'Rocket League Sideswipe' brings car soccer game to iOS

The high-octane sports game "Rocket League Sideswipe" has shot onto iOS, with the car soccer title arriving on the small screen worldwide after existing on consoles and PC for years.

The mobile version of the main "Rocket League" game, "Sideswipe" takes the core concept of rocket-propelled cars playing soccer, but simplifies it. Rather than requiring players to deal with three dimensions, "Sideswipe" instead is a side-on game that has players dealing with just two.

Loosely following the rules of soccer, teams must knock a ball into their opponent's goal, while also defending their own. However, instead of people, the game uses cars with rockets, enabling them to gain a speed boost, jump, and fly in the air.

While made easier for mobile gameplay, the game still offers the same aerial acrobatic maneuvers as its full-fat counterpart, with tweaks made to service both touchscreen gameplay and use of a Bluetooth controller. There are both private match options and competitive modes, as well as a global leaderboard.

Users can also customize their vehicle, just like the main version, with unlockable additions able to be earned over time. The "Rocket Pass" will offer more earnable customization options for a fee, and will become available following the "pre-season" launch period.

Psyonix has been rolling out the game regionally in late November, and has now made it available in all areas.

Requiring iOS or iPadOS 11.0 or later, "Rocket League Sideswipe" is a free-to-play game.

The arrival on iOS has been a long time in coming, as "Rocket League" has been playable on major consoles and PC for some time already. While on Windows, developer Psyonix ended support for macOS in March 2020, forcing players onto other platforms or to play the game on Mac without any online functionality.

Psyonix was acquired in 2019 by Epic Games, a company that drew ire from Apple and had its game "Fortnite" pulled from the App Store over developer policy disagreements. Despite a lawsuit verdict firmly in Apple's favor, the legal wrangling is set to continue for quite some time.