Rocket League has been going for an awfully long time. Alongside this history comes tonnes of unspoken rules and hard-to-catch etiquette. Perhaps the biggest is rule one. Here's what it is and why the answer isn't as straightforward as you may believe.
What is Rocket League Rule One?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a little contentious. There are two central rules people call Rule One. This is largely determined by how long the player has been playing and which era of Rocket League is their favourite.
The first rule, and most popular, is that cars that clash into each other and "lock bumpers" must stay that way until interrupted by outside forces. This could mean waiting for a goal or a teammate to bump you in the right direction. It injects a certain fun into the most tense situations and allows any player, regardless of skill, to take part.
The other rule one is the oldest rule in Rocket League - when the timer hits 0, you must do whatever you can to keep it in the air, regardless of if you're winning or not. It imposes an extra challenge and often allows for a team to make a comeback.
If you play a lot of Rocket League, the lock bumpers rule is by far the most common. For this reason, I believe this to be rule one. This being said, believing the other rule is rule one isn't necessarily wrong, just a little outdated now.
Why do people argue about it?
For the most part, this question shows the divide between those who got really into Rocket League as a game and those who got into it as a community. The very first iteration of rule one was that you couldnt let the ball down but this was replaced by the bumper rule, an easier, more noob friendly rule.
You don't hear about the first of these rules as much but the bumper rule is in full force everywhere in the community. Maybe, one day, it too will be replaced by something new.