Psyonix has been working around the clock to finally bring gamers the cross-platform compatibility that they've been craving for some time from Rocket League. The other game consoles and PC support it, but the PS4 was the only one on the block that prohibited cross-play... until now.

In a tweet posted up on January 14th, 2019, the official Rocket League Twitter account finally announced the one thing that PS4 console gamers have been asking for since the Fortnite cross-play blow-up from 2017: cross-platform compatibility.

It's not live for all players across all of the available platforms. What this means is that if you're playing Rocket League on the PlayStation 4, you can now play with those who have the game on the Nintendo Switch. Alternatively, you can now play matches between Xbox One and PS4, so that there's a healthy ecosystem of competitive players pooled across the Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Steam.

You can partake in random matchmaking across a variety of match types, including casual, competitive and the extra modes.

You can access the cross-play functionality by heading into the gameplay options menu, clicking on "Options" and enabling the "Cross-Platform Play" box. Once you do that everything else will operate like clockwork.

Now keep in mind that Rocket League's cross-platform play on the PS4 is still in the beta phase. It's being tested and iterated right now, so certain features are not available just yet, such as cross-platform parties. Psyonix does have plans on implementing cross-platform parties later in the year, where you'll be able to invite people from different game systems into a single party.

This new update may not be perfect just yet, but it's been an update that's a long time in the making. It all started back several years ago when Rocket League began implementing cross-play for the other consoles, but strangely Sony was left out of the interoperability between consoles, even though it did support cross-play with PC.

Over the course of time, gamers began questioning Psyonix, who then deferred to the platform holders. Given that Microsoft and Nintendo seemed to be on board with cross-play, tensions began to arise between gamers and Sony. This escalated further when Mojang's cross-play between consoles was also blocked from Minecraft, even though it was allowed between the other systems. Epic Games wanted to do cross-play as well but was also blocked by Sony, which led to a huge backlash from the community, especially after they realized that they couldn't use their accounts that they were using for the PS4 version of Fortnite with their Nintendo Switch.

Eventually Sony walked back its restrictive platform policies and developers began implementing more cross-play functionality. Psyonix was one of the first to vocally advocate for the feature in eighth-gen consoles, and now it's finally arrived. There were definitely some hurdles and roadblocks in the way, but the team didn't let that stop them from finally giving gamers what they've been craving.

Psyonix managed to hit the jackpot with Rocket League when the game initially came out for PS4 back in the summer of 2015 to wide acclaim and millions of downloads. Over the years, the developers have been refining and upgrading the experience across each platform it has released on, and now it's time for Xbox One X owners to get their long awaited upgrade.

Over on the official Rocket League website, it was announced that the update for Xbox One X support will go live next month, December 3 at 10:00am PST, to be exact. The update will enable gamers to play Rocket League in native 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with full HDR support. You will, of course, need a 4K television to play the game at 4K UHD, but it will be native not upscaled.

The big difference between upscaled and native resolutions is that a native resolution means that the game is running internally at 4K and outputting on the display at 4K. Upscaled resolutions mean that the game is typically running at 1440p or 1800p internally and then upscaled through a 4K television or monitor. It means that you're not seeing a native 4K resolution when the media is being upscaled, which is typically how a lot of games make use of the Xbox One X's 4K capabilities. This is also due to the fact that native 4K requires a ton of processing power, and even the Xbox One X has trouble running games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Star Wars: Battlefront 2 at native 4K.

However, Psyonix made sure to optimize Rocket League so that it could get the most out of Microsoft's console and run the game both at native UHD resolutions and at 60 frames per second, which is a rare feat for a lot of games, and only a few studios have achieved those specs for a game on a home console. In fact, many PS4 Pro games also fail to hit the UHD standard and oftentimes settle for either 1440p or 1800p. So Pysonix should be proud of that feat.

However, if you don't have a 4K UHD enabled TV, you can still make use of the Xbox One X features even on a 1080p HDTV thanks to the Xbox One X's ability to utilize supersampling for 1080p display devices. This was all part of Microsoft's bid to capture the upper echelons of the high-end definition market when the Xbox One X launched last year.

The December update for Rocket League isn't just about paying some worthwhile lip service to Xbox fans, though. The update will also include all new leaderboards for the ranked extra modes, along with an overhaul to the XP progression system that includes all-new weekly win bonuses for those of you who can pull out the clutch wins multiple times each week. There's an all-new episode called "Rocket League x Monster Cat Vol. 5," and the new community flags for Extra Life, Speedy and another mystery flag that will be announced at a later date.

The big news for now is that Xbox One X owners will be getting a little bit of love and service from Psyonix for Rocket League. This means that not only will you be able to play the game and have fun, but also have the game look on par to what would usually cost you $1,500 or more if you wanted it to look that way on PC, for the price of just $500.

The Xbox One X enhancements will arrive with the other features starting December 3.

It's rare that gamers are hit with news about an update or a game being delayed and it's, somehow, good news. However, in this rare case you're probably going to be duly excited to find out the reasons behind Rocket League's delay for the latest update, because it will completely change the landscape of the game's multiplayer.

Over on the official Rocket League website, there's a fall roadmap for the updates set to arrive for the action-sports title on home consoles and PC. However, the post had to inform fans of the game that the latest update had to be delayed because of Sony. No, it's not bad news like before... it's good news. In the post, Psyonix reveals...

Yes, RocketID will enable gamers to log into Rocket League and play with other gamers across the wide spectrum of the online multiplayer universe that spans the likes of the Nintendo Switch, PC, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.

Previously this was a limited feature that was implemented due to the PS4 not being included in the cross-play features due to Sony having blocked the feature initially.

Last year things began to escalate when Epic inadvertently allowed gamers across Xbox One and PS4 to play with one another when cross-play was briefly enabled within the Battle Royale game, Fortnite. Epic was forced to disable the feature at Sony's behest, which did not go down well with the rest of the gaming community.

All throughout 2018 there have been efforts by the gaming community to convince Sony to enable cross-platform compatibility between PS4 gamers and Xbox One and Nintendo Switch owners. Previously Sony had only made it possible for PS4 gamers to play with PC gamers, especially for games that Sony helped publish such as DC Universe Online and Planetside 2.

Eventually, Sony conceded to the demands of the gaming community and allowed developers to enable cross-platform play across games like Fortnite and Rocket League.

Psyonix now has to go through the process of ensuring that the security measures come up to Sony's standards before enabling cross-play for the PS4. The update will also include the Rocket Pass 2 along with enhanced Xbox One X support, which will allow gamers who own the premium console to play at 4K UHD with full support for 60 frames per second refresh rates.

Thankfully, while gamers wait for the cross-play update to go live featuring RocketID, there will be a number of events that can also be played throughout the fall and winter, including a Halloween Haunted Hallows event, along with a Frosty Fest set to take place in mid-December. Following those updates, you can look for the all new cross-platform features to go live in early 2019 for Rocket League.

Psyonix has been keeping the fires of momentum going for Rocket League since its debut back in 2015. The company even constructed a brand new roadmap for the game's future development in order to lure in more gamers to the all new features and updates that will be added to Rocket League across multiple platforms. More specifically, Psyonix allowed more details to emerge centering around the all new Rocket Pass for Rocket League, which will enable gamers to gain more access to more content for a fixed price.

The news was rolled out over on the official Rocket League website, where it was revealed that the Rocket Pass is a time-limited progression system that will allow you to earn all new content within the game.

The Rocket Pass will allow users to gain access to new content throughout the year. The pass will not affect the current XP-system that the developers have in place for gamers to elevate and evolve their skills, but it will offer users a way to earn new player banners, titles, decryptors and customization items. The Rocket Pass will come in two formats: Free and Premium.

The free Rocket Pass will allow players to earn rewards that unlock all new content within Rocket League. As explained in the paragraph above, you'll be able to unlock a smorgasbord of content for the action-sports multiplayer title, allowing you to deck out your vehicles with brand new accessories, unlock all new liveries and scrape by with some sexy new titles for your online user profile.

The premium Rocket Pass will be available for $9.99, and it will offer you everything that the free pass comes with and then some, including special customization items, all new car bodies, keys and premium versions of the player banners and titles. Additionally, the Rocket Pass will net you the ability to unlock XP boosts that will multiply your XP gains throughout the duration of the Rocket Pass being active.

The free and premium versions will be available across all platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You won't be able to unlock crates from the Rocket Pass tiers, but you can unlock decryptors and keys.

Additionally, the FAQ mentions that it will take an estimated 100 hours to unlock all the tiers available in the Rocket Pass, which is a substantial amount of time investment for the $9.99 premium version.

This will all tie into the big July anniversary event for Rocket League, which will span between July and August, featuring massive new cross-platform play updates, along with the implementation of Progression 2.0, which will overhaul the leveling, remove the level 75 cap and the ability to unlock new rare items, titles and banners. The new level cap will be extended up to 100, giving gamers even more reasons to keep playing and unlocking gear in the game.

This also ties into the new XP mechanics that will hand out bonuses based on in-match performances, as well as the introduction of the Rocket Pass.

It's Wrestlemania night, which means you fans of body slams and elbow drops already have plenty to look forward to. If, however, you are also a Rocket League fan, then you've got a little something extra to be stoked about. New WWE gear is heading to the game, and you can even get your hands on a couple items free of charge.

Wrestlemania 34 is tonight, boasting everything from an Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal during the preshow to five title showdowns including Charlotte vs. Asuka for the SmackDown Women's Championship and Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. According to a recent update from the team at Psyonix, via Gamespot, another big moment on tonight's card for gamers will include giving away some sweet new Rocket League gear.

In short, all you have to do is keep your eye out for a special code that will be revealed during the evening's proceedings. That code will net you two free items from the upcoming WWE item pack in Rocket League. The only hook here is that we're not clear on whether or not the code will be revealed during the broadcast, or if Psyonix will simply post the code to their own site during the matches.

A while back, Psyonix announced they had formed a partnership with the WWE, meaning branded content would eventually arrive in everybody's favorite car racing/soccer game. While we're still hopeful that an arena based on a WWE ring is in the cards for a future update, the first prong of that partnership is taking the form of cosmetic items.

There are 11 WWE items heading to Rocket League this week, including five banners, five flags and a set of wheels. The wheels, seen above, are gold and boast a pretty sweet WWE logo. The banners and flags are for various WWE promotions. While players will be able to unlock these items in-game starting this week, the code will grant you two of them at random.

If you were hoping for kits based on your favorite wrestlers, there's still hope for an Asuka-themed car. Psyonix has stated that more cosmetic items based on the WWE are on the way and, yep, they plan on giving out more codes through other WWE promotions.

We really like seeing Psyonix continue to work with various brands in order to bring additional fun content to Rocket League. From cars ripped from Back to the Future and Batman to Super Mario-themed vehicles in the Switch version of the game, we say keep the crossovers coming.

Speaking of which, what's your favorite licensed gear in Rocket League at this point? Let us know in the comments below.

Psyonix has yet to cease to amaze the gaming audience with the way the company updates and keeps new content rolling into Rocket League, the multiplayer action-sports title for PC and home consoles. The latest update will bring additional Batmobiles to the game, along with some more content based on DC heroes.

The news comes courtesy of a post made over on the official Rocket League website, where the company announced the new DC Super Heroes DLC for the game. This includes the Tumbler from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy and the 1989 Batmobile from Tim Burton's Batman.

Both vehicles look absolutely awesome, and the intro trailer that introduces both of them to the arenas of Rocket League are put together perfectly. We see both vehicles driving through recreated segments from the 1989 Batman movie and the concrete jungle of Gotham featured in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. This makes complete sense, given that gamers had been begging Psyonix for the Tumbler, since it seemed to perfectly fit in with the rough and tumble, aerial gameplay of Rocket League.

WB Games and Psyonix announced that the two companies are collaborating once more, but there's more than just two of Batman's most famous vehicles appearing in Rocket League, there's also a collection of other DC-themed content and skins making an appearance, including an Aquaman decal and player banner for Breakout, a Batman decal and player banner for the Paladin, a Cyborg decal and player banner for the Roadhog, a Flash speed force boost and wheels along with a decal for the Venom, a Green Arrow decal and b anner for the Hotshot, a Green Lantern decal and player banner for the Merc, and wheels and decals themed around Wonder Woman for the X-Devil.

Additionally there's a DC player banner that players can wave around to show their support for the comic brand.

The DC Super Heroes DLC pack will become available for gamers starting March 5th for $3.99 across the PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. You will need a full copy of Rocket League to make use of the DLC pack.

Keep note that some of these items are re-releases. Psyonix notes that three of the DLC items in particular were previously available as part of the Collector's Edition, which came out earlier this year. The items include the Flash wheels and player banner, along with the DC Comics player banner.

Of course if you still wanted to get your hands on the other skin packs and banners themed after other popular heroes and characters from the DC roster, such as Wonder Woman and Superman, you'll probably want to keep your eye on the upcoming DLC pack that will go live next month.

It's amazing how long Rocket League has been able to stay fresh and current so many years after it came out, but a lot of people really love the game's core gameplay mechanics and the pick-and-play controls that have allowed Psyonix to move millions upon millions of copies of the action-sports title.

Fans seem to be loving Rocket League on the Nintendo Switch, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the graphics slouch a bit when compared to other platforms. The team at Psyonix is working to address that, and they've even prioritized it over similar tweaks on other platforms.

Over on the Rocket League Blog, the team at Psyonix has put out an update giving a look at the road ahead for Spring 2018. If you thought maybe development or activities within the game would be slowing down, this meaty list of adjustments and additions coming in the next few months proves that Rocket Leauge is going as fast and strong as ever.

