The Overall High School Competition Rulebook can be viewed here.

These Official Rules (“Rules”) of the PlayVS High School Esports League apply to each of the teams who have registered and met the requirements for the 2023-2024 school year, as well as their head coach, assistant coaches, vice principals, athletic directors, Starters, and other members.

1.1.1 Unintentional Disconnection.

A player losing connection to the game due to problems or issues with the game client, platform, network, or PC.

1.1.2 Intentional Disconnection.

A player losing connection to the game due to player’s actions (i.e. quitting the game). Any actions of a player which lead to a disconnection shall be deemed intentional, regardless of the actual intent of the player.

1.1.3 Server Crash.

All players losing connection to a game due to an issue with a game server, PlayVS platform, or venue internet instability.

A game of record (“GOR”) refers to a game where all six players have loaded and which has progressed to a point of meaningful interaction between opposing teams. Once a game attains GOR status, the period ends in which incidental restarts may be permitted and a game will be considered as “official” from that point onward. After the establishment of GOR, game restarts will be allowed only under limited conditions. Examples of conditions which establish GOR:

1.2.1

Game timer reaches the end of the countdown and states “go”.

If a player intentionally disconnects without notifying a coach or League Official or pausing, a League Official is not required to enforce a stoppage. During any pause or stoppage, players may not leave the match area unless authorized by their coach. Coaches should communicate any disconnections or pauses inside PlayVS’s Match Lobby chat.

The decision of which condition(s) shall justify a game restart is solely at the discretion of League Officials.

1.5.1 Restarts After GOR.

The following are examples of situations in which a game may be restarted after GOR has been established.

1.5.1.1 If a game experiences a critical bug at any point during the match which significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics.

1.5.1.2 If a League Official determines that there are environmental conditions which are unfair (e.g. excessive noise, hostile weather, unacceptable safety risks).

1.5.2 Player Confirmation of Settings.

Players on each team should verify that they have finalized their intended game settings (including controls, and GUI settings) before GOR is established. Any error in verification is not grounds for a game restart after GOR is established.

1.5.3 Game Restart Protocol

In the event a Game Restart is necessary, both teams should leave the lobby and recreate the match in a state that accurately reflects the score and remaining game time as when the pause/disconnect occurred.

If a Game Restart is needed to replay an Overtime scenario, the game will be played until a single goal is scored. The team that scores will be awarded the win for the game.

1.6.1 Roster Size

Each team must maintain one coach and a full “Roster” of starting players on the PlayVS platform at all times during the season. It is recommended that a team also maintain “Substitutes”, or alternate players, on the “Bench” in the event that a rostered player is not available on match day. For the avoidance of doubt, starting players and substitutes are subject to the same roster eligibility requirements at the sole discretion of League Officials.

In Rocket League, each team may have a maximum of six (6) players, broken down into three (3) starting players on the Roster, and three (3) substitutes on the Bench. No individual may simultaneously hold two or more roles as listed above. All players and coaches are expected to be present physically or virtually for all official PlayVS matches.

In the event that a player on the starting roster cannot compete in the match, and there are no available Substitutes, competition may continue without that player as long as it does not put the opposing team at a disadvantage.

Players on the bench may be used for any match their team is competing in within their assigned league. Eligible substitutes for a match will be displayed on the Bench tab of the team’s roster card. Only the players shown on a team’s Bench can be used as substitutes in an official PlayVS Match. Both the Roster and Bench must be finalized prior to the Roster Lock Date.

A player is only allowed to compete for the school that they enrolled in. A player will not be allowed to compete for more than one school simultaneously and therefore cannot be listed on the roster of more than one school. To verify that these players are officially enrolled at their school, each player must be verified by the team's coach or another member of the faculty. For the avoidance of doubt, the verification of a player is an agreement to a summary of the Rulebook needed by League Officials to verify eligibility and confirm agreement by player and team.

