Who knew playing soccer with cars could be so much fun? Rocket League is a one-of-a-kind competitive soccer game in which players boost, flip, and drift cars to score goals. A robust physics system and easy-to-learn controls make the game incredibly fun and, at times, addictive.
[Written by Abdul Wali Mansoor]
Don’t be fooled by the game’s simplistic nature. Rocket League’s competitive scene has grown to be one of the biggest ever with dedicated community events and tournaments. At higher levels, winning means making calculated decisions and having a solid grasp of the controls.
Browse through these optimized settings to better your chances of scoring goals and winning matches!
Video Settings
As with most competitive games, the higher the frames, the better your odds of pulling off impressive plays. Fortunately, Rocket League is exceptionally well-optimized and has low requirements. Even so, these settings minimize input lag, increase frames, and maintain high clarity.
Window Settings
- Resolution: Native
- Display Mode: Fullscreen
- Vertical Sync: Off
Basic Settings
- Anti-Aliasing: Off or MLAA
- Render Quality: High Quality
- Render Detail: Custom
- Frames-Per-Second Cap: 240 or 360
Advanced Settings
- Texture Detail: High Performance
- World Detail: Performance
- Particle Detail: Performance
- Effect Intensity: Low Intensity
- High-Quality Shaders: Off
- Ambient Occlusion: Off
- Depth of Field: Off
- Bloom: Off
- Light Shafts: Off
- Lens Flare: Off
- Dynamic Shadows: Off
- Motion Blur: Off
- Weather Effects: Off
These settings strip the graphics to the bare minimum only keeping the visual clarity intact. By doing this, the game runs at its absolute best with little to no shiny visual distractions. Some options like Depth of Field and Bloom marginally affect the framerate but massively improve the in-game clarity.
Gameplay Settings
There’s not much to change in the Gameplay Settings. It’s better to leave everything at default save for a few options.
- Input Buffer: CSTS For Wi-Fi/Unstable Connections or STS For Ethernet/Stable Connections
- Game Stat Display Level: Main Stats Only
- Tournament Schedule Region: Your Server Region
The main option to take a closer look at in the Gameplay Settings is the Input Buffer. For most players, CSTS is the preferred way to play because it stabilizes the server connection. STS is much closer to the Rocket League’s default connection option and is only recommended for highly stable connections.
Camera Settings
Tinkering with the Camera Settings may grant a wider field of view with more information on the screen, especially if you’ve been playing at the default options. The settings below are what I personally feel comfortable with and fall within the average values of what higher-ranked players prefer. Feel free to use these as a baseline.
- Camera Shake: Off
- Field of View: 110°
- Camera Distance: 270.00
- Camera Height: 90.00
- Camera Angle: -4.00
- Camera Stiffness: 0.50
- Camera Swivel Speed: 6.00
- Camera Transition Speed: 1.80
- Invert Swivel: On
These settings give players more screen real estate whilst increasing the speed at which the camera rotates and switches. It may be disorienting at first but well worth getting used to if you want to climb up the skill ladder. With more to see, players can position themselves better and plan ahead.
Controls
The default controller layout, while easy to learn, becomes inefficient the more you progress in rank. Rocket League also has two separate sensitivity values: Aerial and Steering which are equally if not more important than the button mapping.
- Controller Vibration: Disabled
Vibration can definitely take players out of the flow and hinder goal-scoring opportunities. Turning it off maintains a level of consistency and lets players play without any physical distractions.
Sensitivities and Deadzones
Professional players vary between different sensitivities and deadzones but most stay within a range. Use these settings as a jumping-off point and customize them to your liking.
- Steering Sensitivity: 1.80
- Aerial Sensitivity: 1.80
- Dodge Deadzone: 0.90
- Controller Deadzone: 0.07
- Mouse Sensitivity: 10.00
Controller Button Mapping
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all for controller button mapping either. Some players prefer gearing their controls toward better aerial control while others promote quick decision making. The settings below prioritize efficiency and on-the-go decision-making.
- Brake/Reverse: L2/LT
- Throttle: R2/RT
- Boost: R1/RB
- Jump: X/A
- Powerslide: L1/LB
- Air Roll: L1/LB
- Air Roll Left: Square/X
- Air Roll Right: Circle/B
- Ball Cam: Triangle/Y
- Scoreboard: Left Stick Press
Keyboard/Mouse Keybinds
Controllers are the preferred way to play Rocket League both for enjoyment and competitive purposes. If you only have a Keyboard and Mouse, the default settings work best. I recommend adding these four options to get a better view of your surroundings.
- Camera Swivel Down: Middle Mouse Button
- Camera Swivel Right: C
- Camera Swivel Left: Z
- Rear View: X
Interface Settings
The Interface Settings are entirely the player’s preference. If you have trouble focusing on the game because of too many notifications I recommend changing one option.
- Match Notifications: Kickoffs Only
By changing Match Notifications to Kickoffs Only, players won’t see any giant updates in the middle of the screen during regular gameplay. Instead, the only notification players get is the countdown timer during kickoffs. This helps maintain a consistent flow of the game with little to no distractions because of user interface elements.
Audio Settings
The Audio Settings have little to no effect on actual gameplay but it may be worth turning a few things off. Use these settings to maximize car audio and minimize everything else.
- Music-Gameplay: 0%
- Ambient: 0%
- Crowd: 0%
- Play Soundtrack In Game: Off
Hearing the crowd go wild when you almost score a goal is great for immersion but can be distracting when it comes to competitive play. The in-game sports commentators and the crowd noises can easily put players off. The settings above guarantee complete silence to lock in and play at your best.
Chat Settings
The Chat Settings are just a fun way to communicate with your teammates and opponents. Unfortunately, Rocket League has a heavily toxic community. If you’re someone who wants crystal clear communication with your teammates with little to no outside voices, use these settings.
- Block Non-Tactical Quick Chat: On
- Quick Chat: Allow Quick Chat With Teammates Only
- Match Chat: Allow Text Chat With Friends and Teammates Only
Information Team Chat Suggestions
These quick chat options are the most used to coordinate with your teammates.
- “I got it!”
- “Take the shot!”
- “Need boost!”
- “Passing!”
Each option indicates a dedicated role for you or your teammates to play. At lower ranks, using Quick-Chat may not seem that important but it can be the difference between a win and a loss higher up the skill ladder. The options above help players plan for kickoffs, defense, and when positioning to score goals.
Conclusion
Getting better at Rocket League means learning new and complicated mechanics and putting in hours upon hours of practice. But before you can improve your skill, you need to ensure the game runs at its best with consistent gameplay settings. We hope this article has helped you do just that.
