If you’ve spent any time in the lower ranks of Rocket League lately, you’ve probably seen it. A massive, blue, flying school bus soaring through the air, hitting a flip reset that honestly has no business being that clean. It's the Fortnite Battle Bus. It looks ridiculous. It’s huge. It’s arguably one of the most polarizing hitboxes in the entire game because, let’s be real, seeing a literal bus do a ceiling shot is kind of insulting. But here’s the kicker: if you’re looking to grab it right now, you might be out of luck.
Rocket League has a weird relationship with its licensed cars. Unlike the Octane or the Fennec, which you can basically get whenever you want if you have the credits or the luck, the Battle Bus is a "limited" item. That word carries a lot of weight in the Epic Games ecosystem.
The Llama-Rama Era: How Most People Got the Battle Bus in Rocket League
Most players who currently own the bus got it back in 2020. This was right after Psyonix was acquired by Epic Games and Rocket League went free-to-play. To celebrate the marriage of the two massive titles, they launched the "Llama-Rama" event. It was a series of challenges that forced people to play the game to unlock Fortnite-themed rewards.
The challenges weren't even that hard. You basically just had to win games, get MVP honors, or play with specific items equipped. If you finished the final challenge, the Battle Bus was yours for free. It was a peak moment for the community. The servers were overflowing, and for a solid week, every single lobby was just 3v3 buses bumping into each other. Since then, the Llama-Rama event has returned once or twice, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a dedicated "play to win" path for this vehicle.
Can You Buy the Battle Bus in the Item Shop?
Yes, but only when Epic feels like it.
The Battle Bus isn't a permanent fixture in the shop. It rotates in as a "Featured" item. We saw a Titanium White version pop up a while back, which looked incredibly clean compared to the standard blue. When it does hit the shop, it usually costs around 800 Credits.
Here is the thing about the Item Shop: it is unpredictable. There is no public schedule. You basically have to check the shop daily at 1:00 PM PT/4:00 PM ET when it refreshes. Or, better yet, follow one of the many "RL Shop" bots on X (Twitter) or Discord that post the daily rotation so you don't have to launch the game just to be disappointed.
A Quick Word on Trading
If you’re thinking about just trading some blueprints or credits to a friend for their Battle Bus, I have bad news. The original Battle Bus from the Llama-Rama event is an "Untradeable" item. It is locked to the account that earned it. This is a common pain point for collectors. Most licensed DLC or event cars—think the Batmobile, the DeLorean, or the Fast & Furious Nissan Skyline—suffer from this same restriction. If you didn't buy it or earn it during the window, you can't just "buy it off the street" from another player.
Understanding the Merc Hitbox
If you do manage to get your hands on the bus, you need to understand what you’re driving. The Battle Bus uses the Merc Hitbox.
For years, there were only a few hitboxes in the game (Octane, Dominus, Breakout, Plank, Hybrid). Then Psyonix added the Merc hitbox specifically for, well, the Merc. The Battle Bus was one of the first cars to adopt it.
Why does this matter? Because it’s tall. Really tall.
- Pros: It’s a literal wall in the air. If you are 50/50ing someone, the Battle Bus has a massive surface area that makes it incredibly hard for the ball to go over you. It’s also great for power clears because the front bumper is a giant flat square.
- Cons: It feels like driving a brick. If you are used to the slim profile of a Dominus or the "perfect" feel of an Octane, the Battle Bus feels sluggish in the air. It’s a visual illusion—the physics are the same speed—but the sheer size of the model makes aerial maneuvers feel heavy.
Honestly, most pros don't touch it. It’s a meme car. But in the hands of a high-level player who knows how to use that height, it’s genuinely terrifying.
The Epic Games Store Connection
Occasionally, Epic runs promotions through their PC storefront rather than in-game challenges. We saw this with the "Battle Bus (Titanium White)" where it was bundled with other items for players who downloaded Rocket League through the Epic Games Launcher during certain promotional windows.
If you are a console player on PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch, make sure your accounts are linked via the Epic Games Account portal. Sometimes a "PC-only" reward will show up in your inventory on console as long as you "claimed" it on the Epic store website. It’s a bit of a loophole, but it’s saved me a few times when I couldn't get to my PC.
Why the Battle Bus is Special in 2026
We are now several years into the "Epic era" of Rocket League. The novelty of Fortnite crossovers has faded for some, but for new players, the Battle Bus remains a "Holy Grail" item because it’s a piece of the game's history. It represents the moment the game changed forever.
There are rumors and leaks constantly swirling about a "Llama-Rama 3" or a new Fortnite crossover to celebrate various Seasons in the Battle Royale. Given that Fortnite just added Rocket Racing—a literal Rocket League game mode inside Fortnite—the integration between these two games is tighter than ever. It is almost a certainty that the Battle Bus will return in some capacity, likely as a reward for playing Rocket Racing or finishing specific cross-game quests.
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What You Should Do Right Now
Since you can't just go out and buy it this second, you need to be prepared for when it inevitably drops.
First, hoard your credits. If it hits the shop, it won't be there for long. 800 to 1000 credits is the sweet spot. Don't blow your credits on a cool-looking goal explosion today if you really want the bus.
Second, link your accounts. Go to the Rocket League activation site and make sure your Primary Account is set correctly. If a reward drops on Fortnite, you want it to show up in your Rocket League garage immediately without any technical hiccups.
Third, watch the "RL Garage" app. It has a feature that lets you set alerts for specific items in the shop. You can literally set a notification for "Battle Bus" and your phone will buzz the second it goes live.
Basically, getting the bus is a waiting game. It’s about being ready for the window of opportunity. Whether it’s a shop refresh or a surprise 48-hour challenge, the Battle Bus always comes back eventually. You just have to be there when it does.
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Keep an eye on the official Rocket League blog. They usually announce these crossovers about three to five days before they go live. If you see the words "Llama-Rama" or "Fortnite" in a headline, that’s your cue.
Stop checking the trade markets; it’s a waste of time. Focus on the shop and the event tabs. That’s the only way you’re getting that bus into your garage. Once you get it, go into free play. Get used to that Merc hitbox. It’s a different beast, but man, there is nothing more satisfying than scoring a game-winner in a school bus while the "Battle Bus" horn blares across the arena.
Go check your Epic Games Store "Add-ons" section right now just in case there is a forgotten bundle sitting there. Sometimes they hide rewards in the "DLC" tab of the launcher rather than the in-game store. It’s rare, but it happens. Your best bet is to stay vigilant on the daily shop resets and keep a stack of credits ready for the moment the bus finally makes its return to the rotation.