Rocket League free-to-play launch to include seasons, new ranks, & more

Alan Bernal

Psyonix outlined how Rocket League will look after its free-to-play update, including a peek at the “streamlined seasons,” as well as changes to competitive ranks, and plenty of features to welcome new players.

The studio is getting ready to convert its popular ‘soc-car’ game into a widely accessible model that will make it free for anyone to download. To reign in the new era of Rocket League, there’s going to be a fair few changes to how the game operates.

While the classic gameplay will remain intact, systems like the Rocket Pass, Competitive Seasons and the upcoming Tournaments will all happen at the same time and, more importantly, end all at once.

When will Rocket League be free to play?

Rocket League’s free-to-play is reportedly just around the corner. Psyonix initially said it could come from late-September to early-October, and they’re sticking true to that.

According to a leaked store listing by Nintendo, Rocket League will be going free-to-play from September 23. Owners of the game will get a host of swag, while new players will be able to pick it up without paying a dime.

Rocket League will be available exclusively on the Epic Games Store for PC players after the update.

Updated streamlined seasons

“We’re streamlining the seasonal schedule,” Psyonix said. “Competitive Seasons, Competitive Tournaments, and Rocket Pass will all follow the same schedule. It all starts when Rocket League goes free to play and Season 1 begins.”

This means that fresh players or longtime veterans will all have clear indications for when the current season will end: “With uniform start and end dates, we hope it’s easier to track how long you have to complete your challenges and hit your dream Rank!”

The seasons in Rocket League are going to run in tandem with tourneys, the Rocket Pass, and Ranked.

New Rocket League Ranks

The highest echelon of competitive Rocket League players will now have a new rank to fight over with the introduction of Grand Champion 1-3 as well as the ultimate rating of Supersonic Legend. Grand Champion was the previous top mark in rank but is now going to have its own subsections before someone can rank up to Supersonic.

Meanwhile, Psyonix will ‘soft reset’ every other rank to account for the new players that will inevitably come after Rocket League goes free-to-play. This will cause a “shift” in ranks so that “current Bronze players complete their placement matches, they may be placed in a higher rank since they’ll be better than new players who are just starting out.”

For those new players, Psyonix will require accounts to be at Level 10 in order to unlock the Ranked Playlists.

New competitive ranks include Grand Champion sub-ranks and the ultimate mark called Supersonic Legend.

New Player Experience

For people looking to experience Rocket League for the first time, the developers are going to bring in an entirely new tutorial. Ingrained players should be able to skip it without a problem, but it could be a great way to catch-up on different elements of the HUD and the button layout.

After that, new competitors can complete the New Driver Challenges to unlock items that were previously found in the base version of the game and are no longer readily available.

Other things to know

  • PlayStation Plus on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch Online will no longer be required for online play on those platforms.
  • Rocket ID Will Become Epic Friends
    • When the update goes live, your Rocket ID friends list will become the Epic Friends list. Friends you had through Rocket ID will transfer to Epic Friends, and any friends you currently have through your Epic Games Account will be visible in Rocket League.
  • New Quick Chats Incoming!
    • Faking.
    • Bumping!
    • On your left.
    • On your right.
    • Passing!
  • Default settings are changing for incoming players. Voice Chat will be disabled by default, and L2 (PS4), LT (Xbox), ZL (Switch) will default to Air Roll.
  • Heatseeker will be playable in private matches
  • New bot difficulty under Rookie
  • Merc is getting a new, unique hitbox, for a total of six hitbox types
  • Rocket League X Monstercat remixes of fan favorite songs will be added celebrating the music’s legacy throughout the years
  • Solo Standard Playlist will be removed following Competitive Season 14

With Rocket League set to be available for free for the first time ever, Psyonix is preparing for the inevitable influx of new players that will usher in a new era for their popular game.

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About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?