Rocket League PS Plus and Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions will not be required to play the game when it switches to a free-to-play format in a forthcoming update.
"PlayStation Plus on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch Online will no longer be required for online play on those platforms," stated a news post on the game's official website.
As a general rule, free-to-play games don't require PlayStation Plus on Sony's consoles. Nintendo and Microsoft are somewhat less consistent with this policy; as an example, Halo Infinite multiplayer was revealed to be a free-to-play experience, but some games like Fortnite require Xbox Live Gold.
The odds were pretty good that you wouldn't need a Rocket League PS Plus and Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but it's nice to have confirmation. However, this is just one small portion of an update detailing upcoming content for the game.
What's Coming in the Next Rocket League Update?
The Rocket League free-to-play update isn't just changing the way the game is acquired; fundamental changes are also coming to several key game systems.
The seasonal schedule will be streamlined; Competitive Seasons, Competitive Tournament, and Rocket Pass will now all be on the same schedule. Rocket Passes will no longer be individually numbered. Season 1 begins when Rocket League officially goes free-to-play.
Also arriving are new Competitive ranks. Grand Champion is being split into Grand Champion 1, Grand Champion 2, and Grand Champion 3. Current Grand Champions will likely be placed in Grand Champion 1, and from there they'll have to fight to climb to a new ultimate rank: Supersonic Legend.
New players won't be left out, though! New players will be carefully introduced to the game with a tutorial that will teach them the ins and outs of high-flying car soccer.
When is the Rocket League Free-To-Play Update?
Psyonix still has yet to announce the Rocket League free-to-play release date, although it looks like it will be sometime after mid-September 2020.
"We'll be rolling out an update on current platforms in the next few weeks around mid September, and the launch of free to play will follow shortly after," stated the news post on the Rocket League website.
For now, Rocket League players still have plenty of fun content to experience as Psyonix works on the transition to a free-to-play format. If you haven't yet picked this game up on PC, you still have some time to buy Rocket League on Steam before it leaves Steam to be free-to-play on the Epic Games Store.
Are you happy to hear that there's no Rocket League PS Plus and Nintendo Switch Online requirement? How do you think the community will change as a free-to-play game? Let us know in the comments below!
