Top 15 Rocket League Tips For Outplaying Your Opponents

Updated:

01 Apr 2020

So you've been playing with your buddies online, and your opponent's decked out Devil X just stole the ball again and made the winning goal easily.

If this sounds familiar to you, stick around. We got a lot to cover in such little time, so get your pencils (or phones) ready for some notes.

Playing in the lower levels of Rocket League is extremely frustrating. You’ll find yourself up against inexperienced players, ball hogs, and toxic players. If you want to get out of the bronze level games and start climbing the ranks in Rocket League you need to get better; Fast.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled this list of 15 tips to save you countless hours of learning them on your own. Follow these 15 tips for outplaying your opponents and you’ll be dominating the field in no time.

15. Play The Tutorials

Wax On, Wax Off

If you haven’t already played through the tutorials you’re missing out on one of the best tools to improve your game. Play through all of them and master them before heading into online matches to get a feel for the game.

I know nobody wants to play the tutorials. In fact, the first time you try them you might think they’re way too easy to even bother with. Truthfully, these tutorials are building your muscle memory for the game. They will teach you how to score, defend, and perform aerials much faster than if you had to learn the skills in-game. Once you’ve mastered all the regular tutorials move on to the player made custom tutorials for a real challenge.

14. Mess With the Camera

Watch your opponents and team like a hawk

Every player will have their own personal preference for camera settings so, take your time and tinker with them until they feel right for you.

The developers of Rocket League gave you a lot of customization options when it comes to the camera. You can move it up, down, in, out, and all around. There are endless ways to tweak the camera to your liking. You don’t have to stick with the presets the game provides.

If you’re having near misses with the ball or have trouble lining up shots then enter the free-play training mode and play around with the camera setting. Find the settings that work for you and play with them for a while. You’ll see your game drastically improve once you’ve customized where the camera lies behind you.

13. Learn to Rotate

Don't mess up the rotation

Just like in real soccer the best teams are the ones with players who play their roles perfectly. Nothing will help you win games faster than learning how to rotate on both offense and defense with your team.

Not a lot of people in the lower tiers of the game understand the flow of the game. If you do you’ll get a better position over your opponent.

Finding your proper rotation on both offense and defense is probably the most important thing you can learn to do in Rocket League. On offense, you need one person dribbling the ball, one waiting for the pass, and one dropped back to cover the goal. When a pass or shot is missed everyone shifts into the next position.

On defense, you should have one person attacking the ball, one in goal, and one covering the other side of the field.

12. Don’t Chase the Ball

Please. Don't. Chase It.

Ball chasers are more infuriating than any other type of player in all of Rocket League. They get in the way and mess up big plays for their teams.

If learning the rotation is the most important skill to learn, chasing the ball is the most important habit to unlearn. People who chase just fly around the field, never in position, and going after the ball no matter what.

Chasers are the teammates that accidentally block your perfect shot, run into you when you’re going for the ball, score on their own teams, and just gum up the work.

If there is a teammate who is in a better position let them take the shot. If they miss you’ll be in a position to rebound. You need to play with your team if you want to regularly win.

11. Use Both Camera Modes

Use your resources. You'll thank me later

Switching between the different camera modes on the fly will give you the best view for every situation you find yourself in.

There are two different camera modes in Rocket League and you’re going to want to use both during a match. One mode locks onto the ball at all times so that it is always the focus of the camera. The other is freestyle and always looks in front of your car in the direction you’re driving.

They both have their benefits and you need to be comfortable using both. When locked onto the ball you take better shots, find the ball right away when you lose it, and center yourself between the ball and the goal when you’re defending. With the camera focused on the front of your car, it’s easier to dribble the ball and get back on defense without colliding with teammates, while going out of your way for a boost.

10. Speed Up Without Boost

Slow and steady wins the race

Grabbing a boost is important, however, there will be times when you don’t have it and you will still need to get around the field quickly. Mastering the frontflip will minimize your reliance on a boost.

Sometimes you will find yourself without a boost while trying to get back on defense or taking an open shot. To move as quickly as possible without a boost, you need to learn to front-flip as an alternative to quickly get across the field.

By learning to do this not only can you move faster when you don’t have a boost, but you can conserve your boost so you have it when you really need it. When you get this down you can combine it with a short burst of boost and really fly down the field.

09. When in Doubt Defend

Keep your guard up! You'll see your friends true colors after the match if you don't

Missing a shot is bad, but it’s nothing compared to letting the other team score on you when you’re out of position. If you lose your rotation, fall back on defense to prevent a fast-paced breakaway against your goal.

Listen, we know this is a lot of information to take in all at once. It can be difficult to remember your spot in the rotation when you’re not supposed to go for the ball, and all the other tips you’ll learn here today. Follow this one rule and you should do all right.

If you’re not sure exactly where you’re supposed to be or what you’re supposed to be doing, drop back into defense. Sure you may miss some opportunities to score now and then, but it’ll be much less upsetting (and keeping your teammates happy) than if you let the other team score when you’re supposed to be defending. Plus, by dropping back you can rush in and pick up an easy garbage goal if your teammate misses a shot while everyone is crashing the net.

08. Find a Team/Teammate

Like in elementary school, find your buddy! Best Rocket Buddies Forever!

Finding a good team to play with gives you an instant advantage over the hordes of randomly thrown together teams playing together. While they’re trying to find their rhythm you will already know what to expect from your battle-tested teammates.

