• Rocket Pass 4 begins on Wednesday, August 28 at 10:00 a.m. PDT / 5:00 p.m. UTC
  
• Competitive Season 11 Rewards will be awarded to eligible accounts
  
• Competitive Season 12 begins
  

Rocket Pass 4

• Rocket Pass 4 begins on August 28 at 10:00 a.m. PDT / 5:00 p.m. UTC
  
• Weekly Challenges will remain active throughout the entire Rocket Pass
  
  • Example: Week 3 Challenges can be completed in Week 4, 5, and onward until the conclusion of the Rocket Pass they’re included with
    
  • If you purchase Rocket Pass Premium after Rocket Pass 4 has begun, you will be able to access previous week’s Premium Challenges
    

Competitive Season 11 Rewards

• Competitive Season 11 has ended. Titles and items will be awarded for your highest rank achieved during the season
  
  • Receiving Season 11 Rewards also requires successful completion of the appropriate Season Reward Levels
    
• Season 11 Rewards are custom, non-tradeable Boosts
  
  • Bronze I or higher – ‘Season 11 – Bronze’ Boost
    
  • Silver I or higher – ‘Season 11 – Silver’ Boost + lower Boost
    
  • Gold I or higher – ‘Season 11 – Gold’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Platinum I or higher – ‘Season 11 – Platinum’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Diamond I or higher – ‘Season 11 – Diamond’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Champion I or higher – ‘Season 11 – Champion’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
• Grand Champion Rewards
  
  • Competitive Soccar Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ In-Game Title + ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Rumble Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – RNG Champ’ In-Game Title + ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Dropshot Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Floor Destroyer’ In-Game Title + ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Hoops Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Dunk Master’ In-Game Title + ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ Boost + lower Boosts
    
  • Snow Day Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Blizzard Wizard’ In-Game Title + ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ Boost + lower Boosts
    

Monstercat (Antennae)

• ‘DESERT STAR’
  

Competitive Season 12

• Competitive Season 12 begins
  
• Season 12 brings a “soft reset” that requires you to do placement matches in each playlist to recalibrate your Rank
  
• Winning half of your placement matches will land you near your previous season ranking
  
• League Rankings will be temporarily empty until players complete their placement matches
  
• All placement match wins count towards your Bronze Season Reward Level progress
  

Certified and Painted Items

• Customization Items now display the full Paint color name inside the thumbnail (when applicable)
  
  • This replaces the thin colored outline in the upper-right corner of the thumbnail
    
• When a Customization Item is both Painted and Certified, the Paint color and Certification labels rotate at regular, two-second intervals
  

New In-Game Stats

• ‘High-Five’
  
  • A ‘High-Five’ registers after a goal is scored by your team, and when you bump into a teammate above the goal
    
• ‘Low-Five’
  
  • A ‘Low-Five’ can only be done after a goal is scored by your team, and when you bump into a teammate at field level
    
• ‘Swish Goal’
  
  • A ‘Swish Goal’ registers when your goal does not touch the rim before going into the hoop
    
  • Swish Goals are only available when playing the Hoops game mode
    

Audio

• The game’s audio mix has been updated, including audio priority rebalancing, HDR audio, and object elevation
  

• Fixed the color on the post-match XP bar for Rocket Pass Premium owners
  
• Shields on ‘Double Goal’ and ‘Underpass’ Arenas now display the appropriate color
  
• [Xbox One] Fixed a bug with the ‘Slash Beam III’ Rocket Boost causing frame rate dips
  
• [Nintendo Switch] Fixed a bug causing supersonic ball audio to play when pushing the ball at subsonic speeds in Training
  
• Adjusted Paint Finish so it no longer affects appearance of body trim on the ‘Werewolf’ Battle-Car
  

You can find an updated list of both active and recently fixed known issues in our new Known Issues in Rocket League article.

Prepare your pacenotes and check your roll cages. Rocket Pass 4 is ready to rally next week! Your climb to the Pro Tiers begins on August 28—just one day after the Season 12 Update goes live.

