Rocket League Ranks and Ranking System Explained

The Rocket League ranks and ranking system works differently from many other contemporary titles with competitive ranked modes, but it's still pretty simple to grasp once you get involved. Rocket League gives players a few different ways to play competitively, with a litany of modes that involved different player numbers and game modes. For a rundown of the current Rocket League ranks and much more, we've got you covered.

• We also have a full list of the available best Rocket League cars so you can choose which one suits you.

Rocket League Ranks: What Is Competitive Play?

In competitive Rocket League, which can be found by clicking Play followed by Competitive, there are three playlists:

• 3v3 Standard
• 2v2 Doubles
• 1v1 Duel

Within each game mode, you will get a separate rank. Here are some examples and key points to remember about Rocket League Ranks:

• Playing more 3v3 Standard might result in diamond rank, but may only be gold in lesser-played 1v1 matches.
• Players need to complete 10 placement games to get placed in their designated ranks for competitive play.
• Placement games lets Rocket League determine player skill levels and match with similarly skilled players.
• There are 10 matches per playlist for players with a total of 30 games until hitting three separate Rocket League ranks.

These three core playlists in the Rocket League ranking system are the foundation of the game. While there are other modes in the game - more on those in a moment - 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 are typically what pro players and content creators play.

In the Rocket League Championships 3v3 Standard is quite common. Spectators will often see players such as Mariano "SquishyMuffinz" Arruda practising their freestyling skills on competitive 1v1 also.

It's worth noting that these competitive Rocket League playlists differ from the casual playlists in-game too. Leaving a match early without forfeiting comes with leaving penalties, and bots won't replace any players that do abandon the match.

Now that Rocket League is free-to-play, Pysonix removed a playlist called '3v3 Solo Standard', which allowed solo players to head into a 3v3 queue without teams. Due to its lack of popularity, this playlist headed to the archives.

• Need a rundown of the Rocket League blueprints so you can get extra skins?

Rocket League Ranks: Extra Modes

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Remember those other modes we mentioned above? These aren't competitive game modes, but players can still climb the Rocket League Ranks after playing ten games of each:

• 2v2 Hoops
• 3v3 Dropshot
• 3v3 Snow Day
• 3v3 Rumble

Despite not being competitive, these modes do still require skill. In Dropshot and Hoops, aerial duels are key, and therefore they introduced Rocket League Ranks so that low-skilled players weren’t overtaken by players who were much further advanced in this area.

Rocket League Ranks List

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The Rocket League ranks players can achieve are:

• Unranked
• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Champion
• Grand Champion
• Supersonic Legend

Within each of the ranks, excluding Supersonic Legend, the following structure applies:

• Tiers I, II, and III.
• Within these tiers are four divisions: I, II, III, and IV.

An example of this is the Rocket League Ranks displaying as "Platinum II Division II", like the screenshot above.

Supersonic Legend rank is one of the most welcome changes to Rocket League ranks since it was introduced. It was added to Rocket League at the same time the game went free-to-play and sets special players apart.

The Grand Champion rank became saturated as players began to develop their skills, with the inclusion of a new tier having gone down a treat. It gives the better players something to grind for but this rank doesn't use the tiered system. Once players hit Supersonic Legend, they are at the top.

• Looking for some of the basics to help you in ranked? Here's our Rocket League ball chasing breakdown.

Rocket League Ranks: MMR Explained

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Ranking up in Rocket League is pretty simple; win matches to progress through the Rocket League Ranks. What the game doesn't show is MMR (matchmaking rank). This is a hidden score reserved for the rank of Grand Champion.

Players can find out their Rocket League MMR before hitting Grand Champion by using a Rocket League tracker, a third-party tool. Individual performances like goals and assists don't affect MMR, but wins are the most important thing.

Players are matched up against opponents based on MMR, not in-game rank (although the two are closely related). By beating an opponent with a higher MMR more points will be earned versus someone with a lower MMR, the same goes for losing to someone higher.

• Want to represent your favourite motorsport in the game? Check out how to get Rocket League F1 cars.

Rocket League Ranks: Distribution

What is the distribution of ranks across all competitive Rocket League players? The most recent official data at the time of writing is a Reddit post from one of the Psyonix developers.

This shows that Gold tends to be the most populated rank in each mode, but this came before the MMR was rejigged. Using the same Rocket League tracker linked above, players can look at their skill rating distribution, which shows most players in 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 are around Platinum III/Diamond I. While this data is unofficial, I'm suddenly less proud of my Platinum III rank...

If you're looking for more information on this, check out our in-depth guide on Rocket League rank distribution.

Rocket League Ranks: Rewards

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Rocket League Ranks reset at the beginning of each new season, starting unranked with the 10 placement games in each playlist on the to-do list. At the end of the season, rewards based on a players final rank are distributed.

These rewards can range from car decals to wheels, boosts, and other cosmetics. This process also unlocks all rewards for lower ranks players have worked through.

• Want to learn how to do the Rocket League half flip? Check our guide to add some flair and skill to your game.

Rocket League Ranks: Why Not Just Play Casual?

In a nutshell, competitive Rocket League is much more enjoyable for those who love to win. It places a higher value on getting wins rather than scoring freestyle goals. It’s not all about winning but it's a large factor. Having ranks to aim for and achieve sets players' goals is valued within the gaming community rather than just playing for the sake of it. It is also a great way to advance skills and become the best Rocket League player possible by rising through the Rocket League Ranks.

Now you know all there is to know about Rocket League ranks, why not check out some of our other Rocket League guides below?