Walkthroughs

Rocket League: Playing as goalkeeper - three things to know

Rocket League: Playing as goalkeeper - three things to know

Keeper of the gate, defender of footballs!

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Rocket League is one of the most popular video games of all-time and perhaps the most fast-paced sports game ever made. As you likely know, Rocket League is a mixture of football (soccer in the US) and racing, combining the two to form what they call "soccar". 

One of the most intriguing aspects of the game is how loose it is. It's about as random as you might expect for a game as chaotic as it is. It's so loose that you can score on your own team's goal if you wanted (I highly recommend not doing this, of course). This style of play includes in the nets as the goalkeeper. 

Playing goalkeeper is incredibly critical to a team's success. I can't tell you the numerous times I've seen our teams and others lose a game because nobody was in goal, or there was a hiccup trying to make a save out there. Scoring is fun and all, like in any sports game, but unless you're a scoring machine, you need to have some solid goal play, and here are a few things you should know if you're newer to the experience. Also, if you are playing Rocket League, you might be happy to know we have some redeem codes for it!

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Great goalkeeping can fill the stat sheet

Let's be real here, most of us who play sports games want to collect as many stats as possible. Some of us, however, just want to help the team win by any means necessary, even if it sacrifices numbers. Well, I'm here to tell you that playing in goal can make your stats happy and help your team win if you play your cards right.

Of course, the biggest thing about playing the position in the positionless sport of Rocket League is that you'll earn saves if you block incoming shots. Grabbing saves are always satisfying and if you make a save on a shot that seems like it should've been a goal, you'll earn yourself an "Epic Save" like you're Gianluigi Buffon out there.

Saves can also lead to assists and goals too. This can happen on several occasions if the timing is right. If there's nobody in goal on the other end, or if the goalkeeper is struggling in the game, you can get yourself a save and a long-distance goal. If the ball isn't quite crushed enough, if a teammate is near as the ball lands, they can score as well, crediting you with an assist. Getting a triple-single in Rocket League is always pretty special, and you can nab at least two of those on one shot.

You can freely rotate

One of the things about Rocket League is that it's a very loose playing game, as mentioned. So, if you feel like you need to get out of the goal if you aren't feeling comfortable, you can, and more than likely, one of your teammates will swap with you.

Sometimes, it can be a little risky as on occasion, nobody rotates, and so if you leave, then someone might not replace you for a short period, leaving the goal wide open. But that's the beauty of Rocket League is that it's wild and unpredictable. Many times, you'll see two players playing in goal while one tries to be the offence.

Most of the time you see this when a team has a lead and this is actually a pretty smart move. If you have a lead, there's no reason to take a risk at goal. Why not double up, right? All three players may even try to scramble back to their own goal and protect as well. But the freedom of play in RL is what helps make it such a fun experience. You can really do whatever you want out there, but it's critical to make sure that someone is in goal.

Boost Still Matters

You'll probably end up doing this anyway, but it's always important to stay refueled in Rocket League and that includes when playing in goal. Sure, it feels stationary for the most part, but you'll need that boost when the ball is coming your way.

Using a boost to hit the ball out of your goal will help give the ball some extra air. You don't necessarily need it to hit the ball hard, but if you want to put a little extra pop in your shots, then then you can use the boost for that if you want.

It's also important if you need to make some ariel saves. Sometimes, opponents will smack the ball high enough to where it will be out of reach for the goalkeeper if they performed a normal jump. Using your boost to go for an ariel block can really affect the tide of the battle, depending on the circumstances and what the score is. Ariel moves can sometimes be tricky for new players and veterans as well. When you're new or experienced, feel free to head into practice and test out your ariel abilities.

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Colin  Mieczkowski
Colin Mieczkowski
MOST PLAYED GAME: Golden Tee Mobile Colin has been in media and content creation for close to a decade, focusing on a balance of sports (golf mostly) and gaming. He's also a big fan of the Chicago White Sox, Bulls, Bears, and the sport of golf. He can be reached via email at [email protected] and can be followed on Twitter @GhostPandaColin.