Leading the pack of new rewards only found in Rocket Pass 4 is none other than Mudcat, the new rally-inspired Battle-Car. As was the case in previous Rocket Passes, you'll unlock Mudcat as soon as you purchase Rocket Pass Premium and begin your journey to unlocking the Mudcat GXT and access to Pro Tiers. Take a look at this rugged ride and some of the other featured items in the Rocket Pass 4 trailer below!



Based on community feedback, Rocket Pass 4's Weekly Challenges are changing! New Challenges won't expire after their week concludes. Now, you'll be able to complete Weekly Challenges at your leisure throughout the duration of Rocket Pass 4.

Just like in Rocket Pass 3, both the Free and Premium tracks will get three new challenges each week. Weekly Challenges help you climb your Tiers even faster with Tier Points. Each Weekly Challenge is worth three, five, or eight Tier Points. Rocket Pass 4 features 70 Tiers, but getting to Tier 70 is only the beginning. Pro Tiers grant Painted or Special Edition versions of select Rocket Pass 4 items, all of which are tradable.

Rocket Pass 4 will begin at 10:00 a.m. PDT (5 p.m. UTC) on August 28 and ends on December 3. Unlock Rocket Pass Premium with 10 Keys or get a head start with the Premium Bundle, which costs 20 Keys. The Premium Bundle comes with Rocket Pass Premium, plus an additional 12 Tiers!

The checkered flag is nearly out on Rocket Pass 3. There's just one more week before Rocket Pass 4. We hope you're ready to rally your team and start climbing those Tiers! How far will you go??

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this blog stated that Rocket Pass 4 ends on December 4. Rocket Pass 4 ends on December 3.

The next update for Rocket League is scheduled for later this month, and it's bringing Competitive Season 11 Rewards and a few new quality-of-life changes to the game. Get ready to download the Season 12 Update on August 27 at 10 a.m. PDT / 5:00 p.m. UTC (pending first party certification).

This update will lay the groundwork for Rocket Pass 4, which will begin the following day on August 28. More info about Rocket Pass 4 will be revealed as we get closer to the day of the update. Plus, the Season 12 Update will add new stats and an all-new audio mix to the game. Get ready to show your teammates some love with the new "High Five" and "Low Five" stats. Achieve a High Five by colliding with a teammate in midair after a goal is scored. A Low Five is performed the same way, but at ground level.

The new audio mix that's coming to Rocket League will take advantage of High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Audio. To put it simply, HDR Audio will emphasize the game's more important sounds while temporarily lowering less important audio such as crowd and ambience to give players a clearer audio experience. We hope this new mix will be music to your ears! For more information about the work that went into bringing HDR Audio to Rocket League and how it affects the game, check out our recent dev interview with our audio team.


There isn't much time before the end of Competitive Season 11 and the Rewards are a brand new Boost!

Similar to previous Competitive Seasons, there's a Boost reward for each rank (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Champion, and Grand Champion). Grand Champion Rank will receive "Season 11 - Grand Champion" Title in addition to all of the Season 11 Boosts. Those who earned the Rank of Grand Champion in Extra Modes will receive the Extra Mode-specific Grand Champion titles. Remember, you have to complete your placement matches in a Competitive Playlist and fulfill the appropriate Season Reward Level in order to earn your rewards for Competitive Season 11. See the full distribution breakdown below:

• Bronze I or higher – Season 11 – Bronze Boost
  
• Silver I or higher – Season 11 – Silver Boost + lower Boost
  
• Gold I or higher – Season 11 – Gold Boost + lower Boosts
  
• Platinum I or higher – Season 11 – Platinum Boost + lower Boosts
  
• Diamond I or higher – Season 11 – Diamond Boosts + lower Boosts
  
• Champion I or higher – Season 11 – Champion Boosts + lower Boosts

• Competitive Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Grand Champion’ In-Game Title + Grand Champion Boost + all Season 11 Boosts
  Rumble Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – RNG Champ’ In-Game Title + Grand Champion Boost + all Season 11 Boosts
  
