Writing up the news that Rocket League is leaving Steam is not something I expected to do for at least… 3-5 more years? At least for now the game isn’t shutting down outright, it just won’t be available to new players on Steam starting later this summer. That’s because Rocket League is going free-to-play while simultaneously launching on the Epic Games Store.
Similar to the year-long Epic exclusivity we saw with Metro Exodus, Rocket League on Steam will continue to be playable and will continue to be updated even while it remains inaccessible to new players. It’s another awkward Epic Games Store situation and seemingly not the last. Psyonix hasn’t announced the exact date yet but they did offer a few more details in their news post earlier today:
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. 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!
What does this mean for the Rocket League gameplay you know and love? The core gameplay will remain the same, but we are refining the main menus to make exploring the game easier. Plus, we’re revamping and improving major features like Tournaments and Challenges, and introducing cross-platform progression! Rocket League action on the field will still be the same core, high-octane hybrid of sports and action you love today, and soon, even more players will share that love. That begins with Rocket League’s release on its newest platform: the Epic Games Store.
Rocket League will release on the Epic Games Store on PC the same time it goes free to play. This version of the game will be identical to the version found on other platforms, and will feature cross-platform play anywhere you play Rocket League, including between the Epic Games Store and Steam.
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. To put it simply, wherever you play now (including Steam), you’ll still be able to play in the future.
That post contains more info about cross-platform play, inventory ownership, and bonuses for “Legacy” players if you’re interested but for us the major news is the upcoming delisting. Once there’s an official date we’ll add it to the calendar.