After a three-month delay, Rocket League finally joined the PlayStation Cross-Play Beta program in January, seeing matches comprised of players from any platform. Developer Psyonix asked for a little patience regarding its party and friend systems, which are finally set to arrive on February 19^th.

Despite pairing players from PC against PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, Rocket League’s lack of cross-platform party system meant that friends using different platforms could only band together in the Custom game mode. Fortunately, the incoming Friends Update is set to change that later this month, which introduces the Friends List and opens up online matchmaking to cross-platform parties.

Instead of relying solely on platform-specific systems such as the Steam or PSN friends list, Psyonix is set to introduce its new RocketID feature. This combines a user’s name with a randomised four digit number, much like Battle.net or Discord. Players can input this name using the second tab, dubbed RocketID friends, which can be used to invite people on other platforms to join Parties and Clubs.

Psyonix has fleshed the new Friends List out even further, adding a third tab of Recent Players that have appeared in matches outside of the immediate party to view their profile or send a friend request. The last tab is for Notifications that shows these requests, invites and general alerts.

The Friend Update will also make the Dropshot, Hoops, Snow Day, and Rumble ‘Extra’ game modes available in Free Play, allowing players to practice each one for as long as they like. And a Weekly Win notification will appear on the XP screen.

KitGuru Says: The shift to in-game friends lists might be a bit of a hassle given how many times people will need to add one another, but it is the smarter decision for those that want to embrace cross-platform play. Are you excited to play with friends from other platforms?

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