. You can do all this while boosting, too. This forward front flip is a simple maneuver to perform, and will reward you with a decent burst of speed. This is a great way to speed up and get across the pitch without spending your boost.

Handbrake drifts

It might feel faster to do a wide u-turn when you need to make a quick change, but a harsh and sudden handbrake turn does the job much better. Slapping the handbrake and turning allows you to perform a quick and sudden 180-degree turn. It might halt your momentum, but with a burst of boost you’ll get back up to speed quickly.