Developer Psyonix announced yesterday that Rocket League is going free to play this summer. The game is currently still being sold for about $19.99, but soon anyone can just join in. But PC users will have to go to the Epic Games Store for their free copy.
Rocket League going free to play
Almost exactly five years ago, Rocket League launched for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. As a sequel (and way more conveniently named) to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, Rocket League quickly gained a lot of traction. The game combines crazy rocket powered cars with a huge soccer ball. It offers both a hilarious, sometimes silly experience , but also highly competitive and skill based game.
Sometime this summer, Psyonix will make it easier for everyone to get into Rocket League as the game goes free to play. At first glance, this might seem like a last ditch effort to re-ignite the hype for the game. But apart from a bustling eSports scene, Rocket League is also still consistently in the top 20 most played games on Steam. But that’s quickly going to change…
Leaving Steam
Psyonix was acquired by Epic Game back in May 2019. That probably motivated the American company to migrate their popular game from Steam, though they give out free games all the time. When Rocket League goes free to play, PC gamers will have to go to the Epic Games Store get Rocket League for free.
If you already own the game on Steam, you don’t have to worry though. The blogpost reads:
Once Rocket League goes free to play, anyone who already owns Rocket League on any platform (including Steam) will be able to play and enjoy the game with full support for future updates and features. However, the Steam version will no longer be available to download for new players.
A little parting gift
As a reward for everyone that paid for Rocket League in the past, Psyonix is giving players a bunch of in-game stuff. The gifts include a bunch of cosmetic DLC items, upgraded Common items, and the bragging rights of when you started to play Rocket League. Here’s a full list of all the free stuff:
- All Rocket League-branded DLC released before free to play
- “Est. 20XX” title that displays the year when the player first started playing Rocket League
- 200+ Common items upgraded to “Legacy” quality
- Golden Cosmos Boost
- Dieci-Oro Wheels
- Huntress Player Banner
It’s a bummer for Valve that such a popular game is being taken away from their game platform. For players though, not a lot will change. Unless you’re a Steam purist, and you wanted that free Rocket League copy on the arguably better gaming platform… In that case, you just have to accept your free (awesome) game on a platform you don’t like!
When exactly Rocket League is going free to play, is as of yet unknown. ‘This summer’ does suggest the transition will take place before the end of the meteorological summer. In other words, before the 31st of August.