There has been a lot of buzz aboutFortnite’s Rocket Racing mode, with the title being played by thousands of players. You’ll need to work hard and race often if you want to get through the ranks, but there are quality rewards for those who do.

Whether you’re a fan of racing games or Rocket Racing will be your first foray onto the asphalt, there are a handful of tips that will help you soar past your opponents. Follow these tips and make sure to practice if you want to start winning matches.

A screenshot from Fortnite’s Rocket Racing mode that shows an Octane car about to collide with a boulder on the side of the track

Stay On The Road

There area few optionson each track that you can take to get to the finish line, whether that be diverging paths, flying through waterfalls, or attaching yourself to a wall to get past a cluster of cars. Whileall of these methods have their placeand will need to be relied on,you’ll move the fastestwhen your tires are touching the road.

This does not apply to obstacles, ashitting a red area will cause you to slow downand be unable to drift.Hitting an immovable objectlike a rock or the side of an overpass at speedwill ‘demolish’ your carand reset you on the track.

A screenshot from Fortnite’s Rocket Racing Mode, showing the player has received a 41 percent boost for accelerating at the green light.

This isnot a hard and fast rule, asthere are shortcutson some maps.If you can find a faster wayto get from Point A to Point B,you should take that every time.

Watching your opponents isa great way to find new strategiesor shortcuts during races.

A screenshot from Rocket Racing showing a character charging their boost meter by drifitng in an open area

Get Started With An Initial Boost

At the start of the race, there will bethree red lights that count down to green. If you canhit acceleratewhen the green light turns on, you’ll get a boost. The percentage is based onhow close you wereto the light turning green.

While a simple tip, this can help youget ahead of your opponents in the first lap, which can translate into a better ending position as long as you canmaintain your speed and control.

A screenshot from Fortnite Rocket Racing showing the player’s car has two full Turbo meters, with a prompt for the PlayStation’s Triangle button shown to activate it

Drift With Precision

This tip isn’t the easiest to get the hang of at first, butmastering your car’s drifting abilitieswill helpgive you the needed speed boostsandcharge your Turbo meter. That being said, you shouldbe wary of overusing itor drifting at the wrong time, whichcan be catastrophic for your positionin the race.

Don’t just drift around corners, asdrifting briefly on a straight stretch of roadcan help youget some boost to your speedandtop off your Turbo meter.

A screenshot from Fortnite’s Rocket Racing mode showing one of the tracks from a distant view

If you begin drifting too early,you may miss the turnornot get enough boost. Drifting too late cancause you to overshoot the turn, which will make theback of your car collide with the sideof the track. This willcause you to immediately slow downand can give your opponents the opportunity to get ahead of you.

Also, be mindful thatyour drift boost will build fasterif you remain close to your opponents from behind.

A screenshot from Rocket Racing showing the player character’s car sticking to a sideways track

Use Turbo Wisely

Your turbo meter isrepresented by the purple barssurrounding your speedometer. When it fills,it will turn whiteandshow you the prompt to activateit. While it can be tempting to boost as soon as you can, it’s sometimes better towait for a more opportune momentto use your Turbo.

One of the more obvious examples would beboosting in the last 100 metersof the track, whichcan help you quickly passanyone immediately in front of you. However,this is a common strategy, andyou have no ideaif the person in front of you is also planning to boost at the last stretch.

A screenshot from Fortnite’s Rocket Racing Ranked Mode, with ranks from Bronze to Diamond being separated into three tiers and Elite and above being single ranks

Some other good strategies might involvebanking a boost or multipleuntil you need it. Your meter hasup to three separate boosts, and you have the option tosave them instead of using themthe second they fill up. If you’re able touse multiple near the endof the race, you may be able toboost to a better spotor first place.

Learn The Maps

There is arange of tracks and variationsthat you will encounter throughout your races, with thedifficulty and map selection increasingthe higher you get inside the Ranked system. Learning the maps and what remains constant in changescan give you a buff over your competition.

For example, some maps may offera path that ventures off to the right, but it isactually shorterthan if you were to remain on the straight road. It ishard to know ahead of time, but watching your opponents' position andexperimenting with new pathsmay serve you in the long run.

A screenshot from Fortnite’s Rocket Racing mode showing three cars colliding with each other in a skewed line, with sparks flying. Red obstacles can be seen in the distance.

Remember the old math tip:the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If you have the option, sometimes skipping over a part of the track is possibleusing a combination of flying and Turbo, especially on winding paths.

Stick To Any Surface

By using the side roll,you’re able to attach yourself to any flat surface, be it the road, rock, or anything else. By using this, you can easilyget around obstacles,avoid other racers, and hit unique boost zones that are unreachable from the ground.

However, you shouldbe careful about using side rolls by accidentwhen you’re in the air.

A screenshot from Rocket Racing shows the results page, with the player being shown in fourth place

Don’t Be Deceived By Low Ranks

Whether Epic Games has been pumping the lobby full of bots or Bronze players don’t really have it in them, theBronze and Silver ranks are fairly easy to glide through,thanks to the ease of the competition. However, don’t be fooled byhow easy your early races are.

Once you reach Gold, you’llbegin to face some steep competitionthat only increases from there. Thankfully,you’re awarded with XPevery time you enter a new rank, soprogressing through the first few is rewarding, if a bit tedious.

A screenshot from Fortnite’s Rocket Racing mode that shows the first place screen

Thedifficulty will really begin to buildonce you get to Platinum and above, withinexperienced racers having to work much harderto keep up with the competition. Once you get into Elite and higher ranks,you’ll have to be in the top fourto get Ranked points.

Be Careful With Collisions

While Epic Games has introduced a hotfix for some of the collisions, it’s still possible for an enemy tohit you and send you spinning. This can be disastrous,causing you to tailspinwhile opponents pass,with little hope of recovering your positionin the race.

There’s no real easy trick for this other thanbeing mindful of the other racersbehind you, noticeably byprofile pictures that grow as they approachyou from behind. If you see someone coming from your right, you maychoose to block them offor otherwise prevent them fromcoming up beside you.

Aim For The Top Five

Not every race is going to be a winner, and that’s okay. The good news is thatyou don’t have to winto get percentage points towards your next rank. If you canplace in at least the top five, you’ll have a much easier time ranking up.

As you get into higher ranks, these positionswill become worth fewer points. In Gold rank, being in the top position or quitting before the end willcause you to lose some of your ranked points.

Keep Racing

While it can be easy to get dismayed when a race doesn’t go your way, there seems to be a fair amount of give and take in the higher ranks. Whilesome matches or maps might be more difficultthan others,you’ll improve with each new attempt.

As you continue to race, you’ll learn the shortcuts, get better at drifting, andbecome a better driver overall.

Bonus: Check Your Internet

As with any online game, a poor connection cancause you to literally lag behindthe other racers. If you can get a stronger Wi-Fi connection or, even better,connect an Ethernet cord to your device, you shouldsee some noticeable improvementsimmediately.