As of today Psyonix has made Rocket League as free to play, as well as introducing a new platform. The game will no longer be available to download on Steam.
Psyonix recently announced that their banner game will become free to play. Rocket League is a cross-platform sports game where players control cars and play very large scale soccer – or ‘Soccar’.
Since launch the action-packed game has become immensely popular, boasting over 60 million players across PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
What’s changing?
With moves to free play, Psyonix have declared that their core gameplay will remain unchanged, however they plan to make the game easier to explore and navigate through refining the main menus, as well as improving their Tournaments and Challenges. Cross-platform progression will also be introduced for the first time, so you can bring all of your achievements with you whenever you play.
At the same time the game goes free to play, it will be released on another platform: the Epic Games Store on PC. The game itself will not change, and it will also feature the ability to play cross-platform – including between the Epic Games Store and Steam. PlayStation players will receive a boon of their own too – PS Plus is no longer required to play Rocket League online.
We’re almost there! Notes for today’s free to play release: https://t.co/4BOhSHpHry #TakeYourShot
— Rocket League (@RocketLeague) September 23, 2020
But I was here from the start!
Rocket League will no longer be available to download on Steam for new players, however players who already have the game on any platform will still be able to play and enjoy the game wherever they want.
Psyonix has announced that anyone who has playedbefore the free launch will be rewarded with “Legacy” status, including:
- 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
The Faded Cosmos Boost will also be available to those who played online before the free to play announcement.
Challenges
An overhaul to the Challenge system also comes with the update, specifically adding a set of New Driver Challenges aimed at new players learning the game. If you owned the game before the update, don’t worry, you wont see these challenges.
Challenges now come in three types: weekly, seasonal, and event-based (for special events and limited-time rewards). Free-to-play players will receive three weekly challenges per week, plus a set of free season challenges. If you fork out for a Rocket Pass, additional premium challenges will be unlocked.
Whether you’re a Rocket League veteran or a new player joining the game, it’s safe to assume you’ll have a ton of fun with the new, re-worked experience. Get out there and score!
But wait, after this massive update what will they do?
Well, after their massive re-modelling, Rocket League keeps to its speedy nature by constantly providing new and improved features for its playerbase. For starters, its third season recently kicked off in April 7, 2021 (AEST).
This season offers a tonne of upgrades on their trade-ins. Although the ‘Trade-in’ loot will still operate the way as before, players can now manage their own section in the Garage. They will also see their tradable items categorised into: Core Series, Tournament and Blueprint. A bonus fix is that both Tournament and Blueprint items can be traded regardless of the series, though your Trade-in yields will remain heavily tied to the series you handed in.
However, there are some fresh rules in place. For example, players cannot trade with others until they reach level 30 and have over 50 minutes racked up in online matches. Meanwhile, those from levels 30 to 99 can only trade up to three times a day, and with values of up to 2 000 credits.
Players in levels 100 to 249 are able to use up to 10 000 credits in a maximum of ten transactions per day. As for those on or above level 250, there is no limit to the exchanging, though it cannot exceed 100 000 credits overall.
There’s also some general bug fixes and optimisation updates, meaning you can play in higher (or lower, if you have limited internet bandwidth) resolution.
Oh, and the list continues. Three new Monstercat antennas join the ever-growing list of customisable icons so you can wow friends and opponents alike with your sick, new ride.
Check out the latest full Free To Play patch notes here.