• Dropshot Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Floor Destroyer’ In-Game Title + Grand Champion Boost + all Season 11 Boosts
  
• Hoops Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Dunk Master’ In-Game Title + Grand Champion Boost + all Season 11 Boosts
  
• Snow Day Grand Champion – ‘Season 11 – Blizzard Wizard’ In-Game Title + Grand Champion Boost + all Season 11 Boosts

(Note: Grand Champion In-Game Titles for Extra Modes are earned by achieving Grand Champion Rank in each individual Extra Mode)

Season 11 will end two hours before the update goes live at 8 a.m. PDT (3 p.m. UTC) on August 27 and Season 12 will begin once the update goes live. Competitive Season 12 will have the same soft reset that previous competitive seasons had. You will need to complete 10 placement matches per Competitive Playlist to earn your rank, which will likely be near your previously held rank.

You still have time to get to that Competitive Rank you've been working toward, so hit those Competitive Playlists. Good luck and have fun!

There are just 10 seconds left in a tied game. Your teammate has possession, and passes it your way from the wall. You place the shot above the backboard where your opponent can't reach it, launch your car into the air with your remaining boost and follow up the backboard shot with a perfectly placed goal. The Goal Explosion ignites as time expires. The exhilaration is nearly tangible. But meanwhile, there are hundreds of sound effects occurring inside the game that supplement all the excitement of the moment: the siren, the announcer, the crowd, and that only scratches the surface. In moments like this, it may be easy to overlook the sound of Rocket League, but these sounds are an essential part of the experience.

The audio team at Psyonix works tirelessly on the sounds within these moments so Rocket League is able to achieve maximum levels of hype. Recently, the team that consists of sound designer Stephen Lichota, technical sound designer Miles Flanagan, and audio director Mike Ault has been hard at work on bringing High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Audio to the game. In today's world of 4K screens, the term "HDR" is usually reserved for vivid imagery on televisions, but it's also a part of the audio world. HDR Audio may share the name of HDR imaging, but it's a different concept entirely. While you need an HDR television to enjoy HDR programming, HDR Audio doesn't require any additional hardware and is specifically designed for video games. It enhances the mix of the audio so players will be able to more clearly hear the sounds that are important in the moment. That's the simplest way to describe this audio system that is anything but simple.

"HDR Audio is one of the hardest things to explain," says Stephen. "Even when we're constantly working with it, it can still throw your brain for a loop. Normally, you have a fader that you can adjust to make certain sound effects louder than others. It doesn't quite work like that in HDR Audio. It doesn't make sound louder. Instead, it makes other sounds quieter so there's an emphasis on specific sounds. So, then you're trying to listen for the things that the system is altering."

That's essentially what Rocket League's upgrade to HDR Audio is going to do. The sounds that are more important will be prioritized in a way so that they can be heard more clearly when they happen. "The whole goal is for you to hear what you want to hear the most," Mike explains. "So, you hear other cars, and you hear positional information better like where the ball is. Extra sound effects like crowd and ambience are moving out of the way. It all gives you a cleaner sense of the game."

This new sound mix didn't happen overnight. HDR Audio was attempted in the past, as early as the game's Neo Tokyo Arena release in 2016. But, that audio overhaul came with some growing pains. The world of audio engineering is not an exact science. There's only so much testing you do before the game is being played in online conditions. It's nearly impossible to recreate every combination of audio cues that could possibly happen in any given match. Plus, each update with new Boosts, Arenas, Battle-Cars, and Goal Explosions adds to the ever-growing library of sound effects.

"Rocket League is in its fifth year," Mike says. "There's so much sound-related content when you consider boosts, crowd noise, engine audio and so much more. Then, you stack 20 or 30 of those sounds at any given time. It can be pretty daunting to find where something is sounding wrong."

In addition to that challenge for the audio team, there's the issue of players experiencing the game's sound in vastly different environments. Some players rely on speakers built into a TV or monitor, while others may have high-fidelity sound systems. Most players, however, use headphones during their gaming sessions. In the past, Rocket League's audio mixes were primarily designed on top-notch sound systems, but that's not how most people are listening to the game's audio. The HDR Audio update is the game's first audio mix that was designed with a focus on headphones.

