Rocket League RLCS 2025 updates: More majors, bigger prize pool, and new one-versus-one action!

The developer behind the popular car football game Rocket League, Psyonix, has announced a major overhaul for the 2025 Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) season. This revamped format promises to enhance the competitive landscape and increase engagement among fans and players alike.

The 2025 RLCS will introduce two Major events and a substantial prize pool of $5 million, marking an increase of $700,000 from the previous season’s $4.3 million. This boost in the prize pool reflects Psyonix’s commitment to expanding the competitive scene and rewarding players more generously. The new format aims to create “increasing opportunities for fans, players, and teams to be able to compete and watch more,” according to the announcement from Psyonix.

A notable addition to the 2025 RLCS is the introduction of a one-versus-one format. This new competition will run concurrently with the traditional three-versus-three format, offering a fresh dynamic to the tournament. 

Who will receive cash prizes?

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top 128 players from Europe, the top 64 from South America (SAM), and the top 32 from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, further incentivizing high-level play across these regions. In addition to the one-versus-one format, Psyonix will implement last-chance open qualifiers between the second Major and the World Championship.

These qualifiers will involve teams from each region based on their performance at previous Majors, with one team from each region earning a spot in the World Championship. This change will increase the total number of competing teams at the World Championship from 16 to 20, providing more opportunities for teams to showcase their skills on a global stage.

The 2024 RLCS World Championship had already set a high bar for viewership, with peaks reaching 426,833. Although this was a slight decrease from the 468,292 viewers of the 2023 event, the increased prize pool and expanded format for 2025 are expected to drive even greater interest and engagement.

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