One of the first items to ping on our radar, though, is a Switch updated scheduled for a March/April window. The update states that a "Switch Performance and Visual Quality Update" will be made available at that time, giving players more control over the game's visual fidelity. In short, you'll have two options to pick from, including Performance Mode and Quality Mode. Performance Mode will be at 900p docked and 720p in handheld mode, at 60 fps with infrequent dynamic resolution scaling. Going with quality mode, though, will put you at native 1080p docked and 720p in handheld mode at 30 fps with added visual effects. So, if you want the game to run as smoothly as possible or simply look as sharp as possible, you'll have the ability to choose between the two.

Tacked onto the "April and beyond" portion of the calendar is support for Xbox One X, which Psyonix now says will be available in "late 2018." That'll be about a year after the console launched, but we figure this development time means they've got a lot of stuff planned to take full advantage of the beefed up Xbox console. There were no details as to what those enhancements will be but, given the fact that we're still about a year off from launch, that's not super surprising.

If you're a fan of Rocket League, we'd recommend giving the full update rundown a gander. It's pretty packed, including hints at all sorts of new content, a new season schedule and even tournament play. As noted in the post, Psyonix will now be alternating updates on a monthly basis, with content updates swapping out for feature updates every other month. They state that this will allow for more a "more frequent and regular cycle" of updates in both areas, which should take some of the guess work out of what's coming next for the game's dedicated fans.

If you get a chance to peruse the full update, be sure to let us know what you're most excited about in the comments below.

One of the big requests since seventh gen has been cross-platform compatibility. It's something that gamers have been pining for since console internet connectivity became a thing. Well, some developers have been exploring it more than others, but some want to take cross-platform play beyond simply letting rival platforms engage and battle it out. Rocket League's developers have an idea to further improve the concept with cross-platform party support.

The revelation of cross-platform party play came from a response posted by the official Rocket League Help on Twitter. In response to user Floshke, who asked if there was any estimate on the release date for cross-platform party play, the Rocket League account responded that there would be cross-platform support coming in late 2018.

Psyonix was one of the first developers to actually implement cross-platform compatibility during eighth-gen gaming. This helped bolster the appeal of Rocket League greatly, as a lot of gamers loved the idea of being able to play with or against their friends on Xbox One or PS4 or the Nintendo Switch. There is, however, a caveat to the whole thing. You're not able to play on the Xbox One with PS4 users, due to Sony having a restriction on cross-platform compatibility between PS4 units and the Xbox and Switch.

However, Microsoft opened up the doors so that Xbox One and Nintendo Switch owners can play cross-platform together, and Psyonix accommodated that feature for gamers. PC gamers are the only ones who can play with Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS4 gamers.

One thing that does come into question, though, is what happens when a PC gamer parties up with a friend from the PS4 and then faces off against someone who is on PC who partied up with an Xbox One gamer? Could this bypass Sony's restriction on cross-platform compatibility between Xbox One and PS4 owners, or will Psyonix ensure that there are restrictions in place to keep a separation between Sony's console and the other consoles?

There's also a bevy of other questions that gamers lobbed at Psyonix regarding the Rocket league update, including whether or not there will be supported communication facilitation between cross platform play. Some wanted to know if it would be possible to send text messages to other players on other platforms while others asked if it would be possible to voice chat with other players on other platforms. Game Informer concluded that communication support between platforms could be improved with the update and that this is likely something that will improve cross-platform connectivity when people from different consoles form parties together.

The only thing gamers have to do now is sit back and wait for news on when this particular update will be made available for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. In the meantime, you can continue to dive into and play Rocket League while you wait for the new update.

Psyonix finally hunkered down and hammered out a release date for Rocket League on the anvil of development schedules. The game has already released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and was announced for the Nintendo Switch earlier this year, and now it's scheduled to release this month on the 14th.

According to Polygon, the release date is set for November 14th. This means that starting next week you'll be able to get in play-time for the very first time with Rocket League on the Nintendo Switch.

The significance of this news is pretty huge for several reasons. First of all, Rocket League will be playable via portable means, making it one of the few multiplayer focused games on the Switch that you can play either in TV mode, tabletop mode, or while on the go.

Additionally, Psyonix added some special accessories to the game, allowing Nintendo gamers to customize their vehicles with specialized Nintendo-themed items, such as Super Mario color schemes and Mario and Luigi hats and overall liveries for the cars. There are also three new Nintendo vehicles, two of which are based on Mario and Luigi sporting red and blue and green and blue liveries. There's also a specially designed Samus Gunship vehicle based on Samus Aran's spaceship from the Metroid series. The vehicle looks pretty cool, with a green honeycomb windshield and a bronze-colored body based on Samus' iconic armor.

But that's not all! The Nintendo Switch version of Rocket League also supports something that gamers have been begging for, for quite some time: cross-platform support.

When the game becomes available on November 14th, Switch owners will be able to play online against Xbox One gamers and PC gamers.

It's a pretty cool thing given that this means you could technically take your Nintendo Switch over to a friend's house and battle it out against them while they play the game on the couch via Xbox One and you play on the couch in portable mode on the Switch. This level of cross-platform compatibility is nearly unprecedented.

Unfortunately, Sony is the odd man out this time around, opting to forfeit the opportunity to allow cross-platform support for Rocket League. You can still play the game against Steam players while on the PS4, but you won't be able to play against Xbox One or Nintendo Switch players.

A lot of gamers were rather peeved at the idea that Sony did not want to support the cross-platform efforts from Psyonix. Sony originally cited security concerns, but this response rightfully angered Xbox's Phil Spencer, especially considering that Sony was the one who suffered the massive data breach back in 2011 with the PlayStation Network hack.

In any case, Nintendo Switch owners will soon be able to play against Xbox One and Steam users when Rocket League launches on November 14th. The Switch is already uber-popular, so we'll see just how much more popular the system will get once the multi-million selling Rocket League makes its way to Nintendo's hybrid console. I guess we'll find out next week.

A number of games have been or will be on the receiving end of some Halloween special events, updates, content patches and special treats. Some of these games have announced their Halloween specials well in advance, but others have only just recently made it known that they will be getting in on the frighteningly festive events.

Gamepost compiled a list of games that will be hosting special Halloween content this October. This includes games that have already made their intentions known to get in on the ghastly holiday goodies, such as Overwatch, which will bring back a PvE mode for players, along with giving gamers a couple of different skins to use for some of the characters on the roster. Overwatch will also allow gamers to experience two Halloween-themed maps during the event.

Joining Blizzard's hero-shooter Halloween event is Activision and Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The game will have a special Willard Wyler's Halloween Scream spectacular taking place, where each week players will be able to log into the game to get a special Halloween-themed supply drop that contains cosmetics and weapon skins based on the spooky holiday event. Double XP will be initiated, along with all gamers being able to freely experience Carnage from the Retribution DLC map pack up until November 1.

Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls Online will also receive a specially-themed event, where special loot will fall from boss monsters that contain recipes, along with pumpkin and scarecrow masks. Additional Halloween-themed items will also be available for purchase from the cash shop. This event is currently underway and will run up until November 1.

And speaking of MMOs, Final Fantasy XIV will also have an event featuring the Continental Circus, where you can unlock new werewolf heads and pumpkin items during the Halloween event. It's currently underway right now and will run up until November 1 in some regions and November 2 in others.

World of Warcraft will also get in on the Halloween action, featuring tricks and treats throughout Azeroth from October 18 to November 1. Smite will be a little bit more active about the events, giving gamers a new Arena Mode map and a new "scary" potion, along with a new Halloween chest being available in the cash shop that contains themed skins. This event started on October 16 and will run up until Hi-Rez Studios announces an end-date.

Psyonix's Halloween event for Rocket League will be a lot less ambiguous about things, with the Halloween event crates being available with special items contained therein. You'll only be able to open these chests using candy corn currency you can earn between now and November 7.

Pokemon Go will also have a special Halloween event that will run from October 20 to November 2, featuring all new Gen 3 ghost-type Pokemon, new cosmetic items and bonus candy drops.

Paragon's Halloween special will feature more of the same limited edition loot chests that contain special Shadow's Eve content and rewards, including Halloween-themed skins and banners that will be available between October 24 and November 11.

Additionally, Minecraft is getting in on the action, too. The event is currently running from now up until October 31, featuring a new haunted house parkour course, a new Haunted Mansion SkyWare map and a new Mineplex that features a new boss fight. Killing Floor 2 is taking a similar route, with a new map and new Halloween-themed nightmares to face off against. A couple of new weapons and limited-time cosmetics will also be available.

For Honor is doing things a little differently by having an "Endless March" mode where you face off against hordes of skeleton NPCs to unlock new gear and emotes. This will run up until November 2. Meanwhile, Gears of War 4 is offering new skins, a special playlist, a pumpkin head and a special mode called Phantom Dodgeball.

Guild Wars 2 is bringing back the old Shadow of the Mad King event, along with new weapon skins, new puzzles and new activities to partake in throughout the game world. Heroes of the Storm will have similar features in terms of new event-specific loot chests, new skins, new mounts, new sprays and new portraits, along with a special event called Hallow's End. Unlike the other events in other games, however, Heroes of the Storm's event will run all the way up until November 14.

And finally, Hearthstone has been running Halloween-themed events all month long and they will last up until November 5. The events include new Tavern Brawls, new heroes, a new card pack and special Arena events as well.

Psyonix has a big new update in store for Rocket League gamers later in the month. The fall update provides gamers with some brand new content, including some new accessories, a new map, and some all new content specifically designed for eSports.

IGN is reporting that there's an all new map set to drop for Rocket League on the September 28th update, which is none other than the seasonally-themed map called Farmstead. The arena is designed around the pumpkin-tinted motif of "Autumn", which means there are plenty of red leaves, orange hues in the sky and plenty of farm-oriented material lounging about.

The arena is extremely thematic. There's a scarecrow sitting in a field with a few crows sitting on top of its head and arms. The Farmstead also appears to be littered with pumpkin pieces scattered about along with some smashed flowers littering the ground. There are silos, stables for some cardboard cows, a windmill and a neatly stacked wooden fence.

The inside of the arena is classic Rocket League, with a dirt ground and a fenced cage keeping all the action inside. However, unlike other arenas, with high-tech goal posts, the goal posts for this particular map have been replaced with rickety wooden structures sort of looking like an open stable.

But there's more than just a new map that will be available for what's dubbed as the "Autumn Update". Psyonix will also be adding up to 90 free items for players to accessorize their cars with, including new banners featuring pizza and pigeons, and all new toppings for the cars that include a Tacos Boost and Avocado Toppers.

But that's not all... Psyonix has also decided to pay a little mind and attention to the eSports flavorings of Rocket League. This includes all new option to turn goalposts transparent so that you can get a better view of the action when the camera is located from the goal, and two of the maps have been made consistent for eSports competition, including Wasteland and Starbase Arc arenas.

It doesn't end there, though. There's also an all new AI-powered eSports camera to spectate the action and predict the player moves. The camera's predictive learning is actually based on the cameras used in real-life sports, allowing players to drop in and spectate or broadcast matches with television-ready camera work provided by the AI. It's a breakthrough piece of software tech that will likely find its way into more games that dabble into the eSports competitive arena.

And last but not least is the all new LAN mode for PC play. Yes, Psyonix is going old-school by allowing gamers to play with friends via LAN connections. This will definitely help make LAN parties a thing again... right? Right?!

If you don't feel like lugging your desktop PC around to your friend's house, don't fret because Psyonix plans on adding LAN support to the home consoles as well in a future update. Once again, you can look for the Autumn Update to go live for Rocket League across home consoles and PC starting September 28th.

Psyonix has made a habit of giving gamers on certain platforms some exclusive content. Well, Nintendo Switch owners won't have to wait long before getting their hands on some exclusive Nintendo themed cars when the game launches this holiday season, including some liveries that gamers will definitely find very familiar.

The trailer is only a minute long, and it starts with the Rocket League logo and then it transforms giving gamers a look at Nintendo's classic item box, which ends up revealing a Mario and Luigi themed cars. The cars are known as the Mario NSR and the Luigi NSR.

The Mario and Luigi cars from Super Mario Bros. are not the only specialized vehicles added to this version of Rocket League. Psyonix also has a special Samus' Gunship vehicle based on the Metroid series' protagonist. The car is themed after Samus' iconic bounty hunter armor, with a lot of curves and sleek angles helping define the vehicle as a cool looking sports car. Heck, it almost looks like something out of SpyHunter or Tron: Legacy. In fact, it was tough for me to figure out what vehicle the trailer was initially going to unveil, but it looks like Psyonix really went out of the way to make something unique for Nintendo Switch owners looking to play Rocket League this upcoming holiday season.

What's more, is that the trailer reveals that these vehicles will be included in the base package for Nintendo Switch owners. You'll be able to unlock them simply by playing the game.

One thing you won't be able to do is play with PlayStation 4 owners. Sadly, Sony has blocked off access for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One owners to engage in cross-play with PlayStation Plus subscribers on the PlayStation 4. Sony's reasons? Well, it's all about security... which is ironic given that the PlayStation Network was the one that was known for consistently going down, sometimes as frequently as once a month. The PlayStation Network also suffered one of the biggest data breaches in recent history.

Nevertheless, that shouldn't stop Switch owners from being excited about the new content set to arrive in Rocket League this holiday season, including some brand new customization items featuring Nintendo themed accessories. You'll be able to customize and deck out your car with.

