Last Updated on 01.04.2024
Rocket League is not a particularly difficult game. It’s not a game like League of Legends, cluttered with hundreds of champions, cluttered with tons of different mechanics. This is a game about skill and a game about practice – and this is already quite difficult.
To play Rocket League better, you should follow our tips and recommendations, study our guides and make sure that you have learned everything there is to learn. From specific techniques and tactics to settings and teamwork, there are many ways to improve yourself in Rocket League.
Let’s not waste any more of your time. After all, as you know, time is money. If you are more inclined to visual learning and want to get some guides in video format, we have what you need for you…
Use the correct camera settings
In Rocket League, few things can be more important than the perfect camera settings. As you will learn from this article, it doesn’t make much sense to explain most of the Rocket League strategies and guides in the text.
Instead, we’re going to include all the relevant videos to help you learn and become the best Rocket League player you can possibly be. So, without further ado, let’s continue our guide!
Drive your car and learn the mechanics
- Use practice mode and make sure you master all the relevant mechanics listed below.
- Find other players and friends to help you learn and practice.
- Use a 1-hour practice schedule. In other words, repeat the same thing for one hour.
- Use RLCS replays, online tutorials such as the ones below, and YouTube to get more used to the mechanics and learn when and where they can be useful.
- Play multiple game modes to get better used to your vehicle and the best tactics to use in different situations.
- Be sure to turn off unlimited boosts in Free Play to make practice more realistic.
- Try different vehicles and different hitboxes to determine exactly which hitbox works best for your style of play.
Before you can truly become competitive in Rocket League, you need to master these mechanics. From more complex and intense moves like Flip Reset, to more common mechanics like dribbling and Wave Dash, you need to develop and learn many mechanics before you can really get better at Rocket League.
Controls
Rocket League has many controls, and some of them aren’t even tied to the controller to begin with, such as the aerial somersault to the left and the aerial somersault to the right. Change them, so you can get your car going where you want it to go faster. But even if you choose the controller’s default setting, changing the acceleration to a different button that lets you trigger it with a different finger than the one you use to jump will get you off the ground faster in almost all situations.
You should also find a comfortable place to “air roll left” or “air roll right,” as this opens up the possibility of doing a very scary – and almost impossible to perform all the time – tornado jerk. This move is so complicated that this manual doesn’t even describe it… however, with this maneuver at hand, you’ll be able to perform the next move on our list of tips.
Get into position quickly with a half-flip
The half-flip is a great recovery move. In Rocket League, you want your momentum to always point in the direction you are moving. This isn’t always possible, but the half-flip quickly allows you to turn to face the right direction if you find yourself backwards.
This move uses an interesting mechanic called canceling the flip. When you duck forward or backward, you can hold the analog joystick in the opposite direction to cancel the flip. That way, if you hold forward at the very moment you do a 180° flip, you are looking in the opposite direction and can move forward. The only problem is that your wheels are now pointing upward, so you need to use an air right/left roll to turn right up as soon as you cancel – saving yourself the clumsy fiddling with the controller.
Use every surface, including the roof of the gate
Recovery plays a key role in carball. You need to be able to get into position as quickly as possible out of any situation – for example, flying into the back of one of the gates. In most cases, the quickest way to get back in the game is to break through the bottom of the net, down the back curve, and onto the roof of the goal.
If you save your momentum, you’ll have a big dodge window once you fly forward (upside down, of course), allowing you to dodge in the direction you want to get back into position. Alternatively, you can jump off the roof and do the usual dodge-it’s useful because you land faster thanks to the jump sending you down.
Protect yourself from your back post
You can prevent hitting the back of your net by making sure you pivot into defense through the back post. This gives you a number of advantages. First, you probably picked up your corner boost or foraged about 36 boosts from the pads when you bent into position near the rack. Second, since the only way to get there is through your corner, you get a great view of the development of the offensive play that your opponents are setting up. Third, you can now reinforce each goal point, making it much harder for your opponents to get the ball past you. Finally, this predictable rotation allows your teammates to get behind you when you go for a challenge, and allows your team to cycle the goalie role very effectively.
Use your nose!
Your nose is one of the strongest parts of your car because of the way Rocket League physics work, so you want to use it as much as possible. our back is actually just as powerful, but you can’t move backwards, so the nose wins. The front corner bumper is technically the hardest, but requires much more precision, so stick with the nose until you feel comfortable. Use an aerial somersault to flip your car on high aerials, allowing you to hit the ball on the car without risking touching the wheel, which will slow the ball down and rob you of all your power.
You also want to use your nose for 50/50. The reason the Octane 50 is so good is that the nose is higher off the ground than cars, making it easier to hit the center of the ball with your nose. Think of the 50/50 as the beginning of the game, but with a lot more variables to track.
Hold back as last car
If you are the furthest car on your team, you are the last line of defense on the way to your goal. As tempting as it may be to try to fly across the field for an epic aerial play, try to refrain from committing until you are sure you are outrunning the other team on the ball and that your teammates ahead of you. Themselves, are not going after the ball. Double or triple commitment is one of the biggest mistakes new players make, so be patient and avoid slamming bumpers, even if your teammates don’t do you any favors.
Understanding kickoffs
Starting kicks can very quickly prevent and cause goals in any direction, changing the course of the game. Rocket League has many options for kickoffs, but it’s hard to beat a simple, reliable kickoff – nothing special. The reason is that it gives you a solid wall and keeps the ball from getting anywhere near your half.
The key to this initial shot is to meet the ball at the same time as your opponent, but make sure your point of impact and momentum go right through the center of the ball. Draw an imaginary line from the center of the goal through the ball and place the nose of your car on that line, flying into the ball. The only other thing to do is to try to hit the dead center vertically as you dodge the ball. Do this, and you will find that you will very rarely lose early in the match, which means fewer goals against (and more goals from) your team.
Sometimes you don’t want to touch the ball
In a game where everyone wants to hit the ball, sometimes the most effective thing you can do is not touch it. The mind game is the best moment to jab. You rush to hit the ball, your opponent jumps to block, and…you stop. They fly by, and you just drive the ball into the net, spamming “What a save!” until they stifle you. It’s almost too easy, but there’s plenty of room for creativity, using a backflip, powerslide or even a wave jerk – maybe next time – to keep your opponent guessing. And most importantly – do not forget to check Rocket League codes for April 2024 on our website.