Rocket League: Best Controller Bindings

It’s astonishing to think that Rocket League, with its innovative idea of playing soccer using cars, is now more than a decade old. Developed by Psyonix, this game has grown into a global sensation, attracting players from all corners of the world, regardless of their skill level. The learning curve in Rocket League is particularly steep among free-to-play games, but the captivating aspect of its physics-driven game design is that practice makes perfect. A player’s prowess isn’t tied to having the best equipment or highest rank; rather, it’s all about dedication and honing skills – much like in a traditional sport.

One element outside the player’s direct control, potentially impacting their proficiency in Rocket League, involves the configuration of their controller settings. Although it’s possible for anyone to adapt to the standard controller setup, individuals seeking advancement and challenging the game’s top opponents often notice substantial enhancements by modifying their controls slightly. Keep in mind that there are numerous paths to baking a cake, so feel free to explore different layouts without limitation. The wide use of these custom controller bindings stemmed from experimentation, so don’t hesitate to tinker and find the setup that best suits your playstyle.

Honorable Mention: Deadzones

Adjusting the Controller and Dodge Deadzones in Rocket League’s settings allows you to control the sensitivity of your controller. This means that you can set how much you need to move the analog stick before your car actually starts moving. Although this setting might seem unusual, it plays a crucial role in gameplay as it helps manage unintentional movements and improves precision during matches.

In terms of Controller Deadzone, players generally prefer a low value to ensure their on-screen movements closely match their car’s actions in the game. Most professional players set it anywhere from 0.02 to 0.1. Conversely, Dodge Deadzone affects the amount of movement needed to perform a dodge by double-tapping X/A. This setting can be challenging to optimize and may require some trial and error, but its purpose is to make it simpler to initiate an aerial maneuver without accidentally performing unnecessary flips from a second jump or sideways flips when jumping off walls. Professional players often keep this setting between 0.3 and 0.7.

Honorable Mention: Sensitivity

Controller Sensitivity refers to a feature recognized by avid players, particularly in competitive first-person shooter games. This setting determines the degree to which moving the joystick impacts the movement of your vehicle. When set low, you’ll need a firm and purposeful motion of the stick to move the car, whereas a high sensitivity will make the car react even to minor twitches of your thumb.

As a devoted Rocket League enthusiast, I can tell you that this thrilling game offers two sensitivity settings: Steering Sensitivity and Aerial Sensitivity, which can be thought of as ground control and air agility, respectively. Top-tier players often fine-tune these settings to values between 1.2 and 2.0, with many choosing to set both the Steering and Aerial Sensitivities equally. However, exceptions do exist – for instance, M0nkey M00n, a renowned Rocket League player, prefers a sensitivity of 3.8, demonstrating that personal preference plays a significant role here. It’s essential to experiment with these settings to discover what feels most comfortable for you. Next up, let’s delve into the controller bindings themselves.

Powerslide – Left Bumper

Allows Players To Powerslide And Boost At The Same Time

Normally, the Powerslide function is linked to the Square/X key on PlayStation and Xbox controllers. But numerous gamers have expressed that this configuration can be limiting, as it prevents them from performing a powerslide and boosting at the same time, a maneuver crucial for executing quick turns in-game.

Instead, the standard setup places Powerslide on the left bumper of the controller, showing the game’s Scoreboard by default. This means players can simultaneously Boost and Powerslide, or they can Powerslide while also controlling the camera with their right thumb. This change provides more flexibility in gameplay, which is generally advantageous.

Air Roll Left/Right – Left Bumper

Makes Air Rolls Easier And More Intuitive

In a similar vein as Powerslide, the standard control setup for Rocket League assigns the Air Roll function to the Square/X button on the face of the controller. Players press and hold Square/X then use the Left Thumbstick to steer their car in mid-air by moving it left or right, effectively rotating it around its axis. However, this control scheme can be quite restrictive when it comes to the maneuvers players are able to perform during air rolls.

