Mario Kart World
FairA$119.95
Addictive design
Subscription to play onlinePay once (premium)
Rocket League
Released 7 July 2015 Developer Psyonix
- Sports
- Racing
- Vehicular soccer
- Switch
- PS4
- Xbox Series
- Xbox One
- PC
Rocket League is soccer played with rocket-powered cars: two teams drive, jump and boost to knock a giant ball into the other team's goal, in quick five-minute matches. It is easy to start and hard to master, with ranked play, split-screen for local friends and a lot of car cosmetics, and it suits a wide range of ages.
Money health
CautionBuilt to push spending
Addictive design
Moderate3 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
Freefree to download
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
Online interactivity
How it makes money
Caution: built to push spending
Rocket League started as a paid game and has been free to play since 23 September 2020 (Epic Games, which owns developer Psyonix, moved the PC version from Steam to its own store). It now earns money from Credits, sold from 500 for A$6.99 to 6,500 for A$64.99, which buy cosmetics from a rotating Item Shop and the Premium level of the seasonal Rocket Pass; there are also limited-time themed packs of cosmetics from A$2.99 to A$25.99 on consoles. Paid crates opened with keys were removed in December 2019. Everything sold is cosmetic.
How you pay
- Free-to-play
Free since 23 September 2020 on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch; earnings come from Credits and seasonal packs.
- Battle pass
Each season has a Rocket Pass with a free track and a Premium track; Season 24 (from 23 September 2026) adds new car bodies, wheels, boosts and decals as you tier up. Rocket Pass Premium is also included with a Fortnite Crew subscription.
- Cosmetics
Shop items, passes and packs are cars, wheels, decals, boosts and goal explosions. Cars share a small set of standard hitboxes (Octane, Dominus, Breakout and so on), so none is a paid advantage.
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Game currency
Credits come in packs of 500 (A$6.99), 1,100 (A$12.99), 3,000 (A$31.99) and 6,500 (A$64.99), and are spent on Item Shop cosmetics and the Premium Rocket Pass.
- FOMO timers
Console seasonal packs (Rookie A$2.99, Veteran A$6.49, Elite A$12.99, Rocketeer A$25.99) are marked as limited-time and 'before it's gone', Item Shop stock rotates, and limited-time event rewards, such as the Season 24 Run it Up event to 9 December, end on a date.
- Never-ending
A live game with no end: Season 24 began on 23 September 2026 and each season brings a new pass, events and updates.
- Starter pack
A cheap Season 24 Rookie Pack (car, wheels, decal and boost) is A$2.99 on the Xbox store, an easy first purchase.
minor part of the game - Always online
The Mac and Linux versions lost their online support in March 2020, with refunds offered. The Steam version was also removed from sale when the game moved to the Epic Games Store.
minor part of the game
Used to, but no longer
- Loot boxesremoved
Crates, opened with keys bought for real money, were added in 2016 and replaced in December 2019 by Blueprints that show their contents before you buy. Random item drops that remain are earned in play, from challenges and events, not bought.
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$2.99–A$64.99 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Credits (smallest pack) | Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$6.99 | Oct 2026 |
| 1,100 Credits | Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$12.99 | Oct 2026 |
| 6,500 Credits (largest pack) 3,000 Credits is A$31.99. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$64.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Season 24 Rookie Pack Limited-time cosmetic pack. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$2.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Season 24 Elite Pack Limited-time cosmetic pack. Rocketeer packs were A$25.99 in Seasons 22 and 23. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$12.99 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
-
Recommended
Eurogamer ↗
Argued that throwing a car around an arena is enough to hook players without any need for extra systems.
-
9/ 10
Game Informer ↗
Pointed to the highlight-reel moments that come out of very short matches.
-
9/ 10
GameSpot ↗
Called it a boisterous, enthralling game and a strong sports title in its own right.
-
87/ 100
PC Gamer ↗
Found it fast, fun and relentlessly enjoyable, a football game without feet.
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes). They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the badges above are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- Text and voice chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- User-made content: not recorded
- Needs an online account
An Epic account is needed, and Epic's parental controls apply to Rocket League as they do to Fortnite: a Parental Controls PIN, voice and text chat permissions, a PIN for Epic payments, a 'paid random items' switch and time limits. Under-13 (cabined) accounts cannot use voice chat or free text chat or spend real money until a parent consents, though they can still play. Matches put players with strangers, and quick-chat presets are available as well as typed and voice chat. Console and PC platform settings control chat on those platforms separately.
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch | 14 November 2017 | — |
| PlayStation 4 | 7 July 2015 | — |
| Xbox Series X|S | — | Store page ↗ |
| Xbox One | 17 February 2016 | — |
| Windows PC Windows, free on the Epic Games Store; the Steam version was removed from sale in 2020 but existing owners kept it |
7 July 2015 | Store page ↗ |
Further reading
- Official website ↗
- Epic Games parental controls (covers Rocket League) ↗
- Rocket League Season 24 announcement (Sept 2026) ↗
- Eurogamer: Psyonix unveils Rocket League's new monetisation ahead of the December 2019 loot box removal ↗
- Wikipedia: Rocket League ↗
- Wikipedia ↗
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: www.xbox.com, www.xbox.com, www.xbox.com, www.xbox.com, www.rocketleague.com, www.rocketleague.com, www.fortnite.com, www.fortnite.com, safety.epicgames.com, safety.epicgames.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, en.wikipedia.org, www.eurogamer.net, opencritic.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.