According to this post on Reddit by Ted, a Psyonix employee who is the Community Specialist for Rocket League, Platinum is one of the most common ranks for players to have in the game. The grind from Platinum to Diamond is a tough one that requires a good chunk of hours and a focus on improving your mistakes – but with the help of Dignitas pro player Andres “Dreaz” Jordan, we hope to make the path forward a little clearer.

Offense

Obviously, in order to win Rocket League games, you have to score goals. Whether you’re the one scoring or it’s you setting up your teammate, producing consistently on offense is critical as you continue to climb the ranks.

While there is really no limit to the number of things you can pull off on offense, today we’re going to focus on things you can do consistently at this rank that should immensely improve your gameplay, starting with aerials. We asked Dreaz what the most common mistake players make in the air is, and here’s what he had to say:

I think using too much boost. A lot of players will use all their boost because they use more than they actually need, or they’ll take off from a bad angle and have to use boost to readjust. Then they end up out of position with no boost

- Dreaz

Boost management is definitely a critical part of a good aerial. Feathering your boost is something a lot of players could benefit from doing more of, as you often don’t actually need to use as much boost as you think you do. Your car will have some natural momentum going from the initial boost into the air. Dreaz also mentioned the angle from which you take off. The best thing you can do is line up your car before taking off, as opposed to making dramatic in-air adjustments. This will not only save a lot of boost but make you faster to the ball, making it more likely that you get there first.

Another critical part of offense is shooting accuracy. I think we’ve all had more moments than we’d like to admit where we lined up a wide-open ground shot, only for us to slam in over the crossbar. Nobody likes to see a sarcastic “Nice shot!” quick chat from a disgruntled teammate, so let’s see what can be done to cut down on those bad misses.

I think a really good way to improve shooting accuracy is using the Steam Workshop maps or training packs. These give you a lot of different scenarios, and as you keep taking shots, you’ll continue to learn how you need to hit the ball in order to place it where you want it to go.

- Dreaz

As Dreaz alluded to, placement is key. And in many cases, repetition is really the only thing that is going to help with your accuracy. The shot landing perfectly in the top corner of the net or banging straight off the crossbar comes down to mere pixels, and no matter how you slice it, it takes time to consistently hit the ball correctly. What you can always do, though, is take a look at where the defenders are. Then, you’ll know where you want to place the ball – in the corner furthest away from the defender. If you do this, even if you miss, you could still put the ball in a very dangerous position for a follow-up opportunity. Don’t just throw the ball at the net and hope for the best – be deliberate about where you’re placing every shot.

One thing that many players don’t do enough in the lower to middle ranks is pass. Scoring goals is a lot of fun, but it can be equally satisfying to set up your teammate and get the assist. If your teammate has a better opportunity for a free shot, get them involved in the play.

Any passing play is a good one at this rank. Don’t try to force it if it isn’t there, but in these ranks, a pass will be there a lot. Hitting the ball to the midfield on offense can be tough to deal with for the other team, but also clearing the ball on defense towards where your teammate is can set up a counterattack.

- Dreaz

Defense

Dreaz’s point about clearing the ball is an excellent segue into our next topic – defense. In Rocket League, you’re either working to score the ball or working to prevent the other team from scoring. To move up the ranks, you need to be able to do both.

When it comes to defense, there are two major things that will keep the ball out of your net: knowing when to challenge and knowing how to position your car.

For challenges, you mainly want to look at your opponent, not the ball. If the opponent is a lot closer to the ball, don’t challenge it. It’s obviously situational, but generally you always want to keep an eye on your opponent. You also want to think how beneficial the challenge would be for your team. It could be more beneficial for you to just rotate back.

- Dreaz

Challenging is an important part of the game, but not every challenge is worth going for. Don’t do the same thing every time, and definitely don’t recklessly challenge every ball. The main thing you want to do is assess the situation – not only seeing if you can win the challenge, but what the endgame is. As for positioning, here’s what Dreaz had to say:

It’s also important to remember how to position. When you rotate back, rotate on the opposite side of the ball so you can get a better challenge. Also be sure to wait back post so you aren’t cutting your teammates off and you’re covering more options.

- Dreaz

Both of these things combined will make you a consistent defender, and if you’re always on top of it mentally, you’ll see yourself improve on defense in no time.

Improvement Methods

Watching your replays can be good because it lets you slow things down and analyze how you play. That way you can see what mistakes you make consistently and give yourself something specific to improve on.

- Dreaz

One way that players can get better is to watch their own replays. It may not be as beneficial in lower ranks than it is later on, but it’s still good to watch yourself make decisions when you aren’t in the moment, as now you’ll have a clearer picture of if you did something wrong.

But, according to Dreaz, what is the best way to get better?

The number one improvement method is simply playing more games. As I said before, the training packs and Steam Workshop can help a lot, and you can also use free play to work on mechanics. But the only way to get better with your game sense is playing consistently and eventually you’ll see yourself improve.

- Dreaz

Conclusion

While the number one thing that you can do to improve is consistently play the game, and there truly are no shortcuts, we hope this guide will help you focus on some things that will help you avoid staying stagnant for too long! If you want to keep up with Dreaz, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.