Rocket League is leaving Steam to go free-to-play this year

Hey, can you keep a secret? See, I still haven't played Rocket League, and I'm a little worried it might be too late. Fortunately, developers Psyonix have just announced that they're making their spectacular car footy game free-to-play later this year - but there's a bit of a catch. Once it ditches that pricetag, Rocket League is leaving Steam's parking lot, taking its acrobatic hatchbacks exclusively to the Epic Games Store.

Well, that's not entirely true. While new players will no longer be able to download Rocket League from Steam, existing players will still receive updates. They'll still be able to play with new drivers on Epic, and their inventories will carry over should they decide to switch platforms. But you won't be forced into using the Epic launcher unless this is your first time behind the wheel.

Anyone who's played Rocket League before the switch to free-to-play will also have their account bumped up to "Legacy" status. Alongside a few nice bonuses (a player banner, and a title that shows off how long you've been punting massive balls about), this'll give you access to every piece of DLC released prior to the update. Those gifts will be available to snag right up 'til the free-to-play change - but to get a special Faded Cosmos Boost, you'll have had to be playing before today's announcement. Soz.

It also seems like there are some more sweeping changes to Rocket League's front-end, as per the blog post breaking the news. Many of the main menus will be touched up for ease of use, while the devs are "revamping and improving" things like tournaments and challenges. Cross-platform progression is also being brought in, should any console readers out there wish to make the drive over to PC or vice versa.

I know the sudden jump to Epic exclusivity is sure to disappoint plenty of folks, but it's quite nice to see Rocket League finally go free. The game's just after celebrating its fifth birthday, and what better way to mark the occasion than by inviting everyone 'round to faff about in some of Brendy's favourite cars?