Rocket League is going free-to-play by the end of summer across all platforms. The plans revealed today are the culmination of five years of work, community growth, and even a DeLorean or two. Along with the announcement came the news that the Epic Game Store will now be the defacto-home of Rocket League in the PC gaming realm, with the Steam versions vanishing from this mortal realm, though you’ll still be able to play via Steam if you’ve downloaded the game prior. This news isn’t all that surprising given Epic Games’ acquisition of Psyonix last year, as a Fortnite-ification of the popular car soccer product seemed all but inevitable, especially as it already had a battle-pass seasonal style model.
It will also be getting full cross-platform progression thanks to linked Epic Games accounts tying all versions of the game together, so you can take all your stats, items, and other progress with you wherever you play.
Rocket League is going free to play and will be leaving Steam when it hits free to play later this summer (will still be playable on Steam if you own it now) https://t.co/PGEWVcaCHU pic.twitter.com/lc7XdFpNEX
— Wario64 (@Wario64) July 21, 2020
What changes are in store? “The core gameplay will remain the same, but we are refining the main menus to make exploring the game easier. Plus, we’re revamping and improving major features like Tournaments and Challenges, and introducing cross-platform progression! Rocket League action on the field will still be the same core, high-octane hybrid of sports and action you love today, and soon, even more players will share that love,” says Psyonix.
The developer will also be adding legacy status for anyone who plays before the free-to-play move, which grants:
-
All Rocket League-branded DLC released before free to play
-
“Est. 20XX” title that displays the first year you played Rocket League
-
200+ Common items upgraded to “Legacy” quality
-
Golden Cosmos Boost
-
Dieci-Oro Wheels
-
Huntress Player Banner
A date wasn’t given for the launch of free-to-play, but it is coming sometime later this summer. Given a lot of PlayStation players most likely have Rocket League on their account thanks to it being a PS+ game many years ago, perhaps now is as good a time as ever to jump back in and see if Rocket League holds up for you after five years.
The Rocket League free-to-play update goes live later this summer.
