Unreal Engine 5: Rocket League’s most awaited 2024 Update

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Rocket League Unreal Engine 5 Update (UE5) 2024
TL;DR

The silence from Epic Games and Psyonix on Rocket League's UE5 update is deafening. The anticipation is real, but the answers are still up in the air.

Despite the quiet, progress may be brewing behind the scenes as speculations, leaks, and fan theories are keeping the hype alive.

What’s the deal with the UE5 update? Will we be cruising in Rocket League with UE5 by 2024?

Remember that tweet back in August 2021 about Rocket League shifting to UE5? Fans were hyped, but it’s been over 3 years now.

Here’s the timeline of events for a glimpse into what may be cooking:

The Tweet that started it all

An image of the job listing that started the entire storm about Rocket League's alleged upgrade to Unreal Engine 5
The Job Posting that started it

In August 2021, Twitter User @RyanGoldfish shared a job posting for a Marketing Copywriter at Epic Games, hinting at Rocket League’s shift to UE5. The news quickly spread on Reddit, sparking excitement among fans.

Devin Connors from Psyonix confirmed the move from UE3 to UE5, marking a significant upgrade for Rocket League.

Source: Ryan’s Tweet

Staff banter on Reddit

Also in August of 2021, a few hours after the first post of Rocket League’s move to UE5 blew up, a staff member who goes by the username u/Psyonix_Ted posted a light-hearted comment on a thread.

The comment didn’t confirm anything about UE5 but it also didn’t deny rumor.

Source: Reddit

Corey shares details

Image Shows the comments made by a Psyonix Staff on Reddit giving more details about Rocket League's Shift to UE5
u/Psyonix_Corey shares details of UE5 update on Reddit

Corey from Psyonix talked about moving Rocket League to Unreal Engine 5 in October 2021. He said, that the team had been thinking about this change for some time, but they were held back because they were a small team.

Corey couldn’t give exact dates for the upgrade or timeline but mentioned that testing might start the following year.

He also mentioned that a complete rebuild of Rocket League might be needed for the transition to feel right and feedback from regular players and pros will be crucial for this process.

The goal, he said, was for Unreal Engine 5 to fully replace the current version of Rocket League.

Source: Reddit Comment

Could UE5 Cars look this good?

A Fennec built in UE5 inside Hype Chamber
A Fennec built in Hype Chamber using Unreal Engine 5

A few years ago, Capacity Studios and Epic Games joined forces to explore Unreal Engine’s potential for broadcast and motion graphics. Hype Chamber, born from this collaboration, is a virtual space within the RLCS arena, enhancing the excitement of matchups and team announcements.

Initially a sample project, Hype Chamber evolved into a comprehensive broadcast package with Epic Games’ support.

If you’ve tuned into RLCS streams on Twitch, you’ve likely marveled at Hype Chamber’s visual spectacle. Designed specifically for live event broadcasts, it has become a staple in enhancing the RLCS viewing experience.

One may wonder if the game in Unreal Engine 5 can match the visual appeal of Hype Chamber, especially after witnessing its stunning visuals during RLCS live stream breaks.

Source: Capacity Studios

Octane’s UE5 Debut in Fortnite

In Nov. 2022, the Octane car from Rocket League made its debut inside of Fortnite which, by then had already fully been upgraded to UE5
A glimpse of UE5 Octane in Fortnite

In November 2022, Fortnite introduction of the Octane Import Body from Rocket League brought Rocket League vibes to Fortnite with rocket boost, speed, jumps, dodges, flying, and wall-driving.

Fans of Rocket League were thrilled to see a Rocket League vehicle in Fortnite’s creative mode. This crossover marked a significant moment for both games, especially with Fortnite’s use of Unreal Engine 5.

Source: Fortnite News

Sound Design Intern’s Social Media Post

A social media most from a Sound Designer who is interning at Epic Games became the reason for new speculations about Rocket League's UE5 update.
“Feels very UNREAL”, the hint couldn’t be clearer

An anonymous Sound Designer, joined Epic Games in February 2023 to work on Rocket League. In a social media post, the intern hinted that he was excited to be working on something that feels “unreal”.

This game fans enough of a reason to assume that Rocket League UE5 is not just under development but almost nearing completion, given that sound design is usually brought in late in the game creation process.

The hype was up again and an announcement was awaited during the then upcoming World Championship event that was to take place in Düsseldorf, Germany from August 3rd to 13th.

Source: Reddit Post

Rocket Racing (2024)

The newly released Rocket Racing game is built in Fortnite's UE5 engine.
Was the UE5 Leak actually Rocket Racing?

The latest addition to the list of UE5 clues is Rocket Racing – an arcade racer developed by Psyonix that is part of the Fortnite ecosystem which uses – you guessed it – UE5.

A key aspect of Rocket Racing is the ability to use cars from Rocket League. Players can race using various car bodies, including the Octane, Cyclone, Jäger 619, and Lamborghini Huracán STO, which are available from their existing Rocket League garage.

With so much content from Rocket League already ported in UE5 for Rocket Racing, would it be too outlandish to wonder if the UE5 update is definitely in the works for the main game?

And that’s it. That is all that we know about Rocket League’s upcoming Unreal Engine 5 update laid out.

Considering it took Epic Games about 8-9 months to transition Fortnite to Unreal Engine 5. Now, in 2024 one could wonder if Rocket League’s update is still 9 months out.

But then, with many years having passed since the first job posting leak, an announcement could also be imminent.

All we can do is speculate, only Epic Games and Psynoix know for sure.

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