The Samus Gunship will have a variety of colors based on Samus' Varia Suit alternates from the Metroid series, while the Super Mario vehicles will be assigned to the two different teams: Orange team members will play as the Mario NSR, while blue team members will play as the Luigi NSR.

The Samus Gunship will also have an exclusive "Wave Beam" rocket booster that players can use to show off their skill during a match.

According to the Rocket League website news post, all three vehicles can be unlocked in the game by completing specific tasks in the game. More details about Rocket League on the Nintendo Switch will be unveiled leading up to the game's release on Nintendo's system.

Apparently, starring in their very own virtual reality video game wasn't enough for Rick and Morty. Now the animated duo has started popping up in other games, starting with the wildly popular semi-sports game, Rocket League.

As the folks over at Polygon have pointed out, we're all expecting word on a third season of the Rick and Morty television show at some point in the next 24 hours. But while we wait, at least we can celebrate the dynamic duo in new and interesting ways; by which I of course mean enjoy free DLC in various video games.

Sadly, none of the Rick and Morty swag has launched just yet, but Rocket League players only have a few more days to wait before they can get in on the fun. The folks over at Psyonix have revealed that starting next Wednesday, July 5, players will be able to open loot boxes boasting free Rick and Morty goodies. Along with a pretty fantastic set of wheels meant to look like the intergalactic portal and a cartoonishly smoky speed trail.

Antenna balls and car-toppers are another way you'll be able to R&M your ride out, including items based on the titular duo, as well as characters like Mr. Meeseeks, Cromulon and (finally, a reason to type these words) Mr. Poopy Butthole.

Just like much of the in-game loot, all you need to do is play Rocket League, earn some chests and open them up to grab your Rick and Morty goods. There's no guarantee you'll get what you're hoping for, but the chase is half of the fun.

This comes hot on the heels of the launch of Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality, the well-received VR title from the Job Simulator folks, Owlchemy Labs. The duo is also available in a set of skins for the multiplayer game, Move or Die, and will eventually pop up in Steam VR Home. Combine all of that with the impending arrival of the show's third season and, yep, Rick and Morty are having a pretty stellar year.

Things are still going rather well for Psyonix and Rocket League, too. The breakout hit is still going strong on all fronts, with this Rick and Morty deal being about the dozenth crossover promotion to pop up in the car-soccer arena. Also, Psyonix recently announced that Rocket League is coming to the Nintendo Switch, which we figure is only going to make its popularity soar even higher.

So what do you think, readers? Are you excited to pick up some Rick and Morty swag in Rocket League? What other property would you like to see invade the game in the future? Let us know in the comments below.

With Fate of the Furious gearing up to hit the silver screen, you can bring a little flavor from the film into your own garage in Rocket League. It's safe to say that the latest promotional partnership from everybody's favorite car-powered soccer game would make Dom Toretto proud.

The team at Psyonix recently launched the above trailer, showing off the Ice Charger from the upcoming film Fate of the Furious. For those of you who have been keeping up with the film and its own trailers, you might recognize that four-wheeled beast as the armored Dodge Charger that series protagonist Dom Toretto drives while waging roadway war against the members of his former crew.

The trailer is a shorty but a goodie, showing off the new ride in action with a thumping tune playing in the background. Since some of the new film's biggest action sequences take place on a massive ice field, it's appropriate that the snowy map from Rocket League is utilized here. As the trailer points out, this DLC is available as of today, whereas the film will hit theaters next Friday, April 14. In other words, you've got a good week to get comfortable with the Ice Charger before seeing it in action on the big screen.

If you're looking to pick up this latest Rocket League DLC, it'll set you back $1.99 across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC versions of the game. It's more than just the new car, though. You'll also get a set of premium wheels to use on the Ice Charger (or any other car in the game), as well as six new decals to pimp your ride. They include Clean Cut, Crazy Sandwich, Flames, Rakugaki, Rally, and CCCXL. Unfortunately, images were not available for us to see what those new bits of flair actually look like. Obviously, the Ice Charger will be as customizable as all of the other vehicles in Rocket League, so feel free to paint it orange, add spiked wheels and an 8-ball antenna topper.

This is only the latest collaboration to make its way to Rocket League, a game where you can also drive vehicles ripped from Back to the Future, Twisted Metal, Batman and more. Seeing as how Psyonix continues to support their hugely popular game with free maps and modes on a regular basis, it's no surprise that these kinds of cosmetic DLC appear to be doing really well in the game. Support the community and the community will support you, it seems.

So what do you think of the new ride? Will you be picking it up before diving back into Rocket League? Let us know in the comments below.

Rocket League is, without question, one of the biggest success stories of the current generation. Now that it looks like the Switch is settling in nicely, that's got folks wondering if the car-powered soccer game will ever charge onto Nintendo's new console. According to the developers, the thought has definitely crossed their mind.

The Nintendo Switch is still selling out the moment it hits store shelves, which is great news for Nintendo. On the games front, Rocket League continues to keep its audience glued to its controllers with new skins, maps and modes arriving on a regular basis. So now the question remains: Will the fast and furious autosports game be making a detour onto a new soccer pitch? The folks over at IGN had a chat with Psyonix recently, the folks responsible for the hugely popular indie game. In speaking with Vice President Jeremy Dunham, it turns out that the team is definitely considering a Switch version of Rocket League, but they've got a ways to go before making a final decision.

In other words, Psyonix is playing this one carefully, waiting to get a better feel for the switch before they commit to anything. As Dunham points out, there are a lot of factors to consider, including whether or not the game would run well on the Switch and whether or not there seems to be a community eager to play the game on Nintendo's new console.

To be fair, Rocket League has been rolling for a couple of years now, so what are the chances that new Switch owners don't already own the game on another platform, including the PlayStation 4, PC or Xbox One? And even if folks don't own the game already, is there a big enough audience on the Switch at this point to warrant the effort, time and money that would be necessary to develop the game for another platform?

On the outside looking in, Rocket League seems like a perfect fit for the Switch. Assuming there are no development hurdles to overcome, its bright, colorful and family-friendly antics seem like a nice match for Nintendo's console/portable hybrid. But we can't fault Psyonix for wanting to see how things further develop before committing to the new platform. For instance, both the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game play nicely with PC, meaning there's a big, shared audience on all of those platforms. Is it possible for the Switch to even play cross-platform games like that?

One of the many questions Psyonix wants to have answered before moving forward. As for fans of the series, it sounds like the best thing you can do is reach out through social media to let them know if you'd like to see Rocket League on the Switch.

Gamers absolutely interested in spending their weekend playing some new games not already in their library will have an opportunity to do so thanks to a free gaming weekend offered by Microsoft for two popular games on the Xbox One.

According to Gamespot, from Thursday through Saturday, gamers will be able to play Rocket League and NBA 2K17 for free on the Xbox One.

The real kicker with this news is that in order to court gamers into their fold, Microsoft lifted the Xbox Live Gold subscription requirement in order to play games online. Microsoft is considering this an "All-Access" event that will allow gamers on Xbox 360 and Xbox One to play multiplayer for free.

I'm sure plenty of Wii U and PC owners are scoffing going "What, you guys still pay to play multiplayer?"... yes, and Nintendo Switch owners will be joining Xbox Live Gold subscribers and PS Plus subscribers as part of the paid multiplayer world come this fall. However, for this weekend Microsoft is lifting the need to put money down to play games online.

If you already have Xbox Live Gold then it's kind of a waste because you've already paid for it, so for those users the benefit is in being able to play NBA 2K17 and Rocket League for free during the weekend. A nice little bonus for the harsh winter doled out during February, no doubt.

Gamespot is also reporting that both Rocket League and NBA 2K17 are also discounted digitally on the Xbox Store at the moment. So if you enjoy what you play this weekend and you want to add those games to your library you can do so by grabbing Rocket League for only $15 and NBA 2K17 for $39.99.

Rocket League has basically never stopped being a popular game since it released back in 2015. However, if you never bothered to play games online, had no interest in multiplayer-only games or have never subscribed to Xbox Live, this is Microsoft's way of luring gamers into their online multiplayer ecosystem, free of charge. This move is still going to be hard for gamers out there either burned out on multiplayer online games or just have no interest in those games.

NBA 2K17 seems to be the game to help lure in the more reluctant gamers who may not be in the whole multiplayer schtick. The one thing that 2K Sports and Visual Concepts focused on with last year's iteration of the basketball title was the story mode, which featured Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan in a co-starring role with the player's created character.

The events of the story mode in NBA 2K17 were said to be a lot more grounded in the gameplay than what was offered in NBA 2K16, which was directed by famed auteur Spike Lee. So if people don't care about Rocket League, maybe they'll pick up the story mode and try their hand at seeing how their character evolves alongside Michael B. Jordan's character?

You'll only have this weekend to get in on the deal, though, so you'll have to work fast if you want to check out either game.

There are a variety of live-streams that happen all over the place, all the time. Some of those live-streams take place in odd locations- or in the case of one particular live-stream that's taking place today, it's located at one of the most unusual places you could imagine.

According to Gamespot, there's a live-stream from the White House in Washington D.C. The all-day event was made possible thanks to basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. The live-stream is taking place over on Twitch.tv, and it's part of an initiative to get people to register to adjust their healthcare plans through the government website.

The all day event, running from 1PM PST or 4PM EST, features various Twitch celebrities participating in the White House Competitive Gaming Event, from Elspeth to LifeWithLaughs, and many others in between.

They also have a Rocket League event that will include some top players competing in the event from the e-sports league, giving gamers a real show-stealing match to watch. Additionally, there will also be special commentary from Twitch user Goldenboy.

The most high profile item on the card is probably the one-on-one match between FGC superstar and EVO champion Justin Wong going head-to-head with longtime FGC member and commentator Mike Ross. The two will go at it in Capcom's Street Fighter V, where legendary fighting game guru Gootecks will be providing commentary of the showdown. It's the sort of thing most people have to wait all year to see during EVO, or unless they hit up the stops during the Capcom Pro Tour.

The comment section on the article is pretty sparse, and mostly revolves around people critical of the healthcare integration into the Twitch live-stream event. Others thought the whole thing was a joke, and a few more broke out into criticizing the American political system. Only one person in the comment section had anything to actually say about the Twitch stream.

The thing is, it's definitely more-so geared toward getting people interested in the healthcare system offered by the Obama administration; the gaming events lined up aren't all that appealing save for Rocket League and Street Fighter V. If you're not into either game then there's little reason to tune-in.

Of course, there will also be Twitch personalities present, and for people who are interested in seeing that take place you'll be able to get in on the action throughout the stream.

It would have seemed like a great opportunity to throw some speedruns in there, get some high-impact competition going with some King of Fighters XIV, or roll out some motorsport interest with competitive Project CARS races. Heck, they could have included something a little newer like Ubisoft's Steep or some competitive rounds of Watch Dogs 2's multiplayer. It just seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, featuring older titles and tossed together match-ups during a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live-stream gaming from the White House.

Anyway, if you're interested in seeing what they have to offer, you can check out all the available content that's going on throughout the day over on the Get Covered stream from Twitch.

Psyonix has been on a roll with Rocket League. The indie studio hasn't let up when it comes to introducing new content and new ways to play the game. They've kept up the momentum with the announcement of the new Starbase ARC, which features a new vehicle and map.

According to the press release, the Starbase ARC is based on Psyonix's own mobile title, ARC Squadron. The little known game will make its first appearance in Rocket League with the free arena map and a premium DLC vehicle called the Vulcan, as outlined over on the official website. The rest of the update includes:

• Steam Workshop support with Unreal Engine 3 UDK asset support.

• Arena Preference Selector to like or dislike arenas after playing them to move them up or down the playlist

• Champion Series IV Crate that features garage items, decals, exotic wheels and other goods to help pay for the e-sports leagues.

• Two Variant Arenas for Wasteland and Utopia Coliseum, turning one into a night stage and the other snowy.

• Redesigned SARPBC vehicles with visual upgrades and redesigns

• Colorblind Mode for those who are visually impaired, creating a high-contrast orange and blue shade during gameplay to help players better identify objects/cars

• Custom Training Mode is also added in there as a free new mode that allows for customized training

The most important part of the update is the fact that it features Steam Workshop support. This will allow gamers to create their own arenas and levels for Rocket League, similar to what's featured in the game already.

The one thing that really stands out about this feature is that players could theoretically make all new levels that completely change the way you play Rocket League.

For instance, in games like Garry's Mod they've created all new game modes using the Steam Workshop for platforming alternatives like the Deathrun series, or Trouble In Terrorist Town, or the prop hunt modes. There are a lot of different variants made for games like Garry's Mod that keep people coming back and playing them for years on end. It's one of the reasons people love Valve games so much and why titles like Team Fortress 2 have been able to maintain such a strong community for so long.

Psyonix sees the writing on the wall and instead of blocking off access to the content or restricting how players can engage and play (similar to what EA and DICE have done with the Battlefield series, which originally had its roots and popularity grounded in the modding scene) they decided to embrace the community by opening up Rocket League with full modding support and Steam Workshop support.

The free arena update, free training mode with custom editing options, the new Steam Workshop support, and the premium vehicle will surely see a lot of fans happy in the Rocket League community as the new content is now available to engage with. If you own the game the update should have automatically installed, but if you don't own the game you can pick up a digital copy right now.

What would it take for gamers on the Xbox One to go toe-to-toe with gamers on the PlayStation 4? In some cases, the answer is "not that much, actually." It's a conversation that's been going on for years now and, following the launch of Rocket League across multiple platforms, talks have been rekindled as of late. So, what's the latest on full cross-platform play?

