Most players use the Octane because it’s the first car you start with. However, at the end of the day, your best bet for achieving as many victories as possible is the car you use the most and find most comfortable. The important thing is to focus on just one car model and then after a lot of practice, you can probably switch to another.

Get comfortable with the basic controls

For this game, you really need to get comfortable with the basic controls, especially so that you can become familiar with the manoeuvres and work with them. You’ll need to learn to accelerate or boost, dodge, brake and steer the car. This may sound easy, but if you only focus on hitting the ball it can be a complete mess.

For example, boost gives players the ability to zoom around the map and even fly; dodge makes the car spin and hit the ball at high speed; then the brake button is important when you have to stop and make a decision. Play with all these controls long enough to become familiar with them.

Learn how to do a good kick-off

When a game has started or after a goal, you will face your opponents for the kick-off. This can determine who scores the next goal, so it’s important to get it right. If you strike the ball hard enough, you’ll send it towards your opponents’ goal and automatically have the advantage.

Control your boosts

Within the basic controls and even when learning how to do a good kick-off, boost is a very important control within each match. You’ll spend a lot of time using this control in Rocket League, and of course, boosts are limited, so you’ll have to be careful not to consume them too quickly. Both for defending and attacking, they can be the difference between scoring a goal or saving it as they allow you to save a ball that’s out of reach or hit it harder.

Use the wall to your advantage

The arena where the games are played is made up of a closed map with walls and a roof. This isn’t only designed to prevent the ball from escaping from the enclosure; you can also use them to divert the ball, like in billiards. Not only that, but you can also run round the walls and the roof if you have enough acceleration to reach difficult balls and hit them from the best goal-scoring angles. So, use the wall well — it will give you a huge advantage in every game.

Talk to your teammates

Both verbal and non-verbal communication are vital in Rocket League matches. At the end of the day, it’s still a team game and many players get frustrated when there’s no communication within the team. Not everything is about hurdling towards the ball to score a goal, but about devising a good strategy to come out winning.