RL esports

Guide

A Brief Background

Rocket League is a football inspired video game based around cars. Rocket League was developed and published by Psyonix and it was released on PC and PS4 on the 4th of July in 2015 and a few years later the game was available on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Rocket League is a sequel to Psyonix’s Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, a game which was released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3. SARPBC had a lot of mixed reviews and was not successful, this led to Psyonix rebuilding the game from scratch and their result is the game we all know today as, Rocket League.

How to Play

The game is very simple to understand, however it is very hard to master. In Rocket League, players are in control of a rocket-powered car which they will be using to direct the ball towards the opponent’s net. Players’ cars are able to jump to hit the ball while it’s in the air, this is more commonly referred to as hitting an aerial. On each map there are a set of rocket-powered speed boosts which can be used to maneuver quickly around the map or destroy an opponent’s car to cripple their defense for a short time, until that opponent respawns a few seconds later. The rocket boost may also be used after jumping to hit the ball in the air and reach it quicker than your opponents.

How long is a standard Rocket League match?

A standard match of rocket league should last around 5 minutes, although if both teams are tied the match heads over to an overtime, which means that the team that scores next will win the entire match. Overtime can go on for a very long time so make sure to buckle in and prepare yourself for an intense session of rocket-powered car football.

What modes is Rocket League played in?

Rocket League can be played in multiple game modes, for casual and competitive play as well as some other fun game modes that can be used as a break from the standard Rocket League gameplay. Casual has four different modes: Duel (1v1), Doubles (2v2), Standard (3v3), and Chaos (4v4). The competitive playlists are very similar: Standard (3v3), Doubles (2v2), Duel (1v1) and Solo Standard (3v3) which is exactly like standard, with the only difference being that you can only queue this when you’re not in a party/team.

With regards to the other extra fun modes, there is: Rumble (3v3) where all players will be given a random power up which will aid them in scoring in the opponents goal. Another mode is Dropshot (3v3) where the map is filled with hexagonal tiles and the goal is to make the ball hit the opponent’s area enough times to open the floor and score through it. Then there’s Hoops (2v2) which is basically basketball Rocket League, and finally Snowday (3v3) where the field is an ice rink and the ball is a hockey puck.

What cars are there to choose from?

There are 10 standard battle-cars in rocket league which are: Backfire, Breakout, Gizmo, Hotshot, Merc, Octane, Paladin, Road Hog, Venom, X-Devil. All cars are equal with regards to their speed and strength, however each car has its own unique hit-box, and depending on your playstyle you can choose whether you want a small car, a flat car, or a big car.

However these aren’t the only cars in the game. There are 10 import cars which are available in crates, 18 premium cars which are available by purchasing their related DLC package and a couple more which can be bought within the store or rocketpass.

Can I change how my car looks?

The creative customization of vehicles was the main selling point for Rocket League. The idea of having your very own personalized car was brilliant and it has definitely made Rocket League the game it is today. There are several things you can change in your car’s appearance: The Decal, Paint Finish, Wheels, Rocket Boost, Topper, Antenna, Goal Explosion, Trail, and finally, Engine Audio.

What Platforms is Rocket League on?

Rocket League is available on almost every platform out there, whether its PC, console or a portable gaming device, it’s on there. One of the most notable things that Rocket League has is that you’re able to play in a cross-platform environment and compete with or against other players on different gaming platforms.

What about the esports side of Rocket League?

Rocket League esports has been an ongoing thing since its launch in 2015. There has been a total of 9 Rocket League World Championships in the 5 years of the game’s release and its community continues to grow and develop with every event. Rocket League has a lot of esports organizations involved with its esports scene, some being: Renault Vitality, Dignitas, G2, NRG and most recently Team Liquid.

The esports scene has undergone a couple of changes over the past few months, especially with regards to the RLCS (Rocket League Championship Series) format and how it should be played out. This is why Psyonix has introduced RLCS X, the tenth season of Rocket League esports with a much more structured format than its previous seasons. Hopefully the change of format will be enough to have a more exciting season of competitive Rocket League which will attract more people to this amazing esport.

How to Watch

Rocket League events and tournaments are happening all the time. The majority of them are streamed on the official Rocket League Twitch channel and then the VOD is uploaded on their official youtube.

After these 5 years of Rocket League we’re seeing that it has what it takes to become one of the most popular esports out there, and with the newly implemented esports system, it will surely be an exciting time for Rocket League esports. The tenth season of the Rocket League Championship Series will be starting early in August, so make sure not to miss it.