The folks over at MCVUK recently sat down for a talk with Aaron Greenberg, the head of Xbox Games Marketing. In the chat, Greenburg touched on such things as FIFA, a sudden surge in sales for the Xbox One in Europe, as well as Windows 10 and the new Xbox One S. Also of note, though, was a brief discussion on the idea of cross-platform play between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

According to Greenberg, the ball is still in Sony's court, and Team Xbox remains onboard.

In the above comment, Greenburg was specifically referencing Psyonix and their breakout hit semi-sports game, Rocket League. That particular game allows for cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and PC or the Xbox One and PC, but not the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.

Talk about that very possibility got kicking around last year, when the developers stated that allowing players on the two home consoles to join in car-fueled soccer matches would be no problem on their front. All they really needed was the blessing of all parties involved.

In a surprise move, Team Xbox basically said, "Yeah, let's get this party started." Sony, on the other hand, has kept a zipped lip on the matter. That's kind of surprising, considering the fact that Sony has such a commanding lead in this console generation. Allowing cross-platform play, even across only select titles, would seem like a solid move on their part that would only boost their popularity. Then again, I'm no business expert and Sony might have very good reasons for not wanting to open that particular can of worms.

If nothing else, it's nice to hear from Greenberg that Microsoft is still game for possible cross-platform play. If Psyonix can really make it happen without breaking a sweat, it might serve as a nice experiment to see if such camaraderie is possible for other titles, too. Also, we're mostly talking about one game here. Sony wouldn't have to sign on for any other cross-play titles just because they allowed it for Rocket League, so, whatever their reservations, maybe this would be a good way to see if they hold water.

On the Xbox front, though, Greenburg says that he puts that kind of functionality in the hands of the developers. If folks want to try for cross-platform play, as is the case with Psyonix, he says they're all for it.

Microsoft is bringing back their free Xbox Live weekends. This time the experience will be shared between both Xbox One and Xbox 360 gamers. Starting on June 9th, gamers without Xbox Live Gold will be able to play online over the weekend... for free.

As reported by Engadget, the free weekend will only last between June 9 and June 12, but for that brief period you'll be able to log into your Xbox account, fire up a game and play online to your heart's content without having to worry about subscription fees.

In addition to the free weekend, it was also announced that gamers will be able to play Rocket League for free as well. It's kind of like a double doozy of gaming goodness. Psyonix has been knocking it out of the park lately with giving gamers a lot of content, a lot of free updates and a lot of continued cross-platform support, so they're taking advantage of Microsoft's free Xbox Live weekend by enabling gamers to download a free copy of Rocket League and play it online with their friends.

One of the reasons this is making headlines around the web is because this is the first time since the Xbox One launched back in 2013 that Microsoft has offered up a free multiplayer weekend. It's amazing to think that the Xbox One is already three years old, but Microsoft has been treating the last two years as if they've been rebooting the entire Xbox brand.

In fact, ever since Phil Spencer took charge of the Xbox division we've seen a lot of drastic changes in the way the policies are handled at the black and green brand. This included Spencer working with the engineering team to allow Xbox Live to support cross-platform gaming with other systems, which includes PC and the possibility of the PS4. This past spring the company made a public announcement that they would be willing to work with developers who would want to offer cross-platform compatibility between PC, PlayStation Network or even the Nintendo Network.

Psyonix quickly took Microsoft up on the challenge and has managed to make Rocket League cross-compatible between Xbox One and PC users, in addition to the game being cross-compatible with PS4 and PC users. The only roadblock has been Sony not giving the green light to make Rocket League cross-compatible between PS4 and Xbox One users.

Nevertheless, with the free Xbox Live Gold weekend gamers are able to play-test some titles in their library with an online component and Rocket League is standing at the forefront as the game to play. Microsoft is likely hoping that gamers will get hooked and sign-up for Xbox Live Gold. Psyonix is also likely betting on people getting hooked to Rocket League and purchasing a copy for themselves.

In addition to the free weekend, Engadget is also reporting that Electronic Arts is getting in on the festivities, enabling users to access EA Access for free up until June 22nd. This is likely a tie-in promotion for their upcoming big E3 weekend where they're expected to make some huge announcements and showcase some highly anticipated games, which includes (but is not limited to) Battlefield 1 and Mass Effect: Andromeda.

If you have an Xbox One and a few multiplayer games, you can take advantage of the free XBL weekend right now.

Psyonix will be bringing back two of the popular cars from their 2008, action-sports title Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. The two cars are the Marauder and the Aftershock. Both cars will be making their appearance in Rocket League starting next month on July 18.

Game Informer picked up the news from a post by Psyonix revealing that the two cars are coming back and will retain their style from the original Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, only they'll now include six new decals and higher definition assets to fit in with today's generation of consoles.

The post further details that the Aftershock and Marauder will be included in the Rocket League Collector's Edition, which will be available on June 24th at the end of the month for those living in Europe, and it will be available on July 5th for those living in America.

If you don't have any plans on getting the Collector's Edition of Rocket League, you can instead opt to get the two-car DLC pack on July 18th as its own separate expansion for $1.99.

To help give gamers a taste of what's to come, Psyonix put together a short minute-long trailer featuring the two cars in action within the game.

The trailer features both cars driving around in the arena, as well as taking to the air and pulling off some fantastic spinning moves as they blast the ball into the goal.

It's amazing that Rocket League is still going strong an entire year after being released. It didn't seem like the sort of game that would grow to this extent, and yet it has. In fact, Psyonix revealed that they managed to sell more than 5 million copies, 5 million pieces of DLC and earn more than $110 million in revenue.

Rocket League has also managed to grow a rather sizable community within the eSports market, with the game managing to accrue 300,000 viewers on Twitch when it comes to competitive play.

Psyonix seems to really love making content for Rocket League and gamers seem to really enjoy buying and playing it. So long as they can maintain that kind of synergy with their community then the game will likely have a long and fruitful life for years to come.

But getting back to the task at hand, the two new cars from the 2008 action-sports game, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, will be available at the end of the month as part of the Collector's Edition package for Rocket League for those of you living in Europe; the Collector's Edition will be available for those living in the U.S., starting in early July; and you can look to buy the two cars in a separate bundle for Rocket League in the middle of July starting on the 18th. The DLC will be available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One owners.

The team at Psyonix has a lot to be excited about these days. Not only has their indie sports game, Rocket League, proven to be hugely successful across three platforms, but the team’s latest report is that the game has made the studio a rather significant chunk of change, too.

Rather than beat around the bush, we’ll just jump straight to the figure: Rocket League has pulled in more than $110 million since the game launched last fall. That’s a substantial number no matter what game we’re talking about, but it’s especially impressive when several factors surrounding Rocket League are taken into consideration.

For starters, Rocket League is a sequel to a game that didn’t exactly take the previous generation by storm. Secondly, it’s an indie title, meaning it comes from a smaller studio with a budget that simply can’t compete with AAA projects. Thirdly, the game was initially released as a PlayStation Plus game for the PS4, which means that the first audience didn’t pay anything extra for the game on top of the subscription fee for Sony’s premium gaming service.

It turns out that Rocket League appearing on Plus was likely a huge catalyst for its success, as there’s no telling how many people played and then raved about the game online who, had it cost $20, probably would have never given it the time of day.

This latest milestone from Psyonix comes from vice president Jeremy Dunham, who recently spoke with Forbes about the game’s astronomical success. According to Dunham, Rocket League was sitting pretty at the end of 2015, having made $70 million with four million copies of the game sold.

With Rocket League launching in July of 2015, we’re still not quite a year out from when the game first hit virtual shelves. Since then, it’s also made its way to PC and the Xbox One, helping lead to this new earnings watermark and a full 5 million units sold across all platforms. It’s also breaking new ground in allowing the PC crowd to play with either the Xbox One audience or PlayStation 4 audience. There’s talk of all three consoles playing nice one day, but nothing definite has happened on that front.

According to Dunham, Rocket League’s sales continue to grow, which he admits is uncommon for a game that’s 10 months into its life cycle. That probably has a lot to do with a flourishing DLC plan. Psyonix continues to deliver updates and modes free of charge, while offering all sorts of cosmetic items at a small cost. I’ve witnessed many gamers stating that they continue to support Rocket League through DLC either because they got it for basically free though Plus or want to support a developer who is so forward thinking when it comes to their community.

No matter how you slice it, Rocket League has been a major success. And based on the way things are going, it seems like that success is only going to continue to grow.

Rocket League gets a heck of a lot friendlier today as players on the Xbox One and the PC are finally able to play on the same pitch.

This sort of cross-platform play isn’t wholly new, but it sure isn’t that common. Rocket League already allowed for cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 version of the game and the PC. Now the love is spreading even further, with players on the Xbox One version of the game able to play with their PC friends. For the time being, however, it doesn’t look like the PS4 and Xbox One crowds will be united.

That’s not to say that complete platform integration will never happen, just that it’s not possible in the current version of Rocket League. It was stated earlier this year that the team at Psyonix could very realistically handle such a move, and even the Microsoft camp has stated a willingness to play nice with the folks at Sony, but it remains to be seen if anything will come of the offer.

If you’re reading this message, then you’re only a few hours away from being able to play Rocket League across the PC and Xbox One. The update goes live at 11 p.m. BST and, as IGN points out, this will be the first game to offer that kind of unity between the two platforms.

But can you imagine how much better this news would be if it included complete cross-platform play? Rocket League is already a standout game for a boatload of reasons. For starters, it’s a massive success of a sequel to a game that didn’t get too much attention in the previous generation. Secondly, it started out as a PlayStation Plus title, giving folks a risk-free opportunity to at least give the game a fighting chance.

That fighting chance turned into ridiculously good numbers across both the PS4 and PC, with multiple content updates and new game modes added over the past year. The game finally launched on Xbox One this year, giving even more players the chance to play soccer, hockey and basketball in rocket-powered cars.

Now just think about how fantastic it would be for Rocket League to finally allow players on the PS4, Xbox One and PC to play together. The game could literally bring the supposed console war to an end, uniting all platforms under one turbo-fueled banner of insanely fun and competitive gaming.

*wipes a single tear from cheek*

Or, if nothing else, it’d just be swell to play with friends on different platforms. One step at a time though, I suppose.

Psyonix is updating Rocket League next month with a spiffy new way to hold a conversation in the game. Technically, it's 27 new ways to hold a conversation in the game. That's right, they're expanding the quick chat so that players can further customize how they communicate in Rocket League.

Over on the official Rocket League website, they posted up a quick blog that outlined the 27 new quick-chat options that players can assign to the digital pad and pull up during the game. These new chat options are spread across five different categories, including team Information, Reactions, Apologies, and Post Game reactions. You can assign three different chat reactions to each category, giving Rocket League gamers a total of 12 different quick-chat responses they can use during the game.

You can check out the 27 new flavors of responses in the list below.

• All yours.

• Calculated.

• Go for it!

• Great Clear!

• Holy cow!

• In position.

• Incoming!

• My bad…

• My fault.

• Need Boost!

• Nice Block!

• Nice one!

• No Way!

• Okay.

• Oops!

• Savage!

• Siiiick!

• What a play!

• Whew.

They also added eight new post-game responses that can be used in the Information category so that players can express their delight (but not displeasure) at the turn out of the match in the post game affairs. I suppose for the really awful matches, silence will speak volumes if certain teammates decide not to use any postgame responses.

Psyonix has been right there at the forefront of keeping Rocket League a constantly growing and ever-expanding property that has managed to capture the hearts and minds of PC, PlayStation and Xbox gamers. The breakout hit has managed to move millions of copies and continues to maintain a rather strong eSports-ready presence with its competitive gameplay mechanics.

Unlike some companies out there, though, that get really serious about their game once it becomes popular in the competitive realm, Psyonix has managed to keep things fun and light with Rocket League. They've experimented with new game modes like playing hoops or adding ridiculous accessories to the cars... like hats.

The game keeping its fun factors and lighthearted appeal will go a long way in maintaining its audience, and with the promise of cross-platform compatibility on the horizon, Rocket League could see an even bigger resurgence from gamers as Xbox One and PS4 gamers will finally get to see who is the best by fighting against each other in online bouts.

The cross-platform play hit a bit of a snag when Microsoft gave the a-okay but Sony put up their hands and decided not to play ball. Eventually it may all work out, and that would most certainly give the extra quick-chat features a purpose to properly communicate and organize strategies, or troll opponents by spamming stuff like “Savage!”

The quick chat features will be accompanied by some other new additions in the June update, but Psyonix has yet to reveal what those other features are. They plan on rolling out more info leading up to the June update, so you'll have to stay tuned into their blog to see what they have up their sleeve for Rocket League.

Microsoft will be celebrating the indie game scene on the Xbox One with a month-long game fest event featuring various independent titles across different categories, including best-sellers, free-to-play games and more.

Over on the official Xbox website they explain how they'll be celebrating various indie titles ranging from games like Superhot, Rocket League and ARK: Survival Evolved to more esoteric and niche titles like Beyond Eyes and Never Alone. The first three titles have been pretty big sellers across multiple platforms, focusing on the twitch skills, the competitive skills or the survival skills of hardcore gamers, where-as the latter two games are more about human stories fused with fantastical elements.

According to the post, the events will run throughout May, wrapping up at the end of the month. They released a brief trailer to showcase the games as well as a detailed roadmap of what they have planned and which games they plan to spotlight this month via the ID@Xbox.

May 3rd – 9th: Discover. These are games that fit into the esoteric category, unique games that are a little different from the norm. The idea is that Microsoft will be hosting, promoting and discounting games in this category, such as Never Alone, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime and Beyond Eyes. Some might consider these to be artsy titles while others might see them as an opportunity to step outside the box.

