After more than 5 years as a premium game, a Rocket League Free-To-Play release date has finally been announced.
If you are somehow not yet familiar with Rocket League, then you should give the Nintendo Switch launch trailer a watch to get a feel for the game in just over one minute:
"After nearly five years, millions of players, and billions of soccar matches played, it's time to talk about the next chapter of Rocket League," began a news post on the game's official website. "The game wouldn't be where it is today without our dedicated and amazing community. Today, we're excited to announce that we're gearing up to make that community even bigger. Beginning later this summer, Rocket League is going free to play!"
Currently, Rocket League is a premium title that costs $19.99 to get started. From there, players have the option to buy cosmetic microtransactions for their rocket-powered cars to show off their own custom style.
75 million people have played the game in its first five years. Now, the Rocket League free-to-play release date window has been set for Summer 2020 — and that's going to be bringing a lot of changes to the game.
What Do Current Players Get As a Bonus?
First off, Psyonix hasn't forgotten about the millions of players who have bought the game (and probably some microtransactions, too). Anyone who has played the game online prior to the Rocket League free-to-play release date will get the following:
- 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 free-to-play update will also be adding cross-platform progression, so it won't really matter where you're playing. And yes, your entire inventory will carry over to the free-to-play version.
What Happens to the Rocket League Steam Version?
The free-to-play release isn't all good news, though. Psyonix is finally pulling the plug on the Steam version of the game for new purchases, although current owners will still be able to play it on that platform.
No. Rocket League will no longer be available for download for new users on Steam once it goes free to play and launches on the Epic Games Store. But, the Steam version will still be fully supported for those who already have it.
This information came from an F.A.Q. on the new Rocket League free-to-play landing page. You'll find more information on there regarding any other questions you might have about the transition.
Previously, Rocket League had been review-bombed on Steam on the assumption that Epic Games' acquisition of Psyonix would lead to the Steam version being removed. Both Psyonix and Epic Games have previously said that they had no plans to pull it from Steam just yet, but it seems like they are removing it going forward for sale.
When Is the Rocket League Free-To-Play Release Date?
With all of this glorious new information, one question remains: when is the Rocket League free-to-play release date?
Unfortunately, we don't have a specific date just yet. As the initial announcement notes, the free-to-play launch will be happening sometime this Summer. Summer ends on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, so we probably expect the game to launch sometime before then.
For now, you can still buy Rocket League on Steam for $19.99 or your regional equivalent; get it now and you'll score all of the cool bonuses listed above. If you've been thinking about getting it for PC, you won't have very much time to buy it on Steam before that's no longer an option.
What do you think about Rocket League finally going free-to-play? Are you disappointed that the game is being removed from sale on Steam? Let us know in the comments below!
