Rocket League has never made the jump to mobile, which always seemed a bit strange. But now it's finally coming in the form of a new standalone spinoff, Rocket League Sideswipe. The spinoff will launch later in 2021 with playtests beginning in select regions and on select platforms today. Players in Australia and New Zealand can start accessing the game today via the Limited Alpha. Later this year, players in other regions can try it out in multiple different beta periods as well.
Rocket League Sideswipe adapts the game's rules and presentation for mobile phones to make it all more intuitive to playing on the go. Matches will be shortened from five minutes to two, while team settings are limited to 1v1 or 2v2 modes. The game seems to be played entirely on a 2.5D plane, and early screens suggest some of the game's alternate modes beyond soccer will be available. Currently, the main game features basketball and soccer spinoff modes, while it briefly added a football mode for the Super Bowl this past February. A new mode built for Sideswipe will have players making a vertical ascent in order to score a goal.
Vehicle customization will remain a big part of the game, and though the team hasn't said so, we can comfortably assume that will factor into the game's free to play monetization strategy. Various arenas, Battle-Cars, and more will arrive in the game at launch and through (likely plentiful) updates. Now that Psyonix is owned by Epic, look for the parent company to continue to find ways to grow one of the world's best franchises for casual and competitive players alike.