May 10 – 16: Play For Free. The name says it all. All throughout the middle of May Microsoft will be highlighting the free-to-play indie titles on the Xbox One. Don't take the “free-to-play” moniker to mean “lesser”. They rattle off games like Smite and ROBLOX, which are two highly popular games. They also include Warframe in the list, which is one of the biggest free-to-play, hardcore action titles on the market at the moment. Essentially a lot of people compared Warframe to Destiny and note that Digital Extremes' space ninja MMO has managed to stay relevant while Destiny has not.

May 17 – 23: What's Next. This week will be all about the games set to arrive in full at some point down the line. These are games in the Xbox Game Preview program, including The Long Dark and The Solus Project, the latter of which was recently updated to include brand new content to expand the story and the gameplay options. Recently Microsoft announced that Sheltered had graduated from the Game Preview Program, and ARK: Survival Evolved is coming up next when it exits the program this June.

May 24 – 30: Best Of ID@Xbox. This will be a week dedicated to the best indie games that have graced the console. While they list off games like Rocket League, The Escapists and The Banner Saga, don't be surprised if you also see games like The Deer God, Limbo and Another World to make the cut as well. It's a fine way to wrap up the event, discounting some of the best of the ID@Xbox while also discounting some of those titles as well.

Rocket League’s newest game mode, Hoops Mode, released just yesterday in an update for the game. I took the time to play a few matches and what I found about the new games mode was that I couldn’t go into the game with the same frame of mind I did with the original game mode. No, this was a whole new ball game. 

It’s one thing to shoot an oversized ball into a small, netted area, but now there’s a more advanced type of strategy involved in Hoops Mode. Not only do you have to get the ball in a small area, but you also have to push it up into the air to get it into the hoop. That means riding the ball along the curvature of the wall and then pushing it ever so slightly into the hoop. Trust me, it’s way more difficult than it sounds. You can check out a clip of gameplay below. 

Another thing that totally changed the Rocket League game for me was the transition in the audio. Of course, I’m going to be one to listen to the audio in a game because I’ve been trained in what to listen for and now I instinctively pay attention to the design. The sound design in the Hoops Mode of Rocket League changed dramatically. Every now and then, you’ll hear your car tires squeal as if you’re ramping up on a gym floor with a brand new pair of Nikes. When I was on the volleyball team in high school, I lived for that sound. Now, it’s a part of the new Rocket League Hoops Mode and I love every second of it. 

Knocking out your opponents has also become more fierce and, in my opinion, a little more difficult. Instead of blasting the ball across the court like I and many others have done so many times before in the original game mode, you have to jump around your opponents to get to the ball. So with the goal of actually bouncing the ball into the air, your opponents will more than likely be jumping a lot more than usual. And that makes it harder to get at them. 

Hoops Mode puts a whole new spin on the Rocket League game that we know and love, and if anything I think it’s a fantastic addition. Despite Rocket League never seeming to lose traction with its fans, Hoops Mode was the perfect thing to throw at them in order to grow their interest and keeps things fresh and challenging. It only makes you wonder what Psyonix has in store for the future of Rocket League. A volleyball mode perhaps? 

For the longest time, fans have been enjoying Rocket League as a digital game on PlayStation’s marketplace. But now, developer Psyonix recently announced that they were finally going to release a physical copy of the game to be sold at retailers, and the date is just around the corner. Rocket League will be officially hitting shelves in July.

Typically, when a digital game happens to do extremely well and fiercely takes over the PlayStation community, they’re usually offered a chance to release physical copies. This happened with games like Journey. Really enthusiastic fans spend the extra money to own a physical copy of the game, so why not take advantage of a hugely enthusiastic fanbase?

Rocket League was no different. The craze swept through the console universe and people couldn’t stop playing it. Not only is the game hilariously addictive with its multiplayer matches, but it can get painstakingly competitive. At the same time, I’ve also played some pretty laid back matches, too, so it’s not always people slamming into you on purpose to piss you off.

Rocket League proved to be so popular that it’s already being considered for esports. There is a Rocket League Championship Series for those who feel like their skills are far more advanced than the average joe, and you can probably find a local group that pits players against each other in a heavily competitive match. When I first played Rocket League, I certainly never thought the game would become so popular, but here we are.

Psyonix announced that Rocket League would be available for cross-console play on the Xbox One and PS4 eventually, so that’s something to look forward to in the future.

As aforementioned, the boxed version of the game will be available at retailers in July, so if you really need the physical copy to caress and cuddle when you aren’t running competitors off the map, you’ll get your chance in just a few months.

So back in mid-March Psyonix, the developers of Rocket League, teased a new mode for the competitive multiplayer game that was centered around the concept of team-based basketball. The only hint about the mode was a brief image they released on Twitter. Well, Psyonix released a bit more info about the upcoming upgrade to their action-sports title.

PC Gamer spotted the tweet that recently went out on the official Rocket League account. It reveals that the new basketball mode is set to arrive sometime this April. An exact date wasn't given but a short video clip of how the mode will work was included in the tweet. Check it out below.

That looping gif is absolutely mesmerizing. It also opens up a lot of questions about the gameplay of Rocket League's upcoming mode, which will be part of a free update with a new map.

As you can see, the map features a basketball style court with the key and the hoop and the backboard. What's interesting here is that the hoop is abnormally large. It's definitely designed almost in equal size to the net in the typical soccer-style setup that Rocket League is known for.

I do wonder if they're going to keep the hoop that size on release? I'm sure it's debatable weather or not the hoop is too large or just the right size. I'm sure as players put in some play time and begin to work their way around the map and understand the ins and outs of the play-style we'll find out if the hoop is just the right size or if it's a little too big... or possibly too small.

To the benefit of players, though, the hoop is pretty low, so you won't have to make too much use of the walls to get the ball into the hoop.

The addition of basketball in Rocket League had gamers wondering what other kind of sports they could add. A few people suggested a golf-style setup and some mentioned a ping pong/tennis type of setup. Given Rocket League's physics-based, open-ended design, technically Psyonix could do anything they want with the game. The sky is the limit.

Just recently they added the Batmobile from the recently released and critically divisive Zack Snyder film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Before that they launched the game on the Xbox One with two additional vehicles based on Gears of War and Halo. They also have cross-platform play on the horizon, set to go live at an undetermined date.

I wonder if they'll have a Captain America: Civil War tie-in at some point when the film releases? Then again I don't think they really advertised any vehicles in the movie that could make the cut, but that doesn't mean they can't get creative at some point. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, Rocket League fans can look forward to the new basketball mode and the free map when it launches for consoles and PC this April.

Recently, Xbox announced that they would be supporting cross-platform play with PC and PS4 players. That means that people playing a multiplayer game on the Xbox One can easily go against someone playing the same game on the PS4. And now, Sony has finally responded to the open invitation from Xbox to participate in the cross-platform play. Sony told GameSpot in a statement,

While Sony didn’t directly acknowledge Microsoft’s invitation, they did say that they would be open to the idea with those who are interested.

Rocket League announced that it will be one of the first games to take part in the cross-network play for the Xbox One. This means that Rocket League players will be able to play against PC players. PS4 has not opted into the deal yet, but everyone’s hoping that they’ll jump on the bandwagon soon. Sure, cross-platform play is quite a step for Xbox One and PC, but it’ll really mean business when Sony joins in the fun. After all, they could’ve said nothing in response to Xbox’s cross-platform play announcement—they could’ve just stayed silent. Yet the fact they chose to say something hopefully means there are plans in the works to join the cross-network play party.

I know cross-platform play has been a wanted addition for awhile, and now players can finally start letting out a sigh of relief. I think it’s inevitable that Sony will jump in for the fun, even just to stay competitive with Xbox and to not upset the players. The cross-network play in Rocket League is supposed to go into effect sometime this spring on the Xbox One and PC. And here’s to hoping for an announcement from Sony about joining cross-network play. You can view the official announcement for cross-network play here.

One of the most exciting features coming to the Psyonix battle sports game, Rocket League, is that it's going to be getting cross-platform support in network play. Yes, you read that right... it's going to support the option to have cross-platform multiplayer.

Shacknews is reporting that Psyonix will implement the cross-platform network play between Xbox One and PC, and eventually PS4, as they upgrade the multiplayer to support the ability to have the networks all join in together through the nexus that will be Rocket League.

The feature will roll out in the late spring between Xbox One and PC. It's expected to be the starting ground for the cross-platform network play and that makes a lot of sense. Traditionally, both Xbox and PC gamers have had various cross-platform compatible titles, from games like Shadowrun (and not the cyberpunk RPG) to titles like Lost Planet: Colonies Edition to fighting games like BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.

Of course, Microsoft had the few titles that were cross-platform compatible locked in to Games For Windows Live, a service that was supposed to be a gaming platform but ended up turning into little more than a DRM blockade.

They don't mention if the cross-platform play will be universal on PC for Rocket League between Xbox One gamers, or if it's going to be limited to just Windows 10 users. Microsoft has been really pushing for Windows 10 to get adopted by hardcore PC gamers, but they've been having a tough time doing so. It's not improbable to think that Rocket League's cross-platform setup could be limited to Windows 10, but we won't know for sure until later into the spring.

One of the highlights of this bit of cross-platform compatibility is that there's no control advantage like in previous cross-platform games. First-person shooters have the distinct advantage given to PC gamers due to the fact that the keyboard and mouse are always more precise than a controller. That's not to mention that you can fine-tune the mouse's sensitivity and smoothness to take full advantage of a high DPI setup. Rocket League doesn't offer that kind of disadvantage to console gamers, so we should see more even footing when PC gamers face off against Xbox One and PS4 gamers.

I suppose the real news out of all of this is the fact that Xbox One and PS4 gamers will soon be able to face off against each other once and for all, proving who has the better console and who is the better skilled player: PlayStation gamers or Xbox gamers?

Psyonix doesn't reveal exactly when Xbox and PlayStation gamers will be able to face off against each other in Rocket League but Xbox One and PC gamers will first be able to go head-to-head this spring.

This should make for some very interesting match-ups and it will also be interesting to see if there will be any performance disadvantages that specific platforms will be able to exploit? I guess we'll find out once the cross-platform network play is implemented into Rocket League.

Now that Rocket League has mastered two separate sports and spread to a new platform, it looks like the developers are aiming to take their turbo-charged game to a whole new arena. A basketball arena, to be exact.

To call the following tweeted image a “tease” is something of an understatement. A teaser would be a picture of just a basketball, or maybe a super zoomed-in shot of a basketball hoop or the court itself. Instead, the Rocket League squad decided to just flat out show their new game mode in action, with flying cars duking it out in a brand new basketball arena. Get ready for March Madness to spread to Rocket League.

Needless to say, fans seem to be pretty excited about this latest announcement. A lot of comments were simply variations of “OMG,” with one commenter summing up the whole thing in just two words, saying “Dude, basketball!!!” One commenter ever said that this announcement has now convinced them to buy Rocket League, because I suppose the million other reasons I can think of have thus far been inadequate.

And thus Rocket League’s domination of multiplayer gaming continues to grow. The game launched last year and basically took the PlayStation 4 community by storm as a Plus title. Fans then fell in love with Rocket League for PC, as well as all the free and for-pay DLC that’s continued to roll out.

A couple of new arenas have also been added to the mix, including a pair that completely shift the structure of the field and how you need to play the game. There’s even been a set of “lab” game modes, which tweak things like the shape and size of the ball, gravity, the way cars and turbo behaves, etc.

An ice hockey mode was introduced this past winter, substituting the traditional soccer ball with a heavier, more unpredictable puck.

Now it looks like we’re getting a basketball mode that, from the single image we’ve seen, basically turns the net on its side. You’ll need to drop the ball into the net to score, but since said net is built as a rap, skillful players will have the ability to knock the ball away before it scores.

That goes to further show how a game with simple, yet deep mechanics can completely change the dynamics of play with a small tweak. If you’ve never played Rocket League, having a net instead of a goal probably doesn’t seem like that big of a change. I’m fairly certain players will have to completely rethink their strategies on a basketball court, though, and can’t wait to try it out for myself.

Psyonix is continuing their trend of adding licensed vehicles to Rocket League. The game's popularity definitely affords them the luxury of throwing in something special every once in a while, and this time it turns out to be the Batmobile from the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie due for release this March.

PC Gamer spotted the new promotional trailer, which is filled to the brim with Batman motifs from the exploding ball that forms a bat-symbol to the platform that the Batmobile rises from that seems reminiscent to the Batcave platform – it's all a strong homage to DC's Dark Knight. You can check out the trailer for the Batmobile below.

The trailer does a fine job of showcasing just how much detail Psyonix put into the vehicle. It looks on par to the vehicle in Zack Snyder's film, just fine-tuned to fit the art-style of Rocket League.

One of the most impressive parts about the trailer is the sound of the engine and thrusters. The Batmobile sounds absolutely beastly in that trailer above, and a lot of fans are excited about it for that very reason. This licensed vehicle will go live on March 8th for $2. Recently Rocket League went live for the Xbox One and featured two exclusive vehicles mirrored after the military transports in Halo and Gears of War. This follows on the other licensed vehicle featured in the game, the DeLorean from the popular Back To The Future series.

