Looking for a beginner’s guide to Rocket League? We’ve got you covered. Rocket League celebrated its 7th birthday this year and Psyonix’s hit keeps going strong. Having switched to a free-to-play model back in 2020, there’s never been a better time to jump in for some car football. However, if you’re looking to get involved in competitive play, you’ll want to know the best Rocket League tips currently going.
At its core, Rocket League remains the same multiplayer game it was back in 2015.
We’re still competing in (usually) 3v3 teams to score the most goals over a 5-minute match,
controlling a rocket powered vehicle to shoot instead of using our feet. Rocket League’s an easy game for newcomers, you can’t tweak these cars for a performance advantage, it’s a difficult one to master.
Rocket League Tips
Within this list, you’ll find several tried and tested Rocket League tips and tricks for any newcomers. Just remember that like with anything, practice makes perfect and while we can’t score those impressive aerials for you, this advice can give you a competitive edge when starting out. With that in mind, here’s our top five Rocket League tips for improving your game.
Adjust the camera settings
I know what you’re thinking. You came in expecting advice on how to score stylishly and you’ve found us talking about camera settings? I’ll concede this isn’t the most exciting tip but hear us out, camera settings are crucial. Rocket League’s default settings showcase the action ahead decently, but should you wish, the game lets you individually tweak several key aspects, like field of view or distance.
This tip isn’t here to tell you exactly what this should be changed too. You might find other players have listed their own settings online, which is perfectly fine, but everyone has personal preferences. If you’re finding it difficult to land those specific shots or you’d like to see more of the arena, consider giving these a tweak. This could be the difference in securing that winning shot and losing the match.
Rotate between positions
Rotations are the key to any successful team coordination with Rocket League. If you’re looking to get serious in 3v3s, I’d suggest finding two friends willing to play, mainly because you’ll have a much easier time convincing them to follow a plan than random online players. That’s because rotations involve changing positions on the field to better assist your teammates, doing what benefits them instead of chasing personal glory.
Assuming you’ve not chosen 1v1 mode, you can’t always be the person taking shots and intercepting your opponent’s strikes. Talk with your squad, discuss who’s lining up the pass and who’s taking that shot, maybe hang back slightly if you know the ball’s not going in. You can’t win a team game by acting alone, make sure they know what you’re doing
Don’t go ball chasing
This tip is essentially an extension on my rotation advice and for good reason, ball chasers are a common problem in 2v2 and 3v3 matches. In a game where you’re aiming to score as many goals as possible, it’s naturally tempting to rush in for that hit, and we’ve all made this mistake when starting out as rookies. However, this can ultimately lose you the game and some prime scoring opportunities.
Why? It can put you out of position. When a teammate’s already dribbling up the side, they don’t need you gunning it right behind them, ready to strike if something goes wrong or to take the shot for them. If there’s no one in the middle, a good pass from said teammate suddenly amounts to nothing. By then, you’ve missed a goal scoring opportunity and frustrated teammates in one go. Just remember that you don’t need to take every shot.
Use boost carefully
Boosting is an essential part of any Rocket League strategy. Letting you store up to 100 boost units, players demolish an opponent’s car, take aerial shots, or simply move across the field at pace. Unfortunately, this gets quickly consumed and while each stadium has no end of boost pads, I’d recommend saving them until an appropriate time. After all, how many assists have we failed to convert because we couldn’t reach the ball in time?
Once you’ve hit maximum speed, further boosts are unnecessary and while it’s a sensible plan to keep your tank replenished, you don’t necessarily need to go out of your way collecting them. You’ll find smaller ones littered around an arena which restore 12 units, alongside 6 larger orbs that restore 100 units, though these take much longer to respawn. Remember that your teammates need a boost too, they’ll (maybe) thank you later.
Defend From the Back Post
Rocket League doesn’t enforce set positions like in football/soccer but when it comes to 2v2s or 3v3 matches, sometimes players hang back to act as a goalkeeper. If you’re winning a match and are taking a cautious approach, there’s no shame in acting defensively, of course, but this isn’t the best strategy. Ideally, you’ll want to place your car by the back post, the one furthest from whatever side of the goal the ball’s at.
That’s because you’ll have a better reaction window to intercept an aerial shot. If you’re positioned by the near post, there’s a much better chance your opponent can shoot this straight over your head. If there’s a teammate close to said opponent, that frees them up to attempt a direct tackle without compromising defence. Ultimately, it’s a better way to counter side shots than waiting in the middle.
