Psyonix introduced Ranked disparity with Season 4 in an attempt to combat smurfing in Rocket League games.

Playing Rocket League with friends is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. After all, it's football with cars. But Rocket League also has a competitive aspect and to make it fair for all concerned, Psyonix has introduced Rank Disparity. So what exactly is a Rank disparity in Rocket League?

Players often start with the casual nature of Rocket League. It’s often seen as a relaxing game, one you can enjoy when you are frustrated with other games. But then soon enough you realize you are good at this game. If you are using a controller, you’re probably already very good at it. And that’s when you want to try to see how good you are by queuing ranked. Rank disparity plays a crucial role in preserving the fairness of competitive RL matches.

What is Rank Disparity in Rocket League?

Image credit: https://wall.alphacoders.com/
Image credit: https://wall.alphacoders.com/

Rank Disparity prevents anyone over three ranks apart from playing with each other.

This ensures that one team is not having a heavy advantage when it comes to raw skill making the match more enjoyable for all players concerned. Rank Disparity prevents one-sided matches in Rocket League making for some of the most exciting five minutes of your life.


Rank Disparity was introduced in the game starting in Season 4. The main objective of introducing this feature was to combat smurfing in Rocket League games. Of course, this game mostly impacts 2v2 or 3v3 game modes.

Rank Disparity changes will not apply to Extra Modes Playlists or Casual Playlists.

There is a downside wherein if there is a big rank difference between you and your friend one of you has to change their rank. Ideally, the lower-ranked player should try to improve his rank to within three ranks of his friend.