Whether you know it or not, you’ve got a playstyle. Everyone in Rocket League does. It’s simply the way in which you go about playing the game. However, many Rocket League players don’t employ the playstyle that best compliments their strengths, which is why it is important to test out different playstyles and find out what works best. In this article, we will go over what a playstyle is, five common playstyles, and two combinations of playstyles that you can try out in game.

What is a playstyle?

Simply put, a playstyle is a way in which someone plays a game. In Rocket League, this involves how often they go for 50-50s, what kind of offense they play, what kind of defense they play, and so on. Playstyles are important as each playstyle requires different skills, and so by choosing a playstyle that fits your strengths, you maximize your Rocket League abilities.

How to choose the playstyle for you

As previously discussed, a playstyle involves using certain skills more often than others. Choosing your personal playstyle requires that you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and choose a playstyle that best plays to your strengths. However, it is often not that simple, and choosing the right playstyle for you will likely involve some trial and error. I suggest that after you read this, you choose a couple playstyles you like and try them out to see if they work for you. For now, checkout rltracker.org, a website that details your playstyle statistics.

Playstyles

Demo-heavy

Demolitions are very effective in Rocket League, and a viable way to use them is to build your playstyle around them. The idea is simple, while you play always keep an eye out for a demolition or bump opportunity. Also, you will have to maintain supersonic or close to supersonic speed throughout the match. That way, you will always be ready and able to demolish your opponents.

This playstyle can throw off opponents even if they are more skilled than you are, and it’s generally a very difficult playstyle to play against. If you know that you like bumps, demolitions, and physical play, this playstyle is probably for you. To get better at landing your demolitions, I suggest you watch this video for top demolition tips from one of the best Rocket League demo-heavy players:

Aggressive/Fast

This playstyle is very similar to the demo-heavy playstyle, and similarly, it can be quite effective. Essentially, you have to learn how to play very fast and attack the ball as often as possible. If you do this successfully, your opponents will never have time to breathe, and they will always be in chase. However, be careful with this playstyle as it can easily lead to becoming a ball chaser which is not a viable playstyle. Focus on playing fast and challenging balls when it is your turn, but don’t forget about your team’s rotations! This playstyle matches the strengths of players who are mechanically strong and are capable of playing fast.

1v1 Plays

For players who are highly skilled mechanically and play lots of duels (1v1s), this might be the playstyle for you. On attack, try and go for as many 1v1 plays as possible. Dribbles, air dribbles, double taps, etc. As long as you manage to beat your opponents and score at least once or twice in a match, you can secure the win. While this playstyle works quite well for solo queuing, it isn’t the most effective with a team as you are not taking advantage of numbers and working with your teammates. For a more team-oriented playstyle, check out this next one…

Passer

If you play with a team or just consider that you have good game IQ, you may want to try this playstyle. While attacking, focus on maintaining possession. Pass the ball to your teammates, or hit it somewhere where they will get to it first. Using this tactic, your opponents will struggle to touch the ball and build an attack of their own. Plus, you could score some awesome passing play goals! At a higher level, and especially in the pro scene, possession is everything, and this playstyle can help your team take advantage of that. If you would like to learn more about passing in Rocket League before trying out this playstyle, I suggest you watch the video below:

Anchor

To rank up the most consistently, you should try out this playstyle. As an anchor, your responsibility is to never let your team get caught lacking on the counterattack. In order to accomplish this, you have to stay a bit farther back on offense, almost always as the last man back. That being said, don’t stay all the way back in your own net, just stay around the halfway line. You still want to participate in your team’s attack, but you also want to be careful of any counterattacks.

If you're a solid defender with good game IQ, the other team will find it difficult to score off of quick attacks. Additionally, many Rocket League players in solo-queue play very aggressive and are sometimes ball chasers, so playing this playstyle with those kinds of teammates can work really well to cover their weaknesses.Overall, if you are patient and determined to rank up, this playstyle often provides the fastest results.

Playstyle combinations

While these five playstyles can be effective on their own, they can be even more effective when they are used in cooperation with your teammates’ playstyles. To best maximize your abilities as a team, here are two playstyle combinations that you and your team can try out.

Anchor-Aggressive

This combination involves one player being an anchor and the other player being more aggressive. Generally, this works best if one teammate is mechanical and the other is more strategic. By running these two playstyles in tandem with each other, you and your teammate cover for each other's weaknesses all while enhancing each other’s strengths. While an aggressive player can often fall prey to counterattacks, an anchor can cover that for them. At the same time, an anchor player won’t be as dangerous on offense, so an aggressive player can make up for that.

Passer-Passer

As previously discussed, the passing playstyle requires excellent game IQ and vision as well as coordination with a teammate. For this reason, that playstyle best works for players with a team. However, the passer playstyle works even better when everyone on the team keeps passing in mind. This way, your teammates will always expect the pass and be ready to receive it.

If you have a team you play with, you may want to try playing a couple games where you focus on passing and maintaining possession. As your team works together, your passing plays will find more success and your opponents will have even more trouble trying to get an attack together. If you are looking for creative ways to pass with your teammates and maintain possession, check out this video:

Conclusion

Keep in mind that these are just five of many playstyles that are popular in Rocket League. Finding your most personal playstyle will take a lot of experimentation and time. However, just by trying each of these playstyles out for yourself, you will get a better feel for your strengths and weaknesses in Rocket League. In the end, ranking up involves finding out what works and what doesn’t, and playstyles are a very important factor in that. So go ahead and try these out for yourself, and soon enough you’ll be maximizing your Rocket League abilities.