Game modes
Nitro Pitch has playlists for every mood: quick casual games, competitive ranked matches, five extra modes with their own rules, private matches with friends and plenty of offline practice. Here is what each one is and when to play it.
Last updated November 5, 2026
Team sizes: Duel, Doubles and Standard
Most playlists come in three sizes. Duel is 1v1: you cover the whole field yourself, so it is the best test of your own mechanics and decision making. Doubles is 2v2: you and a teammate take turns attacking and defending, and good rotation matters a lot. Standard is 3v3: the classic team mode, with more passing, more chaos in front of goal and a teammate usually available to cover your mistakes.
When you search, you can tick more than one size and the game finds a match in whichever is available first. If there aren't enough players online at that moment, the remaining spots are filled with bots so you never wait too long. Bots in ranked matches play at a skill that matches the rating you are playing at.
Casual
Casual is for relaxed games. Wins and losses don't change your competitive rank, you can leave a match without a penalty, and you still earn XP, quest progress and Nitro Pass progress. It is the best place to practise new moves against real players.
Competitive (ranked)
Ranked playlists are where you earn a rank in each team size. Every playlist has its own rating, so you might be Gold in Duel and Platinum in Doubles. Your first five matches in a playlist are placement matches; after that your rank shows and moves with every win and loss. Leaving a ranked match early counts as a loss. Read the full explanation on the ranks page.
Extra modes
Extra modes change the rules for something different. They are played online like casual matches and give the same XP.
Rumble
Every ten seconds each player gets a random power-up: grab it with a grappling hook, freeze it, stick it to your car with spikes, send it flying with a haymaker, swap places with an opponent and more. Press the power-up key (F by default) to use it. Rumble rewards quick thinking more than perfect mechanics, which makes it a lot of fun with friends.
Snow Day
Hockey on ice. The ball is replaced by a flat puck that slides along the floor and bounces off the boards, and the arena is frozen over. Shots stay low, passes skim across the ice, and saves come down to blocking the puck with the side of your car.
Dropshot
There are no goals. The floor is made of hexagon tiles. Hitting the ball charges it (it glows yellow, then pink), and when a charged ball lands on the other team's side it cracks the tiles there. Crack a tile again to break it open, then drop the ball through the hole to score.
Heatseeker (2v2)
Touch the ball and it flies by itself toward the other team's goal, getting faster with every hit. Defending means getting in the ball's path and sending it back; attacking means timing your touch so it heads home before they can react.
Hoops (2v2)
Basketball with cars on a smaller court. Each team has a hoop raised above its end of the court and you score by dunking the ball through it. Lifting the ball off the floor with a gentle jump is the key skill.
Private matches
Create a private match with a name and password and send them to your friends, or join one somebody else made. The host chooses the match length and settings, players pick their team, and nothing in a private match affects rank. A party of up to six friends can fill a 3v3 private match together.
Parties
Party up with friends from the main menu: invite someone from the Players online list or share your five-letter party code. The party leader picks the playlist and the whole party joins the same match. While the search is running, the party can warm up together in free play.
Practice and offline play
Tutorial
A short guided lesson on every basic control, ending with your first goal.
Free play
You, a ball and an empty arena. Use it to warm up, practise aerials or just drive around. You can reset the ball at any time from the pause menu.
Training packs
Striker, Goalie and Aerial packs set up the same shot or save over and over, with a short countdown before each attempt, so you can repeat a skill until it sticks.
Exhibition
A full match against bots at the size and difficulty you choose (Rookie, Pro or All-Star). Exhibitions work without an account and are a great way to learn kickoffs and positioning.
Replays
After a match you can save the replay and watch it again from the Practice menu, with a free camera and slow motion, or share a short clip link of your best goal.