"When we did our last mix, we were doing it in one of our rooms in super high fidelity and listening to the audio at a louder volume than our community listening at home at night could realistically reproduce," Mike explains. "We created a very dynamic mix that we thought sounded fantastic. The vast majority of our players don't play Rocket League that way. So, rightfully so, we got a wide range of player feedback. This time, we took every step we could to recreate listening situations that our playerbase commonly experiences."

Throughout the development of this mix, the team played different games that handle dynamics in various ways. One game that stood out as an audio benchmark was Rainbow Six: Siege. According to the team, the sound design of Siege stands with its range dynamics of tensely quiet and bombastically loud states. Miles says that while this design can help guide the direction of Rocket League, Rocket League is a different beast entirely. "In Rocket League, you're driving a car that's accelerating and boosting nearly all the time," he explains. "That's essentially the only state of play, whereas Siege has two very different general levels of audio. It's a different case, but we can definitely take some useful cues from Siege."

One of those cues is to bring adjustable Dynamic Range Controls to Rocket League in a future update after HDR Audio hits the game and the team is able to monitor player feedback.

Once HDR Audio rolls out with the next update, the best advice Mike can give: have an open mind when you hear the changes for the first time. "There's this phenomenon in the audio world called 'temp love,'" he explains. "It says that people get attached to what they're used to. We're asking people to give it a chance. It will sound different. If it didn't sound different, then it defeats the purpose of remixing the audio. We genuinely feel that this is a major improvement and hope people approach it with an open mind. We're looking forward to hearing community feedback and using that to create the best possible listening experience."

Look out for HDR Audio in Rocket League's next update scheduled for August 27.

With Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season 7 in the rearview mirror, that means it's time to refresh the featured Training Pack Browser. While the previous pack featured creations from RLCS pros and former pros, this new collection has been hand-picked by Psyonix and should help several different facets of your game.

Check out the nine featured packs that will help improve your Rocket League fundamentals like dribbling, clearing, passing, double touches, backboard shots, and more!



As we previously announced, Competitive Season 11 is coming to a close on August 27. Hit these training packs hard to elevate your game and get to that next rank before the season ends! Don't forget, you have to complete your placement matches in a Competitive Playlist and fulfill the appropriate Season Reward Level in order to earn your rewards for Competitive Season 11.

Think you've created the next great Custom Training Pack? Let us know by sharing it on Discord, Reddit, and Twitter. We go through fan-submitted Training Packs each month, and could even choose yours for our next Community Spotlight!

These summer months have been by far the most radical Rocket League has ever seen. We hope you've been enjoying Radical Summer and everything it's brought to the game, from the three different Event Stores to the Ecto-1 and Knight Rider Car Packs. Millions of matches were played in the limited-time mode Playlists, and the plays you pulled off on the pitch were incredible. Thanks for sharing your clips!

Radical Summer is in its third and final phase before the redemption period begins on August 12, so it's a good time to look forward to the rest of 2019. There's plenty to discuss that we're excited about including the remainder of Rocket Pass 3, Rocket Pass 4, and more!



We heard you. The gap between Rocket Pass 2 and Rocket Pass 3 was too long. So, we're extending Rocket Pass 3 to the beginning of Rocket Pass 4. Rocket Pass 3 will be live until August 27, however no new Weekly Challenges will be added. The next Rocket Pass will begin on August 28.

The next Rocket Pass will slightly change the Weekly Challenge System. Weekly Challenges will stay active throughout its duration. This means that you'll be able to complete Challenges from previous weeks throughout Rocket Pass 4.

We're looking forward to revealing all the rugged items in August. If you're looking for a sneak peek at the featured Battle-Car, take a closer look at the Radical Summer trailer ...