We’ve already told you how important the rotation is, but it’s hard to keep up a good rotation when you’re playing with new teammates every game. Play with a friend or invite someone you have good chemistry with to play as your teammate if you want to dominate the game.

With a teammate, you can learn each other's strengths, weaknesses, and habits. After a few games, you’ll start to know where they’re going to be and how they like to play the game. Knowing your teammate(s) makes rotating much easier.

07. Use Your Wheels

Big wheel keep on turning

To pull off shots with pinpoint accuracy, you are going to have to learn to hit the ball not with the body of your car but with the softer wheels.

When you first start playing you are going to be so excited to score that you’re going to fly in and try to score a goal whenever you see an opening. More times than not that’s going to result in you hitting the ball way too hard and missing the shot high or wide.

Hitting the ball with the body of the car gives much more force to your shot. Learning to angle your car so that the softer wheels hit the ball will allow you to have more accuracy when shooting. You’ll start to see yourself making many more finesse shots, especially when you’re in close to the goal.

06. Deny The Other Team Boost

Just deny and deny.

The team that controls the boost controls the game, deny your opponent boost and dominate the playing field.

Boost is important for winning a game of Rocket League. The players that have more boost can get to the ball faster, jump up higher for aerials, and beat a shot back to their goal. Every chance you get to try to get a boost while also keeping it from your opponents.

You don’t want to get out of position to get a boost, but when it’s close grab it every time. If you can manage to starve your opponents of boosts than you can easily dominate them. If they’re out of boost they’re basically be crawling compared to you out on the field.

05. Demo When Necessary

Here comes the.....well you know the rest

Speeding around the field blowing up your opponent is a surefire way to open up your goal to the other team, but using strategic, targeted demolitions can give you the upper hand on the competition.

Some people think it’s a dirty trick to blow up your opponent, and other people act as an enforcer chasing the opponent around the field and blowing them up every chance they get. Where you want to be is somewhere in the middle.

By hitting an opponent when you’re going supersonic with the boost you can blow them up, taking them out of the play and opening up a shot. But, an even more effective tactic is blowing up an opponent when they are playing goalie. If you or a teammate has a shot on goal that’s slowly rolling in, ramming the goalie will clear the way for it to roll right in for an easy score.
04. Don’t Let The Attacker Shake You In The Goal

Keep calm and play on!

Nothing is more embarrassing than getting “shook” by an opponent. Don’t take the bait, play your game and be patient.

When you are sitting in the goal you are the last line of defense your team has from oncoming attackers. When you see someone dribbling the ball towards you and the goal, you may be tempted to speed up and rush them as a way to stop them from scoring. However, what’s more, likely is that the attacker will flick the ball over you when you come out of the goal and get an easy point.

Your best play in this type of situation is to stay calm and sit back. Make the attacker come to you and cut off their angles by staying back like this the attacker will have to work much harder as they are hoping that you rush out at them so they have an easier shot on goal or a chance to pick up an easy assist to a teammate. Don’t give them the opportunity.

03. Wait to Get A Boost During the Kickoff

Good things come to those who wait

Having a full boost isn’t worth anything if you’re constantly getting scored on right off the kickoff. Wait until the right moment to fill up your boost.

If you’re not the player rushing the ball during the kickoff you may be tempted to speed over to a corner and pick up some quick boost. While this might seem like a great idea if you are back on defense during the kickoff you’re leaving the goal wide open for the other team. If they win the kickoff there is nothing stopping them from an easy shot on goal and a quick point.

At the beginning of every kickoff, you are given enough boost to hold you over for a little while. Wait to see what the outcome of the kickoff is before you go rushing off to fill up your boost. If the other team wins the kickoff then wait to fill your boost and play defense until your team takes the ball the other way. If your team does win the kickoff and the ball goes towards your opponent’s goal, then you can safely drive over to a corner of the field and get your boost.

02. Pick The Right Car

Choose your weapon! Wait, wrong game

Finding the car that feels right for you is one of the fastest, most effective ways to raise your game to the next level.

Picking the right car can make a world of difference to how well you play the game. Every car has a differently sized hitbox, turning radius, and 180 degrees turn time. Use the free play training mode to get a feel for different cars and see which one works best for you. Some cars simply feel better than others and by picking a car that feels right to you will help you avoid near misses when shooting for the ball and maneuver around the field much easier.

If you’re not sure which car to use your best bet is to stick with the Octane. Time and time again it has been voted the single best car in Rocket League. Nearly 50 percent of all professional Rocket League players choose the Octane. No car in the game is as well-balanced as the Octane and it’s a quality car no matter what level you play at. Other popular cars include the Dominus and the Batmobile. Ultimately which car you use will simply come down to which one feels best to you, so try out as many cars as you can in free-play to get a feel for which one best matches your playstyle.

01. Learn The Cross

Goalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!

In real soccer, the cross is one of the most effective plays for scoring a quick goal and, the same holds true for Rocket League. When done correctly it is nearly unstoppable by all but the best defenses.

The cross is one of the most effective offensive moves in Rocket League, and if you can master it, you will be that much closer to dominating your opponents and moving up through the ranks. It’s a simple but effective move that starts in the corner of the field and ends with your teammate scoring an easy goal. When you are coming down the field on the attack towards your opponent's goal, maneuver the ball into one of the corners. Once there, hit the ball so it rolls into the corner, along the wall as it drops right down over the crossbar and in front of your opponent's goal. If one of your teammates are in a position they should be able to crash the net and score an easy goal.