As for the Batmobile from the upcoming film... some gamers are reminded of WB Games' other franchise featuring the caped crusader... Batman: Arkham Knight. It's interesting because over on the PC Gamer thread a lot of commenters are still burned about the shoddy release of the game on PC. The game still suffers from some serious issues and as of February 3rd, Warner Bros announced that they were simply canceling the Mac and Linux versions of the game in an update post on Steam, meaning that you won't be playing Batman: Arkham Knight natively on SteamOS.

But apart from the burned PC gamers over last year's Batman outing from Rocksteady and Warner Bros., most people seem to be excited about the addition of the Batmobile in Rocket League from the upcoming Batman v Superman film.

Strangely the vehicle seems to fit in nicely amongst the other cars on the field. Some questioned if Psyonix would eventually add the custom Bat-field teased in the trailer above, but maybe they'll announce that closer to the release of the car itself... or maybe they'll throw in something later in spring?

Anyway, this news comes hot off the heels of the season two announcement update over on the official Rocket League website where they go over some of the updates and fixes inbound for the game. The Batmobile DLC will be available next month starting March 8th.

It might be hard to believe, but there are still people out there who have not yet played Rocket League. The folks over at Psyonix aim to reach out to that unenlightened sector of the population in the coming months by releasing the smash-hit of 2015 in the form of a physical retail copy.

Team Xbox only recently got its hands on Rocket League, finally experiencing what the PlayStation 4 and PC crowds have been ranting and raving about since last year. Still, Psyonix understands that there is still a number of gamers out there who have not had the opportunity to play the brilliant kinda-sports game; folks who prefer to put on pants and go outside to purchase their games.

As Destructoid is reporting, Psyonix announced today that Rocket League will be breaking away from its digital confines to arrive on the market in disc form. The development team made the news official through a recent stream, letting everyone know that, even if you don't like to buy your games on the digital market, you'll still be able to play Rocket League at some point in the future.

If you are somehow out of the loop on Rocket League, it's a brilliant sports game that mixes the best elements of an arcade racer like Burnout with the skill and teamwork of a soccer game like FIFA. Teams of players control turbo-charged cars that can jump, roll along walls and, with a bit of skill, even fly. The object of the game is to launch a large ball into the opposing team's goal, which makes for some pretty exciting competition. The game offers a perfect formula that's easy to pick up and have a blast with, but tough to master. You can enjoy Rocket League in its most basic form but, if you put in a bit of effort, you and your teammates can pull off some pretty impressive plays.

When the game first launched as a PlayStation Plus title last year, it took the gaming world by utter surprise. Psyonix continued to build momentum for the game with frequent patches and loads of fun updates that included everything from skins to new arenas and game modes. Rocket League eventually made its way to PC and, just a couple of weeks ago, the Xbox One crowd finally got in on the fun.

For folks who don't like to buy their games digital but still want to get in on the action, this news should come as a welcome surprise. There's no word on a release date yet but, since Psyonix is now openly talking about it, we imagine it can't be too far off. A price was also not discussed. The game goes for 20 bucks on the digital markets, to we don't imagine a physical version will cost much more than that.

Psyonix has a perfect balance right now in terms of how many players can play in the arenas of Rocket League, maxing out at 4-vs-4 matches. However, there have been talks about increasing the the player count to something higher... maybe 5-vs-5 matches? Well, Psyonix hasn't ruled it out.

PC Gamer picked up the news from an interview on the Major Nelson podcast, where Psyonix VP Jeremy Dunham explained that larger matches is not an impossibility...

Well, how crazy does it get? There's actually a video from YouTuber foediggsdeep, where they ended up in a glitched matchmaking round consisting of a 5-vs-5 match in Rocket League. Even though Dunham noted that bigger stadiums would be required, it doesn't look too jam packed in the video below.

The glitch opens up an opportunity to discuss exactly what an increase in team size would entail. Would this make the matches more intense? Would it increase the skill levels required to score a goal? Or would it be the opposite? Would the matches become easier because there are more people working hard to score a goal or would it prolong the matches?

There are a lot of questions surrounding the increase of team sizes. I mean, it's a very complex situation as far as the logistics are concerned.

Right now it's hard to tell if that's really something the community has been gunning for. There haven't been a whole lot of complaints across social media saying that Rocket League needs to increase the player count per match. Right now you can do 1-vs-1, 2-vs-2, 3-vs-3 and 4-vs-4. Having up to eight players makes a lot of sense, but maybe they're considering the 5-vs-5 to bring it up on par to a lot of professional sports leagues where they usually have five on the court, field or rink.

Whatever they decide to do will unlikely affect the popularity of the game because Rocket League is already one of the top selling titles of 2015 and continues to bolster an ever-growing eSports community thanks to the highly competitive play.

However, if Psyonix does decide to go ahead with increasing the player size per match, they could easily make a lot of extra cash having players pay for 5-vs-5 stadiums via DLC. While some might argue that it could splinter the community, they could always do it like how Overkill Software does it with Payday 2, and have it setup where if the host has the DLC then anyone joining (whether they have the DLC or not) will still get to play with the host. Then again, dabbling in microtransactions and DLC like that could also backfire and cost them the community they've worked so hard to build over the past year.

Rocket League is available right now for the PS4 and PC, and it launches on the Xbox One starting February 17.

Psyonix hit a gold mine with Rocket League when it launched on the PS4 and PC last summer. The game has gone on to sell several million copies and is now ready for release on the Xbox One starting February 17, next Wednesday.

The news has been spread far and wide after being posted on the Xbox Wire by vice president of Psyonix, Jeremy Dunham. A new trailer for Rocket League coming to the Xbox One was also posted that you can check out below.

The teaser trailer shows practically nothing, but it is what's in the news post that makes the biggest difference. Following up on the surprise announcement about Rocket League coming to the Xbox One during the Game Awards hosted by Geoff Keighley, Psyonix has announced that the February 17 release will see the game carrying a $19.99 price point.

According to the post, Psyonix was helped in porting over Rocket League to the Xbox One courtesy of Panic Button. In addition to making the leap to Microsoft's console, there will be additional DLC packs made available for free, including the “Supersonic Fury” pack containing two premium cars, various decals, wheels and paint types, as well as the “Revenge of the Battle-Cars” pack with additional premium cars, and the “Chaos Run” pack, which also contains two premium cars and additional decals, wheels and paint.

Exclusive to the Xbox One are two exclusive vehicles called the “Armadillo” and “HogSticker”. During the original announcement for Rocket League's Xbox debut, Psyonix revealed the two vehicles that are based around Halo and Gears of War. They also have various items and trails included from Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive.

They boast about the customization features as well, which they claim offers players 100 billion different possible combinations for decking out the vehicle. There's also a fully featured online and offline Season Mode, and a variety of rule-set and multiplayer configurations ranging from one-on-one matches all the way up to four-vs-four bouts in competitive, team-based play sessions.

Rocket League turned out to be the breakout hit of 2015 for PC and PS4, managing more than 5 million downloads over the course of the summer and attaining more than a million purchases on Steam alone. By December in 2015 GameZone reported that the game had surpassed $50 million in revenue.

It's very rare that an indie title with very little promotion and almost no marketing presence goes on to sell the way Rocket League has. We'll see if the game can manage the same level of success that it has already achieved on the PS4.

One of the ways that it moved a lot of units the first month out was because it was free for PS Plus subscribers. This time around the game will be launching at $19.99, so there won't be a month of free downloads for Xbox One owners.

Psyonix recently announced that they have some sick loot inbound for Rocket League for the end of the first season of competitive play. They also have plans to change up the loot tiers, but it's all for the betterment of the game since they're adding a brand new loot tier to the mix to reward gamers with exciting items while they play.

The news was posted over on the Steam update page for Rocket League, where the developers revealed that there will be all new “uncommon” item drops added to the game, joining the “common”, “premium” and “limited” item tiers already available in the game. The common items are ones that most people pick up during an average bout. The premium items are items that are purchased as DLC, and the limited items are those that only have a short run during various seasonal events.

The new uncommon items will be made available in the February patch and can only be obtained when participating in the online multiplayer modes. Some of the items will include toppers and antennas, as noted by PC Gamer. The developers have plans on further offering details on the season wrap-up and the start of season 2 on January 22.

As for the seasonal events... the end of the first season will see players ranked in various divisions rewarded for their efforts and play-skill in Rocket League. There will be bronze, silver and gold crowns issued as accessories that can be equipped on the cars. These rewards will be handed out in February as the first season concludes and the participants are ranked according to their performance.

The post also notes that the drop-rate for these uncommon items won't be fixed, but will be determined based on the frequency of playing online. So someone who plays Rocket League online against or with friends regularly will be able to get their hands on some uncommon items a lot more frequently than someone who mostly plays offline or local games. I guess that's one way of offering incentives for people to subscribe to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold.

Psyonix, nevertheless, have had a rocking year for Rocket League. The game has sold several million copies over its short time of being on the market and has managed to gain a sizable and strong community based around its eSports-style gameplay.

Based on the game's continued momentum, it looks like it may be one of those titles that maintains a strong community for some time to come. It's not easy for brand new games to establish a steady playerbase without building off some other established brand or trope, but Psyonix managed to do so right out of the gate with Rocket League. A lot of it was due to a couple of factors: first up, the game was free as part of the PlayStation Plus package, squarely allowing millions of PS4 owners to play the game without having to pay a dime for it. Second, the game was designed around being easy to pick up and play, but hard to master, so a lot of players went in not expecting much but quickly became addicted due to the steep curve for mastering the game. And third, the game's competitive multiplayer was one of the strong points in keeping people coming back for more and getting their friends to play.

Rocket League's season 1 wrap-up will go live in February, but Psyonix will talk more about season 2 and some of the upcoming features on January 22.

It’s been an incredible year for gaming with major releases like Fallout 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Unfortunately for survival horror fans everywhere (including me), the genre still struggles to make an epic comeback, but there were some promising titles released this year. When it comes to gaming, I’m a bit of a different gamer. I love platformers, games with in-depth and emotional narratives and sometimes the occasional bro-down in a first-person shooter. Games that had these elements made it onto my top 10 list of video games for 2015.

10. Rayman Adventures

I bet you weren’t expecting to see a mobile game on this list. When I first downloaded Rayman Adventures for free on my iPhone, I really thought it was going to be another scheme to get me to buy items in-game. Or, even worse, get me to buy my way further into the game like Candy Crush or the Mean Girls narrative adventure game. But, I thought I’d try it. Rayman Adventures is a satisfying mobile platformer with all of the colorful environments and magically-composed music similar to the original Rayman games. And the controls don’t even trip me up! You do have the option of buying more diamonds and potions to make your eggs grow faster, etc., but I collect so many diamonds from completing levels anyway, I don’t really need to purchase anything. The game acts like an endless runner, but you can change directions (when you’re not getting tossed around by raging waters) to reach other areas. It’s probably the best platformer I’ve ever played on mobile.

9. Mortal Kombat X

When Mortal Kombat X was released, I was up past midnight and just figured I’d run to Target to buy it. I’ve got this thing about fighting games and have invested in others like the Street Fighter and Soulcaliber franchise. The best part about Mortal Kombat X is it’s not just a fighting game, it has a pretty in-depth storyline. Plus, the gore is fantastic. It’s amazing to see the journey Mortal Kombat has taken from its arcade days; after pushing out a few embarrassing films, the game still holds its own today. The best part about the new Mortal Kombat game, and the reason it’s on my list, is because it’s still the same Mortal Kombat game everyone has come to know and love. There are tons of references and throwbacks to earlier games; from the echoing “Finish him!” to signature moves. It’s always reassuring to know a developer understands what their audience wants.

8. Rocket League

Rocket League didn’t appeal to me at first, but once I started playing it, I was addicted. It’s so simple yet so complicated. Get the ball into the net, but maneuver your car in a way that will crash other players while scoring. What makes Rocket League so amazing is how quickly people realized this game wasn’t just a soccer game. It was like FIFA and Twisted Metal got together, had a baby, and out came Rocket League. I’d like to see some more explosive gameplay implemented into the game, though, like weapons to use against the other team. That would add to the challenge and make it even more fun. The outrageous ruckus you can cause in this game of explosive car-soccer is one that had to make my end of the year list.

7. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

I had never played a Metal Gear Solid game before picking this one up—and I’m not sure why. Kojima has done an amazing job at telling the twisted story within Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, despite the number of scrolling credit scenes. At some point you can almost relate to Snake’s character and his feelings toward Quiet. It definitely had to make my top ten this year.

6. Fallout 4

I didn’t buy into the hype at first, I really didn’t. But I had never played a Fallout game before and really wanted to experience this massive, apocalyptic open-world. In Fallout 4, you can literally go anywhere. Explore everything. You can even change clothes and play with your dog. It’s almost as fun as exploring a real abandoned location in real life, thinking about the people who used to live there and what their lives were like. I can definitely understand why some people lost themselves in this game. One of my friends didn’t put it down for almost 48 hours straight. Despite all of the bugs people mentioned (which I never experienced), and the rushed release, we still got a solid, enjoyable game.

5. Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who loves to game, you need to play this with them. I first saw this game while I was at the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) in the Indie Game setup. You and a partner work together to man a giant ship with four weapons. Weapons, shields and the ship can be upgraded to fight against alien creatures. You and your partner travel through different worlds, rescuing kidnapped space-bunnies and experience different obstacles in each world you visit. It’s one of the most entertaining indie games I’ve played all year.

4. Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water

I’ve been a longtime fan of the Fatal Frame games, since their early release on PlayStation 2. The true fear that you feel when you’re faced with an angry spirit through the lens of a camera is truly terrifying—but you have to play the game right. That means pitch dark, no lights, volume up. But with the newest installment of the Fatal Frame series, the Wii U gamepad becomes your camera and it’s a whole different experience. I was spinning around in my living room looking at the haunting environment around me until I literally came face-to-face with a ghost. The game was more immersive than any other Fatal Frame game I have ever played.