1.6.2 Qualifying Substitutes

All verified players enrolled on a team as part of the bench are eligible substitutes for any Rocket League match throughout the regular season. They will be displayed under the "Bench" section of the team management page. In the event of an emergency, a team may find a replacement substitute within the 30 minute grace period that occurs after the scheduled match time. If a replacement cannot be found then the match should continue as intended. League Officials will determine if an event qualifies as an emergency. During playoffs, substitutes must be assigned to one team for the entirety of the playoffs phase.

1.6.3 Substitution Window

To correctly substitute a player, coaches must move the Substitutefrom the Bench to the Roster as a replacement for an active player on the Roster in PlayVS before the start of the next game in a scheduled match. Substitutions made during a live game are not permitted. Once a player is confirmed to be substituted on the match dashboard in PlayVS by both coaches and teams, the match can continue to the next game with the substitution in place.

If changing players in the roster does not work, the substitution must be communicated on the PlayVS platform and in the in-app messaging, as well as getting confirmation of the substitution with the other team before the next game can begin.

Each school should have equipment for their players in the following categories

2.2.1 Windows Computer/Laptop

2.2.2 Peripherals

For any teams playing on consoles, we recommend using at least 1 console per player.

3.1.1 Game

An instance of competition that is played until a winner is determined by one of the following methods, whichever occurs first: (a) completion of the final objective, (b) Team Surrender, or (c) Team Forfeit.

3.1.2 Match

A set of games that is played until one team wins a majority of the total games (e.g., winning two games out of three “best of three”) or the maximum number of games are completed (e.g., two games in a set of two). Each team will receive win or loss tallies in a league format or the winning team will advance to the next round in a tournament format.

3.1.3 Phase

A section of scheduled league play that comprises a season. There are three distinct phases: preseason, regular season, and playoffs. Each phase has its own format.

3.1.4 Season

Scheduled league play that will occur over an approximately three-month period of time. Each season will consist of three phases: (a) Preseason, (b) Regular Season, and (c) Playoffs, which will occur at the conclusion of the Regular Season and will lead into a championship.

3.2.1 Preseason

This phase consists of each team enrolled in the league competing in up to three official practice weeks. Results of this match will not be recorded however this match is required in order to properly test equipment and player game connections.

3.2.2 Preseason Format

Preseason matches between each team will be played in a Best-of-Five(BO5) format. Wins and losses from each match will not count towards the team’s regular season standings.

3.2.3 Regular Season

This phase consists of each team within a state or region, each playing a weekly match in a league format against opponents within their league. Ranking in the league will be determined by each team's win-loss ratio.

3.2.4 Regular Season Format

Regular season matches between each team will be played in a Best-of-Five(BO5) format. Wins and losses from each match will be added to each team’s regular season standings.

Rosters - Teams must have a roster of three(3) players ready to go at the start of the match. In between games, teams may substitute players to the starting roster. The substitution needs to be made on the PlayVS platform and confirmed with the other team before the next game can begin.

3.2.5 Regular Season Tiebreakers

The ranking of the teams will be determined by the standings of Wins and Losses. Tiebreakers are covered in Section 5.3 of the High School Competition Rulebook. More information about Tiebreakers can also be found here.

3.2.6 Playoffs Brackets Playoff eligibility requirements and bracket information can be found in section 5.2.3 Playoffs of the High School Competition Rulebook.
​3.2.7 Playoffs

This phase consists of the top teams from each league and is limited to two Rocket League teams per qualifying school. These teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament until only two (2) teams remain.

Playoffs matches between each team will be played in a Best-of-Seven(BO7) format. Winners of each match will advance to the next portion of the bracket. Teams in the playoffs will compete in a single elimination bracket until a League Champion is crowned.

Rosters - Teams must have a roster of three (3) players ready to go at the start of the match. In between games, teams may substitute players to the starting roster. The substitution needs to be made on the PlayVS platform and confirmed with the other team before the next game can begin. Rosters with starters and substitutes must be submitted and locked one week prior to playoffs.