There's only a month left in Competitive Season 11. As stated above, Competitive Season 11 will end on August 27 and Season 12 will begin on the same day following a title update. We'll reveal the next Season Rewards as we get closer to the end of the season.

Like previous Competitive Seasons, there will be unique rewards for Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Champion, and Grand Champion ranks. Plus, unique Extra Mode Grand Champion titles are returning from previous seasons.

Be sure to keep grinding those ranks over the next month. You have to complete your placement matches in a Competitive Playlist and fulfill the appropriate Season Reward Level in order to earn your rewards for Competitive Season 11.



Listen up! As we heard the reception to our audio changes from the previous update, we are making additional changes in the next one. High Dynamic Range Audio will be ready to rock and roll as a part of the next game update on August 27, which we hope will be music to your ears! Stay tuned for an in-depth look at the new sound of Rocket League in the next couple weeks.

• New Stats
Two new stats are being added to all game modes: “High Five” and “Low Five.” Pull off a High Five by hitting your teammate in midair after scoring. Low Five is the same thing, but on field level. Plus, Hoops is getting its own new stat called "Swish." As the name suggests, Swish is achieved by scoring without the ball touching the rim.
• Return of Haunted Hallows
We're in the planning stages of our third installment of Haunted Hallows, which is coming this fall. We know that following Radical Summer is a tough act to follow, but we're cooking up some wicked new content!
• New and improved tournaments
One of the goals in 2019 is to revamp Rocket League's Tournament system. Think of it as Tournaments 2.0. This would include having automated, scheduled tournaments in-game that players could join. Look out for more info on the revamped Tournaments system later this year.
• Regarding the last Roadmap
Content that was discussed in May's Roadmap including the Party-Up System, Inventory Management, and quality-of-life improvements to the player-to-player trading system are still in development. The goal is to roll out this functionality later in 2019.

Don't touch that remote! The '80s Television phase of Radical Summer is now live, and the iconic vehicle, K.I.T.T., is now available in the Knight Rider Car Pack!

Click here for more details.

Rocket Pass 3 is still charging forward. So, if you need a boost to get to the Pro Tiers, this weekend will be the best time to play. Get ready for our next Double XP Weekend, which will kick off on Thursday, July 18 and end on Monday, July 22.

Once 2XP Weekend begins, you'll earn double the amount of base experience in all Casual, Competitive, Extra, and Spike Rush mode Playlist matches via the "+100% special event" XP bonus.

Check out the official start and end times below and enjoy the extra XP!

• 2XP Start Time: Thursday, July 18 at 2 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m. UTC
  
• 2XP End Time: Monday, July 22 at 10 a.m. PDT / 4 p.m. UTC

Don't touch that remote! Radical Summer is entering its third phase next week: a celebration of '80s television. This final phase of our summer bash, which will run from July 22 at 10 a.m. PDT (5 p.m. UTC) through August 12, brings a new Premium DLC Car Pack - Knight Rider, brand new event items, and a limited-time mode.

Knight Industries has crafted its own Knight Industries Two-Thousand (also known as K.I.T.T.) for one mission: to dominate the pitch. The iconic car headlines the Knight Rider Car Pack DLC that will be available July 22 for $1.99 (or regional equivalent), which also includes K.I.T.T. Wheels and K.I.T.T. Gullwing Topper. Sorry, self-driving capabilities are not included!

A new phase of Radical Summer means new items are headed to the event store, and they're some of the biggest franchises to grace the small screen. Tune in for items from DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender, and WWE.

Don't forget about the Golden Eggs in the event store! Golden Eggs include items from Elevation, Victory, Turbo, and Nitro Crates. And, you can collect up to five Golden Eggs per phase, so jump into Online Matches to start earning Cassettes.

Hop into your Battle-Car, put on your aviators, and hit the sandy beaches of Salty Shores for the new limited-time Beach Ball Mode. This feel-good mode features 2-on-2 action with a large, reskinned ball that floats and curves just like a beach ball. We look forward to seeing your sweet beach montages in super slow-mo.