3. Star Wars: Battlefront

Surprisingly, I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, but I also don’t dislike the franchise either. I’m on more of a neutral standpoint. But, there’s one particular aspect I really enjoy about the Star Wars: Battlefront game. The multiplayer game mode, Fighter Squadron, lets you dogfight against other players and I can’t get enough of it. There are no other weapons except the ones on your ship and no ship upgrades, everyone is equal. If you’re lucky, you can snag a power-up on the ground to take control of the Millennium Falcon or Slave 1. But other than that, it’s a fight to the death, making the game cripplingly addictive and so hard to put down. One more game, just one more game.

2. Until Dawn

I’ve been watching this game for a long time and waiting impatiently for its release. I’m a huge slasher fan when it comes to horror movies and grew up watching Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. Until Dawn was supposed to be the epitome of horror slasher films in the style of a video game—and a pretty good one too. The game is driven entirely by the player’s decisions and it’s not easy to keep everyone alive. It’s like watching a slasher film, but getting the power to control who lives and who dies. The story elements, the incredible graphics that showcase the actors’ and actresses’ facial movements while speaking, and the nostalgic homage to horror movies throughout time, have convinced me to make this number two on my list.

1. Life Is Strange

This game takes my number one spot for a few reasons. When it comes to gaming, I am all about story. I will rave on and on about the story elements in Beyond: Two Souls until I’m blue in the face. But Life Is Strange’s story was so engrossing, the time waiting between episodes was almost unbearable. It was downright genius. The character development throughout the game really gripped the essence of today’s teenager, down to the very lingo of the main characters, Max and Chloe. The changes seen in characters you thought were villains blew my mind. In Life Is Strange, each event is directly affected by your decisions and at the end you’re left with a very hard, very emotional decision. I held back tears. You play this game and grow so close to the characters and their lives, it’s hard to see it come to an end. Even if they do come out with a sequel, it won’t have these characters in it. They’ll have to invent some characters equally as likable and a story just as gripping. I knew this was my number one pick the moment I started playing the game. I just knew.

It looks like Rocket League is set to get even more free content this week, this time taking the form of a content pack that includes oodles of items pulled from the Portal universe. This is, indeed, a triumph.

The game that keeps on giving is continuing to pour on the free content as Psyonix announces that Portal cosmetic items will soon arrive within Rocket League. Starting Dec. 1, you’ll be able to have more fun with science thanks to car toppers, rocket trails, antenna toppers and more.

Just like all of the free cosmetic loot in Rocket League, these Portal items can be obtained simply by playing the game. When a match concludes, you might unlock something spiffy whether you win or lose. Unlike the Halloween and upcoming Christmas promotions, however, it doesn’t appear there is a window in which you’ll need to play the game in order to win the prizes. It sounds like these are being patched in as permanent items that you’ll eventually unlock by playing regular matches through to the end.

Here’s what the Aperture Science bundle of items includes:

-Cake Topper

-Conversion Gel Rocket Trail

-Propulsion Gel Rocket Trail

-Repulsion Gel Rocket Trail

-Aperture Laboratories Antenna topper

-Cake Sticker Antenna topper

-Companion Cube Antenna topper

-Personality Core Antenna topper

-PotatOS Antenna topper

The original listing doesn’t clarify if these new items will be coming to the PlayStation 4 version of Rocket League, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if people start discovering them. It would be kind of a bummer if it’s limited to the Steam version of the game, though.

As mentioned above, this is only the latest bit of new content for Rocket League, a game that keeps updating with extra goodies here in the fall and winter. We’ve still got an apocalypse-themed paid and free update coming, as well as the hockey mode and that holiday bundle of cosmetic items I just mentioned. Again, this is the kind of support we like to see for these types of games. There’s some paid stuff for folks who want to support the developer, some free stuff to keep folks coming back for more and, most importantly, nothing affect game performance and all maps/modes fall into that gratis category, meaning the community gets to stick together.

Now that we’ve seen a few interesting crossover promotions, which other game series would you like to see get turned into Rocket League skins and items?

The team at Psyonix is changing the game of Rocket League once again this December, gearing up to take players into the post-apocalypse with a new DLC pack full of goodies, as well as a free map update that boasts a brand new layout.

While mutators were only introduced into Rocket League a couple of weeks ago and the ice hockey map is still slated to arrive in December, fans of Psyonix’s runaway hit have something else to look forward to next month in the form of yet another new map and new cars, skins, car toppers and the like.

Get ready for Rocket League: Chaos Run.

Like other DLC packs for Rocket League, Chaos Run will set you back $3.99 and comes with a hefty roster of extra cosmetic items for your ride, as well as two new vehicles to boot. The new cars are called Ripper and Grog and, true to the DLC pack’s name, they look like they were pulled from the post-apocalyptic nightmare world of, say, Mad Max.

Along with these new cars, the Chaos Run DLC will add another dozen decals to your collection, new camo and sun-damaged paint jobs, two new wheel types, a sandstorm and a “nuts and bolts” rocket trail, three new toppers, a trio of new antennas, as well as five additional trophies to earn.

Since Rocket League lives and dies on its sense of balance, it’s important to reiterate that these are cosmetic items, meant to give players a chance to better craft the soccer-mobile of their dreams.

Even cooler is the fact that a new map is being added into the mix at no charge, meaning its appearance won’t divide the community in any way. Called “Wasteland,” this non-regulation layout boasts a similar end of days theme to the Chaos Run DLC, as well as a few other changes outlined by Psyonix VP of Marketing Jeremy Dunham over on the PlayStation Blog.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I like to call fantastic news. More paid DLC that doesn’t have an impact on play, more free maps for everyone to enjoy, and plans for even more off-the-wall maps to keep things interesting in 2016.

Rocket League took the gaming world by storm this year, surprising PlayStation 4 and PC gamers with its easy to pick up and tough to master mechanics. And thanks to some recent candid comments, it's looking like the Xbox One crowd might finally be getting in on that crazy action sometime in the future, too.

If you own a PC or PlayStation 4 and you haven't played Rocket League yet, you're doing yourself a great disservice. The game launched as a PlayStation Plus title earlier this year, which is an insane value when you consider how much time many folks have poured into its (literally) off-the-wall gameplay.

Rocket League is what you would get if you mixed something like Burnout with FIFA. Teams of one to four players compete in an enclosed field with the simple goal of knocking a massive ball into your opponent's net. You'll do that by driving around super-charged RC cars that boast pinpoint handling, boost and the ability to race along the walls or fly through the air.

Right, so, it looks like good times being had by all, yeah? Well, not so if you're gaming on the Xbox One. While Psyonix has never said that their game was console exclusive to the PlayStation 4, a lot of folks just assumed that was the case given the fact that it had not appeared elsewhere despite insane success on its original platform.

According to a recent interview between Redbull and game director Dave Hagewood, however, it sounds like that might not always be the case. If you're a fan of Rocket League and would appreciate some insight on the development and success of the game over the past year, then the entire interview with Redbull is definitely worth a read. If, however, you are only curious about whether or not Rocket League will eventually fly on over to the Xbox One, then the final question has all of the information you need at this time.

When asked if Rocket League will appear on Microsoft's console, Hagewood laughed before making his response.

We appreciate the position Hagewood finds himself in and, while I wouldn't want to put words into his mouth, things are seeming pretty good for the Xbox crowd in regards to getting behind the wheel of Rocket League. The game has been soaring on the PlayStation 4 for about six months now, which would line up nicely with most examples of timed exclusivity. Also, with Microsoft working so hard to bring more Xbox gaming to PC, this would be a perfect title to see unite the two platforms. PlayStation and PC gamers can compete against one another, after all, so it makes sense that the same would be true if Rocket League ever appears on the One. Sadly, the ability for all three platforms to play together is something that will likely never happen.

In case Rocket League’s off-the-wall, turbo-charged brand of action wasn’t insane enough for you, the team at Psyonix have announced that a pair of upcoming free updates will throw a few new wrinkles into the equation courtesy of Mutators and an ice hockey mode.

Yes, you read that right, Rocket League has pulled off the impossible and actually made me excited about ice hockey. A bunch of dudes sliding around the ice, trying to smack a puck into the back of a net has never really been my thing. Replace those dudes with rocket-fueled buggies, though, and you’ve managed to grab my attention.

And the best part is: That’s only one of two big updates coming to Rocket League that Psyonix promises will “change the game.”

That’s quite a bit to take in. Want to see what trying to score a goal with a square “ball” would look like? You can do that. Want to make it so that turbo automatically causes destruction? No problem. Ever felt the need to play Rocket League with less gravity and more boost? You can live that dream, too.

According to the official announcement from Psyonix VP of Marketing Jeremy Dunham, the Mutators update will be plugged into Rocket League this November, allowing players to change up their competitions free of charge.

That’s actually one of the best things about this update: Psyonix isn’t dividing the community by charging for it. Everyone will have access to Mutators, so no worries that you and your friends won’t be able to team up for certain game modes. And while Mutators will be available to anyone who wants to host their own matches for friends, it sounds like they’ll all be thrown into a mix-and-match playlist for more competitive types rather than each taking up their own slot on the roster.

And if that’s not enough, the free ice hockey update is heading our way come December, replacing Rocket League’s turf with slippery ice and the ball with a puck. They’re small changes, but I imagine they’ll change the game up quite a bit.

Rocket League, the popular competitive game that mixes arcade-style driving with insane soccer action, is about to go back to the future; by which we of course mean that the game will soon boast some DeLorean DLC modeled after the time-hopping automobile from the Back to the Future films.

Announced today through the PlayStation Blog, the team at Psyonix is gearing up to add one of the most legendary vehicles in cinematic history to the Rocket League roster. According to VP of Marketing Jeremy Dunham, getting the official Back to the Future DeLorean in Rocket League was something of a dream come true for the studio.

It what has turns out to be a smashing bit of timing, the Back to the Future Car Pack will arrive in Rocket League come Oct. 21, 2015. For fans of the films, you’ll probably recognize that as being the exact date Marty McFly arrived in Back to the Future II. We never did get our hoverboards…Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Speaking of rad modes of transportation, the Back to the Future DLC comes with the car, obviously, as well as its “Burnt Rubber” rocket trail for when you hit the boost. Once Oct. 21 rolls around, I suspect the pitches of Rocket League will be utterly packed with would be time travelers. That collection will set you back just $1.99.

This actually marks the third set of DLC to pop up in the surprise hit of the year, Rocket League. The original DLC pack included a couple of new muscle cars that might as well have been ripped straight out of The Fast and the Furious. Next up, starting tomorrow, fans can get their hands on the Revenge of the Battle-Cars DLC pack, boasting a pair of bodies from Rocket League’s predecessor and a bunch of extra goodies to deck out your ride for $3.99.

If that’s still not enough to tide you over, Psyonix announced last week that a bunch of free Halloween DLC will be plugged into the game in the coming weeks. To get it, all you have to do is play the game and cross your finger that one of these “treats” unlocks at the end of a match.

Psyonix wants to reward their fans with some fresh Halloween goodies. The developers announced that there are some free items that will be dropping throughout this Halloween season so gamers can outfit their car with new gear themed around the spookiest month of the year.

Over on the PlayStation Blog they rolled out the news that the Halloween items that are available for the game includes a “Calavera” antenna, a “Candy Corn” rocket trailer, “Carriage” wheels, a “Fuzzy Brute” antenna, a “Fuzzy Vampire” antenna and a “Pumpkin” topper.

Each of these items will drop randomly throughout a match whether you win or you lose and these items will keep dropping throughout the Halloween event all the way up until November 2nd, next month.

According to the post on the PlayStation Blog, these items will go away for an entire year until next Halloween. So if you really want the gear you'll want to get them as soon as possible before you have to wait until next year to get your hands on them.

One thing that gamers should also take note of is that all these items are free and you don't need to obligate yourself to purchasing any DLC to get the items. As mentioned on the PlayStation blog...

This is great news for Rocket League fans who are probably really interested in the event but worried that there might be DLC strings attached, which is sometimes the case with a lot of AAA titles.

But Psyonix really seems to understand how dedicated and beloved Rocket League is amongst most gamers and have resolved to giving gamers as much free content as possible to show how much they love their growing and established audience.

Rocket League blasted onto the scene back during the end of July to startling success, selling more than 5 million copies within a very short amount of time. Some have attributed this success to the PlayStation Plus giveaway but the game has already garnered more than 1.4 million purchases on Steam, according to Steam Spy, so it's not like the game's success is warranted entirely to just the free month on PlayStation Plus.

The Halloween event for Rocket League is going to get underway starting October 18th. You can get in on the action during the middle of the month, two weeks from now, and start outfitting your car stable with some new gear when the time comes.

You'll have two weeks to partake in the event before it ends on November 2nd, so get in while the getting in is good.

Following on the Halloween event Psyonix also wanted to remind gamers that Rocket League will be receiving some new DLC in the format of the Battle Cars expansion. You can look for the expansion to go live for the game next week on October 13th. For more info you can check out the game's official website.

Rocket League is gearing up to unleash its second DLC pack next month, boasting new paint jobs, antenna balls, car toppers and more, including a pair of cars that long-time fans of the series should instantly recognize.

Some folks are likely unaware of the fact that the highly successful PlayStation 4 and PC driving/soccer game Rocket League is actually a sequel to the underground hit PS3 game, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Rocket League took the formula from that original game and refined it to a point that the gaming community can't seem to put the thing down.

