Should I play Rocket League® or Rocket Cars first?

If you want chronology, Rocket League® (2015) came out before Rocket Cars (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.

Are Rocket League® and Rocket Cars similar?

They overlap on Sports, Racing on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.

Yes — Rocket Cars is a free-to-play Steam title. Rocket League® is paid (Price unknown).

Does Rocket League® run on Steam Deck?

Yes — Rocket League® is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Rocket Cars doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.

Rocket League® vs Rocket Cars

Rocket League® and Rocket Cars both land in Sports, Racing on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Sports, Racing on Steam. Rocket League® (2015) is 11 years older than Rocket Cars (2026). Rocket League® scores higher on Steam reviews (86.6% positive) than Rocket Cars (61.1% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose Rocket League®

Choose Rocket League® if you want an Action and Indie game with Shared/Split Screen, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 226,694 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Rocket Cars

Choose Rocket Cars if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Rocket Cars launched in 2026.

Both Rocket League® and Rocket Cars sit in Sports and Racing on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Rocket League® vs Rocket Cars — Steam metadata comparison
	Rocket League®	Rocket Cars
Released	2015	2026
Genres	Action, Sports, Indie, Racing	Sports, Free To Play, Racing
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Verified	Unrated
Price	Price unknown	Free to play
Steam reviews	86.6% positive (226,694 reviews)	61.1% positive (18 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op	Multi-player
Developers	Psyonix LLC	GenKAKR

Side by side

Both share Sports, Racing on Steam.
Rocket League® (2015) is 11 years older than Rocket Cars (2026).
Rocket League® scores higher on Steam reviews (86.6% positive) than Rocket Cars (61.1% positive).
Rocket Cars is free; Rocket League® is paid (Price unknown).
Rocket League® has co-op; Rocket Cars does not.
Rocket League® is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Rocket Cars has no Deck rating yet.