Rocket League is a game with what seems like infinite popularity. At the time of this writing, it is having a free weekend on Steam so there are loads of players just trying it out for the first time. It’s an idea that is weird and shouldn’t work but it does. The game has just hit 30 million players and the number is still growing. Steam features cross-play with its PS4 and Xbox One (and soon Nintendo Switch) counterparts so the player base is even bigger on these platforms.
The game has been out for quite some time now and if you’re jumping in for the first time, you might become overwhelmed. Lucky for you, we have some tips and tricks to help you get acclimated to the Rocket League landscape. Unfortunately, we aren’t quite experts ourselves but we’ll do our best to help you. We will keep you updated with more tips as we get better at the game too.
Here are some tips and tricks you should know about Rocket League.
Chase Your Shot
Rocket League is all about moving fast. While it can be nice to just watch your shot head toward the goal, you want to be in position to react to what the other team is doing. If they manage to deflect your shot, you want to be in a perfect position to put the ball back into the goal. The ball gets deflected a lot so you want to make sure you’re in a good position to hit it again off the rebound.
Watch for where the ball is going to go before you get to it. If you notice a player is going to intercept your ball on the way to the goal, wait and see where they are going to hit it. If you hang back a bit, you will have a chance to react instead of just going full-throttle toward the ball.
Don’t Crowd The Ball
I know we just told you to follow your shot but if you see a bunch of players around the ball, just hang back and see what they do. It doesn’t hurt to play goalie once in a while, it’s actually pretty fun. Nothing quite beats the rush of making a last second save or clearing the ball to stop an easy set up for a goal.
Just play a little back and see what your team or the other team is doing and it can make all the difference. Don’t be the team that all clusters around the ball, allowing your opponent an open shot on goal.
Work Together
Rocket League is a very team-oriented game. It’s best to play this games with friends but working with strangers can work just as well. In 3v3 matches, one player should play as goalie, or at least hang back in case you need a quick save. In my experience, this has been the player that spawns the furthest back in front of the goal. This doesn’t mean you’re entirely useless, you can still creep up when the action is on the other side of the field but if your team has a goalie, your odds of success skyrocket.
Using a mic is key in this game. We understand if you don’t want to talk to strangers, we really do, but make sure you have the ability to hear what your team is saying at least. Communication is key in team games and Rocket League is no different.
Use Your Boost To Your Advantage
Many novice players will use their boost whenever and this isn’t a good strategy to have. You don’t want to waste your boosts on useless moments. You want to have that boost ready for when it’s just you, the ball and the goal ahead of you.
Your boost can also be used to get the to the ball as soon as possible to make a last second save. Nothing takes the air out of your opponent more than having an easy goal taken away by a boosting car coming in out of nowhere to deflect the ball.
Don’t Be Afraid To Hit Other Players
If you can’t get to the ball, you can always get the player. Hitting the player with a well-timed boost will knock them off course and ruin whatever they were trying to get done with the ball.
If you hit a player in the right spot, you can actually blow their car up and make them respawn. Having a quick 3v2 can make all the different. Also, it feels really nice to actually kill a player in a game that doesn’t really encourage that.