Rocket League will become free-to-play on Sept. 23 through the Epic Games Store, the developer Psyonix announced, allowing a larger audience to access its car-based soccer gameplay across platforms.
Players must link their in-game progress to an Epic Games account beginning Sept. 16, when an update launches to enable cross-platform access to unlocked items. Once linked, progress and cosmetics will be available on any supported platform.
Those who download Rocket League by Oct. 23 will receive a $10 coupon for the Epic Games Store usable on purchases over $14.99, and will also get several in-game bonus items for logging in for the first time after the transition.
Xbox One multiplayer still requires Xbox Live Gold
Despite the move to free-to-play, Xbox One owners will still need an active Xbox Live Gold subscription to access Rocket League’s online multiplayer. Players on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 will not be required to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online or PlayStation Plus to play online.
How the account linking works
The account-linking update rolling out on Sept. 16 will prompt players to connect their existing Rocket League progress to an Epic Games account. This step is necessary to preserve unlocked items and to enable access to them from different platforms after the game becomes free-to-play.
Promotions and bonuses for early downloaders
Players who download the game by Oct. 23 will qualify for the $10 Epic Games Store coupon, provided they use it on purchases above $14.99. The same users will receive a set of bonus in-game items granted for accessing Rocket League after the free-to-play transition.
Brief note on Fall Guys update
Separately, Mediatonic released a mid-season surprise update for Fall Guys that tweaks several maps to increase variety. One change affects the “Gates of Hell” map, altering the pattern of gate openings and closings to make repeated runs less predictable. Fall Guys reached 1.5 million players within 24 hours of launch and sold seven million copies on Steam within its first month.
