How many people play Rocket League? Players and esports (2026)

Rocket League had 75 million players by July 2020, PlayStation LifeStyle reported, and two months later it went free to play. On 24 September 2020, the day after the switch, 1,003,036 people were playing at once across all platforms, Psyonix said, as GameSpot reported.

One incredible game that Psyonix came up with was Rocket League, a mix of soccer and rocket-powered cars that has given the gaming world a huge amount of action-packed fun. No two matches are the same, so let’s look at the numbers behind it. And if you’re wondering how much money the video game industry makes, we’ve got you covered there too.

Rocket League key statistics

1,003,036: players online at once across all platforms, 24 September 2020.
75 million: players by July 2020.
146,902: the most players online at once on Steam, September 2020.
20 million: Rocket League Sideswipe downloads in its first 40 days.
$59.9 million: esports prize money awarded by October 2026.

Rocket League players

Rocket League had 75 million players by July 2020

Rocket League passed 50 million players in September 2018, GameRevolution reported.
It ended 2018 at 52 million.
Epic Games bought Psyonix in May 2019.
By July 2020, five years after launch, 75 million people had played, across 5 billion matches and 29 billion goals.
Over those five years, the car lineup grew from 10 to 70 and the game went from 2 platforms to 4.
It went free to play on 23 September 2020, and the next day 1,003,036 people played at once.

When	Players
September 2018	50 million
End of 2018	52 million
July 2020	75 million
24 September 2020	1,003,036 online at once

Rocket League set its Steam record of 146,902 players in September 2020

Year	Most players at once on Steam	Month
2015	44,875	December
2016	102,684	April
2017	82,254	May
2018	82,303	July
2019	80,213	December
2020	146,902	September
2021	112,482	January
2022	54,482	January
2023	51,401	March
2024	39,485	March
2025	35,847	March
2026 (to 30 October)	40,982	March

Figures from Steam Charts. The September 2020 record came with the free-to-play launch.

Is Rocket League dying? No, but it’s quieter on Steam. Its Steam peak fell from 146,902 in 2020 to around 40,000 a year since 2024. Since going free, new players download it from the Epic Games Store rather than Steam, and many more play on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch.

Rocket League Sideswipe had 20 million downloads in its first 40 days

The mobile spin-off launched worldwide on Android and iOS on 29 November 2021.
It passed 20 million downloads within 40 days, Pocket Gamer reported.

Few people expected a mobile Rocket League, but Sideswipe’s 2D take on the formula caught on fast.

Rocket League streaming and esports

Rocket League is great for a casual match, but it also has an exceptional esports scene and a big Twitch following.

Rocket League had 135.89 million hours watched on Twitch in 2022

Streamers broadcast 7.7 million hours of Rocket League on Twitch in 2022.
It averaged 15,513 viewers and peaked at 348,465.
882,625 channels streamed it that year.
It ranked 27th on Twitch by average viewers.

Figures from SullyGnome. The game isn’t growing on Twitch the way it did early on, but it has held a steady place among the platform’s most-watched games.

Rocket League esports has awarded $59.9 million in prize money

By October 2026, Rocket League had paid out $59.9 million across 5,607 tournaments, according to Esports Earnings.
That’s more than double the $26.15 million recorded in late 2022.
The RLCS 2021-22 World Championship had a $2,085,000 prize pool, and Gamers8 2022 offered $2 million.

When	Prize money awarded	Tournaments
Late 2022	$26.15 million	2,517
October 2026	$59.9 million	5,607

The esports scene has more than doubled its payouts in four years, which shows how alive the competitive side of the game is.

How many people play Rocket League? Players, Steam and esports