Generally speaking, many professional players have adopted a similar setup by assigning Air Roll to the Left Bumper, much like Powerslide did. This is because both Air Rolls and Powerslides can’t be performed simultaneously due to their contrasting environments – Air Rolls only occur in mid-air, while Powerslides are confined to the ground. Therefore, having them bound to the same button doesn’t cause conflicts. Furthermore, mapping Air Roll to the Left Bumper makes it more convenient to apply Boost or adjust the camera during air rolls. Pro players often disable Ball Cam during air dribbles, so manually controlling the camera during these complex maneuvers is crucial.

Scoreboard – Square/X

Frees Up The Bumpers For More Important Tasks

Following the earlier modifications, the Square/X button on the controller unexpectedly becomes available. While you can simply let it remain idle if desired, many players have opted to shift the Scoreboard Display function to this button instead.

In simpler terms, during a game, a player who looks at the scoreboard might be either waiting for a faceoff or playing defense as the third player back. These instances provide them with a short moment to pause pressing the Right Thumbstick (movement), Boost, or Jump button to check the score without causing much disruption. While changing this binding isn’t necessary, it can help minimize scoreboard peeking during gameplay.

Boost – Right Bumper

Some Find Aerials Easier With This Setup, But It Can Take Some Getting Used To

Instead of using Boost, which is usually associated with the Circle/B button, you may find it more efficient in some situations, particularly when attempting a quick takeoff into an aerial maneuver, if you use the Jump button (X/A) first and then Boost immediately afterwards. This can save valuable time during the process.

Players can handle this small issue by pressing both the Boost and Jump buttons together using their thumb simultaneously. Alternatively, players can relocate Boost to the Right Bumper. This adjustment brings about numerous benefits such as quicker aerials and smoother air dribbles. The one drawback is that players may need to readjust their hand placement on the controller since they will frequently have to press Throttle (right trigger) and Boost at the same time while on the ground.

Air Roll Left – Left Bumper & Air Roll Right – Right Bumper

Air Roll In The Direction Of The Button Pressed Instead Of With The Left Stick

In simpler terms, when using the conventional setup, pressing either the Square/X button or the Left Bumper activates an “Air Roll” function. Once activated, the player can control the direction of their air roll by tilting the left joystick in various directions while keeping the button pressed.

Instead of assigning Air Roll solely to the left bumper, you can set it so that pressing either the left or right bumper will cause your vehicle to air roll in the corresponding direction. Some players find this setup easier to handle, while others might find it troublesome. It all comes down to personal choice. Do note that this configuration prevents you from mapping Boost to the right bumper. Additionally, you can map only Air Roll Left or Right to the left bumper; although having both directions is useful, it’s not vital for executing efficient aerial maneuvers.

Jump – Right Bumper

A More Obscure Way To Make Aerials Easier

Instead of shifting Boost from Circle/B to the right bumper for quick aerial maneuvers, you can make the same modification using the Jump button. However, keep in mind that just like the original layout, players will need to reposition their hands on the controller to get accustomed to this new setup, although it’s likely to be an easier transition.

In this setup, Throttle and Jump don’t require simultaneous pressing, unlike Throttle and Boost. Instead, players tend to switch between them rather than holding them together at once. This makes it easier for players to adapt physically because using Throttle and Jump separately is less complex than managing both Throttle and Boost at the same time with Boost on the Right Bumper. However, the challenge lies in the mental adjustment since most games don’t assign a jump ability to shoulder buttons, making it harder for players accustomed to other control schemes to adapt.

Ball Cam – Square/X

Makes Dribbling More Efficient In The Right Hands

After reassigning Powerslide and Air Roll to distinct keys, and freeing up the Square/X button in the process, this action opens up several possibilities for the usage of that button. Generally, players often choose to set Square/X as their Scoreboard button, but an alternative option is to map the Ball Cam toggle there instead.

This feature is primarily designed for players who often switch Ball Cam on and off during gameplay, especially those who enjoy dribbling or air dribbling. These players frequently need to toggle quickly between Ball Cam and normal view. Moving the Ball Cam toggle to Square/X instead of the default Triangle/Y might not make a significant difference for most players, but frequent users will appreciate the time saved as they don’t have to move their thumb as far when hitting the new binding compared to the old one.

2025-09-09 03:11