The celebration of '80s Television ends on August 12. If you missed any of the event items from the previous phases, take a chill pill. The event store from all three phases of Radical Summer will reopen for a "Last Chance" redemption period. You'll be able to redeem leftover Cassettes for event items from all three phases until August 19.

We hope you're digging Radical Summer so far! Get into our TV party next week and start earning more Cassettes. As always, stay radical!

Four years!

That's how long it's been since Rocket League first started scoring goals on PlayStations and PCs around the world, which were soon followed by releases on Xbox and Switch not too long after. It's been an incredible journey for us that spans what amounts to an entire high school career.

We think that's a fitting comparison too, because just like high school graduation, those four years are only the beginning of what we believe will be a long and prosperous move into maturity and bigger and better things. Rocket League is in it for the long haul. We firmly believe that our game will continue to grow and improve—not only for many years to come, but for many generations as well.

Case in point: in the time since we last talked about our third birthday, we've seen an enormous amount of progress for Rocket League and the industry as a whole. In just the last year alone, we launched our new and highly successful Rocket Pass initiative, giving players yet another way to enjoy and unlock in-game content; along with the recently added (and highly requested) "Weekly Challenges" feature, that expands the Rocket Pass concept even further.

In that same year, we've also added a ton of additional content in partnership with massive brands like Hot Wheels, McLaren, Shazam, and Major League Baseball to please fans of multiple backgrounds and interests, while also tapping into one of the greatest decades of all time—the 1980s—to bring classic IPs like Ghostbusters, Knight Rider, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Karate Kid, Voltron, The Goonies, and WWE to Rocket League; courtesy of our biggest in-game event ever, Radical Summer!

The last 12 months have also allowed us to achieve some of our most ambitious goals in the history of our studio. Specifically, TRUE cross-platform play, that allows you to play Rocket League with friends on ALL platforms, finally became a reality this past January when we joined Fortnite as the first two games to ever offer such a ground-beaking feature. That cross-play experience was made even better by the cross-platform parties function you have patiently waited for over the years. And let's not forget about our partners at Monstercat, who continue to introduce new songs and artists to Rocket League in-game (and for FREE) throughout the year!

Rocket League's Esports ecosystem is bigger and brighter than ever too! RLCS Season 6 introduced our first-ever $1 million prize pool in Las Vegas, while last month's RLCS Season 7 World Championship saw our most-attended event thus far, packing thousands of rabid fans into the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey! But that's just the tip of the iceberg for what's been a massive year for RLE, which includes:

• South America joining North America, Europe, and Oceania in RLCS7
  
• The launch of the DreamHack Pro Circuit and $100,000 prize pools ($400K total) at four different events
  
• Collegiate Rocket League's first-ever Spring Invitational, held live at the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  
• The return of the ELEAGUE Cup with a $150,000 prize pool, in addition to a multi-part ELEAGUE Feature Series that covers the players, teams, and stories of RLCS Seasons 7 and 8
  
• The launch of the oft-requested in-game Esports Shop, which allows players to purchase items to represent their favorite teams, with 30% of the revenue going to the participating organizations and an additional portion of revenue going to the RLCS League Play prize pool

Last but certainly not least, comes our biggest news of the year—that Psyonix and Rocket League officially joined the Epic Games family in late Spring! We couldn't be more thrilled to join forces with the same team that created Fortnite, Unreal Tournament, and the foundation on which Rocket League was built—the Unreal Engine—to ensure that we can bring you bigger and better things for years and years to come. With the expanded resources and support that Epic Games provides, we are confident that Rocket League's reach and potential will soar to levels we couldn't have previously imagined.

One last thing before we go (and we know we say it every year, but that's because it's true): ALL of Rocket League's continued success is because of YOU—our fans and our community. Your support, your passion, and your dedication is incredibly important to us, and we hope to make you proud, keep you happy, and (hopefully) continue to surprise you in the best possible ways.

On behalf of the entire Psyonix team, thank you so much for another great year of Rocket League! Now let's take a look at what we've accomplished together, in the graphic below…

Respectfully yours,

-- Psyonix