Rocket Jumping

Rocket jumping is a technique of using explosive knockback to launch the shooter into the air, popularized by Quake and Team Fortress 2.

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In shooter video games, rocket jumping (also known as blast jumping or explosive jumping) is a technique of using the knockback of an explosive weapon, most often a rocket launcher, to launch the shooter into the air. The aim of this technique is to reach heights, distances and speed that standard character movement cannot achieve. Although the origin of rocket jumping is unclear, its usage was popularized by Quake and Team Fortress 2.

Quick Facts

Origin franchise: Quake
Primary weapon: Rocket Launcher
Mechanic type: Movement; Physics Exploit

Lore & Background

While using explosives to propel oneself was first seen in Doom, the modern technique became a core mechanic in Quake. By exploiting the physics of the Quake engine, many advanced movement techniques were spawned such as circle jumping, strafing, bunny hopping, and explosive jumping. Rocket jumping was kept as an intentional mechanic for the following games in the Quake series. In Quake III Arena some of the computer-controlled opponents use rocket jumps.

Reader's Guide

Rocket jumping is used often in competitive play, where it can allow the player to gain quick bursts of speed, reach normally unobtainable heights, secure positional advantages, or in speedrunning. However, a potential consequence of rocket jumping is that it can injure the player character, either from the blast or from fall damage. This effect makes the technique less useful in games where the damage from the blast and/or fall is high, or where health is difficult to replenish.

Did You Know?

A horizontal form of rocket jumping appears in Doom (1993), where it is used to reach the secret exit in E3M6.
The first games to feature vertical rocket jumping were Bungie's Marathon and 3D Realms' Rise of the Triad, which were both released on the same day.
In Team Fortress 2, the Soldier class can use his rockets to rocket jump, and the Demoman class can achieve a similar effect using his own assortment of explosive weapons.
In Minecraft, the player can activate TNT to propel themselves; equipping armour can allow players to survive the blast damage.