If you’ve ever spawned into a Rocket League casual match and stared down an opponent with a glowing, titanium-white Octane or a rare limited-edition Batmobile, you’ve probably wondered how they got their hands on that ride. I’ve been playing Rocket League on and off for 5 years, and I’ve built a garage of 70+ cars without spending more than $10 total on microtransactions. A lot of new players assume you have to drop big cash to get cool cars, but that’s far from the truth. This guide breaks down exactly how to get cars on Rocket League, with actionable steps that work for brand new players and long-time veterans alike.
How to Get Cars on Rocket League Through Base Game Unlocks
When you first download Rocket League and complete the 10-minute tutorial, you’ll get 3 basic starter cars right away: the Octane, Dominus, and Breakout. These are solid cars to start with, but you can unlock dozens more without touching the item shop or spending a single credit. You don't need to buy the premium Rocket Pass to unlock at least 2-3 cars per season, even if you only play a few matches a week. The free track of every Rocket Pass has car unlocks at tiers 15, 35, and 70, and you can earn enough XP to hit tier 70 by playing 2-3 matches a day over the 3-month season window.
Daily and weekly challenges are another easy way to get free cars from the base game. Most weeks, at least one weekly challenge offers a car drop as a reward for completing simple tasks like scoring 5 goals in casual matches or playing 10 games with a friend. I unlocked my go-to Fennec last year from a random weekly challenge that only required me to win 3 doubles matches, so don’t sleep on those low-effort challenges even if the rest of the weekly rewards don’t interest you. You can also unlock cars by completing seasonal challenge tracks that run alongside major game updates, which usually have 1-2 exclusive car rewards for finishing all the challenges in the track.
Earn Limited-Edition Cars From In-Game Events and Tournaments
Rocket League runs 4-5 themed in-game events every year, from Haunted Hallows in October to Frosty Fest in December, and each event has exclusive cars you can’t get anywhere else. When you play matches during an event, you earn event-specific currency that you can exchange for items in the event shop. Event currency can be exchanged for exclusive cars that never return to the item shop, so if you see one you like, grind the event matches while you can before the event ends. Most event cars only cost 300-500 event currency, which you can earn by playing 10-15 matches total, so it’s a low-effort way to get rare rides.
Competitive tournaments are another underrated way to unlock exclusive cars. Every time you play in an official in-game tournament, you earn tournament credits based on how far your team makes it, even if you lose in the first round. You can use those credits to open tournament cups, which have exclusive car drops that aren’t available anywhere else. Higher-tier tournaments (like Diamond or Champion rank) have higher odds of dropping rare painted variants of popular cars, like the titanium-white Octane or sky-blue Fennec. I’ve won 3 rare painted cars from tournament cups over the past 2 years, and I rarely make it past the semi-finals of the tournaments I join. You don’t have to be a pro player to get good drops, you just have to queue up and play.
Use the Item Shop and Trade System to Get Specific Cars You Want
If you’re hunting for a specific car that isn’t available through challenges or events, the item shop and player trading system are your best bets. The in-game item shop rotates twice a day, and it regularly has both paid cars (that cost credits) and free cars that you can claim without spending anything. Free item shop cars are usually available for 48 hours only, so check the shop every day if you're hunting for a specific ride. I’ve missed out on 2 rare free cars in the past because I forgot to check the shop for a few days, so I set a quick reminder on my phone to check it every evening now.
Player trading is the best way to get a specific painted variant of a car, since challenge and event drops are almost always random colorways. You can trade duplicate items you don’t want (like decals, wheels, or goal explosions) with other players to get the car you’re looking for. But you have to be careful when trading to avoid scams, so follow these simple rules to stay safe:
- Only use the official in-game trading feature to avoid scams or lost items, as third-party trade sites are not moderated by Psyonix
- Check current car value guides before trading to make sure you're getting a fair deal and not giving away more value than you receive
- Never trade for real money, as it violates Rocket League's terms of service and can get your account permanently banned with no appeal
- Avoid trading with players who have private profiles or ask you to send items first before they send their side of the trade
Trading is my go-to method for getting specific cars I want, and I’ve traded duplicate event items for 12 different cars over the past 3 years. It’s a great way to clean out your garage of items you don’t use and get something you actually want in return, as long as you follow the safety rules to avoid issues.
Avoid Common Mistakes When Unlocking Rocket League Cars
A lot of new players make avoidable mistakes that slow down their car collection or even put their account at risk, so it’s worth knowing what to watch out for. First, don’t waste your credits on random loot drops or loot boxes. Random loot drops have less than a 5% chance of giving you a high-value car, so saving your credits for direct purchases is almost always a better bet. I’ve seen so many new players blow 2000 credits on loot boxes only to get a handful of common decals they don’t want, when they could have bought the exact car they wanted for 1500 credits straight from the item shop.
Another common mistake is only playing ranked matches and skipping casual queues entirely. A lot of car unlock challenges are limited to casual or extra modes like Hoops or Rumble, so mixing up your queue types can help you unlock more cars faster. I used to only play ranked 3v3, and I missed out on 4 free cars in one year because I never touched casual modes. Now I play 1-2 casual matches a day to knock out quick challenges, and I unlock way more rewards as a result.
The biggest mistake you can make is buying cars from third-party reseller sites or social media traders. These sites sell cars for real money, which violates Rocket League’s terms of service, and many of them sell stolen cars that get removed from your account later. You don't need to pay real money to get 90% of the cars available in the game, so don’t fall for pressure to spend on microtransactions or third-party sites if you don’t want to. Most of the best cars in the game, including the meta Octane and Fennec, are available for free through challenges or trading if you’re willing to put in a little time.
Building your Rocket League car collection is supposed to be a fun side goal, not a stressful grind that makes you want to spend money you don’t have. Whether you’re grinding weekly challenges, playing event matches, trading duplicate items with friends, or hunting for limited drops in the item shop, there are tons of accessible options if you’re learning how to get cars on Rocket League. Don’t rush the process, take advantage of free rewards whenever you can, and you’ll have a garage full of your favorite rides before you know it. I still get giddy when I unlock a new painted car I’ve been hunting for months, and that feeling never gets old no matter how many hours you put into the game.