3.2.8 Finals

This match consists of the top two teams from each league as decided by Playoffs. The Finals will be a single Best-of-Seven (BO7) match. The team to achieve four game wins will be awarded the match win and will be declared the League Champion. In the event that a single team reaches four game wins before the start of a fifth, sixth or seventh game, those games will not be played.

4.1.1 Equipment Testing

4.1.2 Timeliness of Match Start

It is expected that players will resolve any issues with the setup process within the allotted time and that match will begin at the scheduled time. Delays due to setup problems may be permitted, at the sole discretion of League Officials. All players competing must be in the game lobby to be considered “present”. Teams that are over thirty (30) minutes tardy will forfeit their match.

4.1.3 Acknowledgement of Pre-Match Testing

No fewer than five(5) minutes before the match is set to begin, players and coaches must acknowledge their setup is complete and they are ready to compete(Check-in process).

4.2.1 Ready Up

As soon as a team is ready for competition, they should ready up for the match. Coaches can ready up a team for competition up to two (2) hours early. Players can ready up a team for competition up to fifteen (15) minutes early.

4.2.2 Confirm Rosters & Platform

Once readied up, any team member can proceed through the Match Assistant. Teams will confirm starting rosters and each player’s competitive platform.

4.2.3 Automatic Invites

A team member will select “Ready for Invites” to prompt the system to issue automatic invites to the players directly. To receive invites, players must be logged into Rocket League in order to receive and accept the invite. Once a match has begun using automatic invites, the games will continue automatically until the match is completed.

4.2.4 Reset Game

Should a game need to be reset, at any time, a member from each team must select “Reset Game” from the PlayVS Match Lobby page. This will automatically remove all players from the lobby and send them back to the in-game main menu.

4.2.5 Changing Rosters

Once a match begins using automatic invites, the games will continue automatically. Should a roster change need to occur, teams should complete a game reset using the steps in section 4.2.4, from which each team can re-confirm starting roster and platforms as listed in section 4.2.2.

4.2.6 Skip Assistant

Teams that encounter any issues with the Rocket League Match Assistant should contact PlayVS for further assistance.

Should the issues persist, a member of each team may select “Skip Assistant” from the PlayVS Match Lobby page to bypass the Match Assistant. Skipping the assistant will require teams to create a custom match and submit results using the steps in the Rocket League Gameday protocol.

4.3.1 Spectating

In order to avoid giving any team an advantage spectators should be removed from spectating unless both Coaches have agreed to allow for a spectator by following section 7.7 Match Spectating from the High School Competition Rulebook.

4.3.2 Game Disconnection

If a player disconnects from the online match, they will not be able to rejoin the match. After the game has completed, Coaches can reset the match assistant to resend invites or substitute the disconnected player for another player. Rosters are locked for each game once the game begins and a “Game of Record” has been established according to section 1.2.

If either team has disconnected fully, then the game will close automatically and players will be returned to the in-game starting screen lobby. If this happens, submit a ticket to the Customer Experience team immediately for further assistance.

4.3.3 In-Game Content Updates

Rocket League is a live service multiplayer game which may release new content patches with new and/or updated champions and items while the season is occurring.

Any cars or items currently disabled in-game by Psyonix will not be available for use during official PlayVS matches. All PlayVS matches will occur on the most up-to-date patch, and any available cars or items are eligible for use in PlayVS matches unless otherwise stated by League Officials.

If the match is completed using PlayVS Match Assistant tool, then in-game statistics and results will be automatically recorded at the conclusion of each game.

In the event that the PlayVS Match Assistant could not be used and a custom match was created, then statistics will not be tracked, and the match results would need to be submitted manually within 1 hour of match completion. Players should take screenshots of the match results and share those with their coaches.

In the event of an error, coaches must contact PlayVS directly.

Important: By default, rulebooks overrule game day protocols. Please reach out to support if you find conflicting information.

V 1.0 - 2023//2024