How to Get Keys in Rocket League: The Do’s and Don’ts

Crates are a huge part of Rocket League because they offer all kinds of fun stuff, from painted gear to the ever-envied BMDs and BMGEs (Black Market Decals and Black Market Goal Explosions). They’re titillating to open, more than a little addictive to some people, and offer almost unlimited fun. So, where’s the problem? The problem is that it takes keys to open the little suckers, and keys cost money! In this How to Get Keys in Rocket League guide, I’ll take you through three of the best ways to get keys with and without paying (and a few ways to avoid).

What’s the easiest way?

Of the three ways, the hands-down easiest way is to use the most straight-forward one. All the other ways have some potential to get scammed, but here we have ourselves a foolproof way that is 100% safe to you: use the Rocket League system and directly buy the keys.

Is it exciting? Not exactly. But is it the only 100% safe way? Yes. Nobody will be thrilled with this option, but it’s safe, reliable, and easy. There are no middle men and no shortages. Most importantly for a lot of impatient people, it’s instantaneous.  You click the button to purchase, you get the keys, you use the keys. It’s that simple. Tragically, it has a rather important drawback: you need money for it. It boils down to just the cash, which isn’t a big problem if you’re trying to just get a couple crates open. However, if you’re going for the whole “bulk” solution, this is probably not your best bet unless you want to dish out.

For more Rocket League, check this out: Rocket League Friends Update for Patch v1.58

What if I use an outside source?

Chances are, if you’ve looked into keys at all, you’ll have heard of outside trading sites. It’s a gold mine for rumors. Legends tell of a mystical, wonderful place where you can get everything in Rocket League for virtually nothing, if not for free. I come bearing bad news. Most of the talk you’ve probably heard is just a bunch of unsubstantiated rumors. I’ve checked out dozens of these sites and I am here to tell you that there are only a few reputable sites for that kind of thing. For heavens’ sake, I literally write for such a site. The vast majority are scams. I can personally testify that you may be scammed most of the time, so if you choose to go this way, tread with caution.

As for how this works, depending on your platform, you’ll be able to trade in-game items for keys. External sources will give you the keys, and bada-boom, you’ve got keys and you didn’t have to pay any money. The pros are obvious: you don’t have to put out any cash, you might get a better deal, etc. The cons are crucial to figure in—you might get scammed, you’re going to spend a lot more time because you must work with another party, and you have to be very careful (especially when first finding a site). I’ve had some very mixed success and heard some nightmare stories about ‘em. Even with some sites that seemed reputable, sometimes the users have been wiped out with random charges, failure to deliver, and some other stuff. I’ve had it happen to me, and although I was eventually able to get my money back, it was a nightmare. If you go this route, make sure to be safe and never make a huge first purchase. Get only a small test. That way, if they don’t deliver, you’re not fighting for hundreds or thousands, only a few bucks. Again, do your research.

What about promotions?

Although at this point Rocket League doesn’t do much in terms of selling keys cheap, they do a nifty little trick where they do special promotions on odd “off” keys. Allow me to explain. Sometimes these involve things like Decryptors, which allow you to open a crate… but whatever you get is untradeable. It sounded great to me until I did it and got a wheel I absolutely despise and that I will have in my inventory forever.

These events pop up every now and then, but they generally involve playing to get free keys or key substitutes.  They vary in quality depending on the event, but a good way to get keys at a discount price if you’re willing to put the time in is through the Season Pass. I tried it, and it works especially well during things like a Double XP weekend.

For more Rocket League, check this out: The Best Crates in Rocket League Along with Other Insights

What should I never try?

There is a great reason I put these three up and not any of the other five thousand options you may hear about, and here’s the reason: a huge amount of the “alternatives” are terrible ideas. I’ve checked out a lot of them and people genuinely don’t know, so here’s the fact—most of them will get you banned, reported, hacked, or scammed. I’m going to list a few of the biggies that you’ll see. If you run across anything resembling these, stop and turn around.

• Free keys. If, at any point, someone on a YouTube channel, Twitch stream, or anything like that, tells you that you can get “free keys,” they’re almost certainly lying. A lot of them use weird off-party apps, ghosting items, “duplicate glitches,” or something like that. In the very rare occasion where they work, they’re enormously time consuming and you really won’t get anything in return.
• Scams, scams, scams. They exist anywhere, and not just specific sites, but other players. Even on reputable sites, some traders are scammers and they’re just after your credit card numbers. Use your common sense and if something smells even a little fishy, stop.
• Hacks. This one makes me laugh, because the literal name tells you that it’s against the rules. Yeah, there are some ways to exploit the game, but if you get caught doing it, you will probably get in trouble. People have been banned in the blink of an eye for trying it, and they’re quite good at detecting it.

Summary

In conclusion, in this How to Get Keys in Rocket League Guide, I took you through the three best ways to get keys regardless of if you’re trying to spend money or not, gave you a few tips on what never to try, and a few other tidbits. Until next time, get out there and have some fun!

For more Rocket League, check this out: How to Get Good at Rocket League