In an effort to stay true to the series' roots, the team at Psyonix will soon be launching a new DLC pack called Revenge of the Battle-Cars that, among other things, boasts a couple of fan-favorite rides from that original game.

Revenge of the Battle-Cars is set to arrive this October for $3.99. Similar to the previous DLC pack, it'll include a bunch of new customization options for your in-game cars, rather than separate the community by offering exclusive maps or some such nonsense. A couple variations on existing maps will launch at the same time, along with some new music and flags to attach to your cars, but those goodies will be coming at you free of charge.

As for what's included in this new DLC pack, here's the full rundown of what your four bucks will get ya:

-Two classic car bodies including Scarab and Zippy

-12 new decals for your cars

-Three new paint types, including Toon Glossy, Toon Matte and Toon Wood

-Two new wheel skins

-Two new boosts including Accelerato and Battle-Stars

-Four new toppers including Cavalier, Locomotive, Pixelated Shades and Shark Fin

-Two new antennas including Retro Balls and SARPBC

-Five new trophies to unlock

Again, when it comes to DLC for primarily multiplayer games like Rocket League, the kind of stuff that Psyonix is doing absolutely rocks. Making arenas for-pay splits up the community rather than keeping it united for as long as possible. All of the Rocket League DLC is cosmetic, meaning nobody has to feel like they're missing out if they can't afford to keep supporting the game. Then again, since a large number of people playing Rocket League on the PS4 likely got it as a Plus bonus, it probably couldn't hurt to throw a few dollars Psyonix's way as a sign of gratitude for the ridiculous number of hours people have been logging in this game.

After selling more than 5 million digital copies of Rocket League, Psyonix has been on a tear in the public sphere with plenty of positive feedback. They're now looking to keep that momentum flowing with the first DLC pack for the game called “Supersonic Fury” DLC.

Over on the PlayStation Blog Jeremy Dunham, the vice president of marketing for Psyonix, rolled out a new trailer for the DLC and explained what the content pack would contain. Check out the trailer below.

The pack contains two brand new cars, an American-themed muscle car named the Dominus and a Japanese tuner-themed named the Takumi. There are six decals for each car. The pack also contains two new rocket boosts, two new wheel-sets, all new paint types and several new Trophies. I wonder how well some of the purist will take it that the Trophies are attached to to the DLC?

The new content will be made available in early August for only $3.99.

The team is also fixing up a few things in the game, including the explosion effects after a successful goal and the demolitions. They also have plans on adding in a free song from Hollywood Principle called “Firework”.

Rocket League has been barreling through the gaming space with a strong user base and a lot of potential for competitive e-sports.

Speaking of e-sports... Psyonix mentioned in the blog post that they will be adding full functional spectator controls. Gamers will be able to dip into a match and look around during a match as a spectator, checking out every angle of the action without restrictions.

I imagine if Rocket League does become a legitimate e-sport that an outlet like the ESL would use multiple spectator cameras to record every inch of the action from every viable angle possible.

Rocket League has been described by a lot of PS4 and PC gamers as addictive and completely engrossing. The game's simple mechanics but hard to master depth makes it one of those games where players spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out every single little thing about the game.

There are already plenty of tutorials spread out across the great expanse of YouTube as a lot of gamers are looking for help in figuring out how to perform some of the more advanced field maneuvers as well as better understand the physics that power the game.

It's kind of funny seeing the amount of dedication put into what's effectively Micro Machines meets FIFA.

Anyway, Rocket League is available right now for PC and PS4 and the DLC is set to go live in early August for only $3.99.

Rocket League has turned out to be a big hit on the PlayStation 4, keeping gamers hooked with its unique blend of soccer and demolition derby. For those new to the turbo-charged sport, here are a few helpful tips to get you up and running.

Recently released as part of the PlayStation Plus lineup for July and already available through Steam, Rocket League puts players behind the wheel of souped-up buggies on a massive soccer pitch. Boasting game modes that range from 1v1 on up to 4v4, players race around the field in an effort to launch a massive soccer ball into an equally humongous goal. Picture a cross between Burnout and FIFA and you’ve got the basic idea.

I wrote earlier about how much I’ve been enjoying the game, as Rocket League offers an addictive brand of action that keeps drawing me back in for “just one more match.” As I’ve learned more about the nuances of this unique sport, however, I’ve noticed that quite a few players still speed around the arena like a chickens with their heads cut off. To that end, I offer these beginners tips to help improve your game and hopefully earn you a few more notches in the Win column.

If you have some tips of your own, please add them in the comments section below.

Think before you act

It’s important to remember that just because you can hit the ball doesn’t mean that you should hit the ball. A lot of players seem to think that Rocket League is all about seeing who can hit the ball the most times until it eventually rolls into one of the goals. This leads to a ridiculous amount of congestion around the ball, as well as players messing up a teammate’s shot or knocking in an own goal. Think about where the ball is going to go if you hit it. If you aren’t going to progress your team’s efforts, maybe exercise a little patience and plan your strikes for when they’re going to do some actual good.

Be a team player

I can’t stress this one enough. If your teammate looks like they’re going to be able to hit the ball, let them take a crack at it. Keep your spacing wide and you’ll be surprised how many opportunities present themselves. If they miss the ball, you’ll be able to provide a follow-up attempt. If they make contact, you’ll be in a better position to capitalize with another pass or a shot on goal. This is especially important when you are right behind your teammate. I can’t tell you how many goals have been botched because a teammate decided to boost directly into me or smacked the ball off course because they got greedy for a goal.

Right tool for the right job

I’ve seen a lot of folks hit the gas at the start of a match and never let up. Your buggy has a lot of maneuverability options and, quite frequently, hitting the brakes or reversing are the best way to get yourself into position for a shot. It’s also important to remember that the available double-boost jump is not always the best choice for taking a shot on goal, though many seem to assume it’s the only option. This all ties back into thinking before you act. If you hit the ball too hard when you’re too close to the goal, chances are pretty good that you’re going to bounce the ball off of the arena wall rather than light up the scoreboard. Sometimes simply ramming the ball or bumping it with a single jump is all that’s needed to send it sailing into the back of the net.

Defense is an option

After each goal, players are spread out evenly across the field before a countdown leads to the next kickoff. If you aren’t randomly dropped into one of the forward spots, you’re almost never going to be able to make it to the ball first. Instead of sprinting forward and crashing into everyone, consider playing defense for those opening moments. This goes quadruple if you spawn in the goalie box for the kickoff, as you’ll be your team’s only line of defense in case one of your opponents earns a lucky opening shot that makes a beeline straight for the net. A good defensive player is just as important as a striker, and holding back will give you a better view of all of that action, meaning you’ll see some pretty tasty scoring opportunities open up and have plenty of room to capitalize.

Advanced Rocket League 101

After you’ve got the hang of your car’s basics, it’s time to practice some more advanced Rocket League techniques. There’s a perfect arena for working on these maneuvers in the practice menu, so don’t be afraid to take a break from the competition in order to improve your own skills. Your car can cruise along the arena walls easily in Rocket League, so getting used to driving like a mechanical Spider-Man will do you a lot of good and open up shots and defensive maneuvers you didn’t have access to before. And remember that double jump we were talking about earlier? That move can actually work like free boost, helping you move around the field quickly without using up your charge. Just get rolling, hold forward and double tap the X button. Now you can use all of that charge you saved up for the final advanced maneuver: Flight.

I find that flying is easiest to control when you aren’t moving too fast, so keep that in mind before you try to go airborne. Just hold back on the stick, hit jump and start feathering the Circle button (Holding it down may cause you to careen out of control). Done correctly, this will send you sailing into the air in a semi-controllable glide, perfect for getting to those hard to reach bounces and opening up all kinds of shots many players won’t be able to counter. I’m still getting the hang of flight, but already I’m finding more opportunities to help out my team with a high-flying nudge or shot on goal.

Free through PlayStation Plus this month, if you aren't playing Rocket League, you're missing out one of the best downloadable games to hit any platform so far this year.

I realize that's a pretty bold statement, but it's totally deserved. One of my favorite things about this crazy hobby of ours is that, every now and again, a great game sneaks up on you and puts a strangle hold on all of your free time. That's exactly what Rocket League has done for yours truly, mixing a pair of concepts I'm already familiar with in a bold new way, then topping the whole package off with tight controls and more than enough little hooks to keep me coming back for more.

Coming from the team at Psyonix, Rocket League is the follow-up to last generation's Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars. While kind of fun to say, the first favor the team at Psyonix did themselves was giving Rocket League a name that's far friendlier on the tongue and easier to remember. Otherwise, we're talking about two very similar games: Soccer, but instead of people you play as cars.

In Rocket League, you can take part in matches ranging from 1v1 on up to 4v4. You play in an arena with high walls that you can actually drive along, and the ball is about twice the size of the vehicles. At either end of the pitch is a goal and matches last five minutes. That's all there is to it. No fancy rules to learn, no weapons that you can fire at your enemies, just vehicles tearing around a field, trying to use their cars to knock a massive ball into a goal.

As for your control over those cars, Psyonix has clearly spent a lot of time making sure that these bad boys feel great to drive. Controls are tight, and you've got a handbrake at your disposal in case you need to turn around on a dime. You can also hit X to jump, and tap it again to give your car an aerial boost that's great for moving the ball along more quickly or taking shots on goal.

While there are no direct weapons, the pitch is littered with little panels that grant you boost. Use your boost to hit the ball harder or race in to make a clutch save, or you can actually store it up 100 percent and try to hit an opponent head-on, thus destroying their car and removing them from the game for a handful of seconds. That's not nearly as easy or as frequent as you might think. That's a super-fast moving target that you need to hit at full speed, after all.

As for the camera, Psyonix wisely put in a pair of systems that lets you easily keep an eye on the game or the road ahead. The default camera is set to follow the ball, which is where I tend to keep it locked throughout matches. At the push of a button, though, you can instantly switch to a behind-the-car view, in case you want to be more aware of your surroundings than where the ball is at the moment.

Rocket League boasts a lot of simple systems that work brilliantly, making for some of the most fun I've had with my PlayStation 4 all year. Making the game a Plus title was another stroke of smart thinking, as cars playing soccer is likely a tough sell to average gamers. Include it in the Instant Game Collection, though, and you've suddenly got a much larger audience that, at the very least, will likely give the game a try.

So, why is this just a hands-on preview of the game instead of a full review? Because I'm basically addicted to a single mode and haven't had an opportunity to dive much further into the game just yet. What I've seen, though, leads me to believe that Rocket League is a pretty robust package, offering a wide array of customizations to unlock and modes to sink your time into.

You see, I've been working on quite a few reviews as of late, and am currently in the middle of another one that's due out early this coming week. When Rocket League launched on the PlayStation Network last Tuesday, I thought I'd give it a quick gander just to see how the concept has evolved since SARPBC. Rocket League boasts a variety of tutorials, but I started off by simply learning the basic controls and jumping into the action in an online casual match. I was quickly paired up with a group of players and the action began. And then I played another match. And then another. While working on those reviews I was just talking about, I've managed to squeeze in quite a bit of Rocket League whenever possible, always jumping into the casual online fray for five minutes of mayhem.

One of Rocket League's greatest strengths is that it's super intuitive and instantly fun. It's absolute chaos as players race around the pitch trying to score a goal, but there's also a sense of reason to the madness. You'd be surprised by the amount of control you can have using a car to play soccer, meaning that the regular flow of the game is full of exhilarating moment after exhilarating moment.

In regular soccer games, if you want to block a shot or pass a ball to a teammate, you just need to tap a thumbstick in that direction and press a button. Those simple actions feel like monumental achievements in Rocket League, as you are basically in control of the entire foot that needs to make those simple actions occur. Passing to a teammate, for instance, means you need to be lined up just right, hit the turbo at the right moment and pray that an opponent doesn't pop up to nudge the ball off course.

Getting that kind of lightning fast math just right in order to make a goal or (deliciously more exciting) block a shot from going into your own goal is hugely rewarding. I cheer, out loud, multiple times in every single match, and I'm not usually that type of player. I've been informed that I'm as entertaining to watch play the game as the game itself, if that gives you any kind of indication as to the antics that ensue while playing Rocket League.

On top of the online modes, you can play matches locally or dive into a full single player season. Again, I haven't even touched those modes, but I'd be willing to bet that they're just as well put together as the online battles.

While you play, you'll earn all sorts of in-game achievements for your various feats, which can be viewed in a robust stats page that gives you the lowdown on your own accomplishments and, of course, ranked and unranked leaderboards.

There's also a bunch of fun goodies to unlock in Rocket League, allowing you to change the car's body, paint job, decals, hat (yes, your car can wear a hat), wheels, antenna and the like. The best part is, these changes are cosmetic only, meaning that all players stay on a level playing field. That balance is appreciated, as I can absolutely see Rocket League becoming a legitimate eSport. Honestly, I dream of the day when we get to watch teams that have become really, really good at this game duke it out in big tournaments.

So, to sum up, I really, really love Rocket League. Everything about the game feels like it was built with having the most fun possible in mind. There's lots of great affects, the crowds in arenas cheer at all the right moments, and even scoring a goal causes an explosion that sends all nearby vehicles flying. Also, those five minute matches mean its perfect for the long haul or if you've just got a little bit of time to sneak in a round or two.

In an era when its not uncommon to see a big publisher disrespect their fan base or a AAA title get released with issues aplenty, it's a breath of fresh air to be able to boot up something that's fast, colorful and a hell of a lot of fun to play.