Rocket Arena is a newly evolved cross-play hero arena shooter where players and teams master the art of the rocket through a roster of diverse heroes, customizable play styles and highly competitive action.

Set in the vibrant World of Crater, Rocket Arena introduces new blast and recovery mechanics, powerful rocket launchers that can be used in combat or to propel heroes around the map and signature character abilities to create a completely new shooter experience.

In Rocket Arena, players are equipped with a blast meter that increases as they are blasted by rockets. As the meter reaches its critical point, players become susceptible to being knocked out of the map, but will quickly return to the stage to stay in the action. With dedicated matchmaking functionality, servers account for skill level and latency when pairing players together. 

EA and Final Strike Games launched Season 1 of Rocket Arena earlier this week, and there’s never been a better time to blast into the action! To celebrate the new content, Rocket Arena will be available to play for free for a limited time.

Players interested in trying Rocket Arena for free can access the game through:

• Microsoft Xbox’s Free Play Days program - Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can enjoy the game for free beginning today until August 2 at 11:59pm PT.
• Steam - Steam users can play the game for free today at 10am PT until August 3 at 10am PT.
• EA Access & Origin Access - EA Access & Origin Access members will be able to download the full standard edition of Rocket Arena for free beginning tomorrow, July 31 at 8am PT. Members will also score an exclusive Epic Mysteen Outfit as soon as they log into the game.

As a thank you, fans who played Rocket Arena prior to Season 1 saw a bonus of 3,000 Rocket Fuel added to their account, which can be redeemed for unique cosmetic items and/or seasonal Blast Passes through Season 3. These early pioneers of the game will also find 10 animated outfits in their accounts representing each of the launch characters. 

In Season 1, the story follows the events and heroes of the Rocket Championship Tour, where players discover each hero's personal motivations for winning the Tour Trophy, and how that drive reflects on their personality, backstory, and passions. The season will also bring a new hero – Flux, the first major in-game event, new maps, and daily and weekly challenges. Over 10 new playlists will be introduced, representing Rocket Arena’s Social, PVE, and Ranked Modes. 

Rocket Arena’s live service is at the core of the game’s design and will allow players to dive deeper into the overarching story, written by TaleSpin Writer/Co-Creator Len Uhley with the direction of Sly Cooper Co-Creator Dev Madan (now the Lead Art Director at Final Strike Games). Every season will run for approximately 3 months and will include a new playable character, limited-time events, game mode and playlist rotations, a new Blast Pass, a new ranked season and much more!

Each season will introduce:

• A New Hero complete with 100 levels of progression rewards, and new cosmetics. All new heroes will be free to all players.
• Limited-Time Events, which will introduce free new multiplayer maps, exclusive themed hero outfits and other cosmetics, multiple new playlists and game modes as well as new event themed challenges. Events are held and themed within the regions of Crater, and may also introduce entire new regions to the game.
• Game Mode and Playlist Rotations - In addition to special event playlists, and weekend playlists, the FSG design team will update game mode and map selections based on community feedback.
• A new Blast Pass, which will include over 100 rewards across free and premium tiers. XP earned in any of Rocket Arena’s online playlists will progress your Blast Pass and reward you with exclusive hero outfits, XP bonuses, MegaBlast trails and more.
  • Completing the Blast Pass will also net you 1500 Rocket Fuel, enough to enter the next season’s Blast Pass (950 Rocket Fuel).
• A New Ranked Season, which includes a special Ranked Playlist for the most competitive Rocket Arena players. Each season introduces changes to the ranked play meta which may include new items, artifacts, and tuning settings.
• And more!

As we add more maps, characters, game modes, and artifacts to the game, you’ll learn more about the deep lore behind the heroes and the world of Crater. If you ever want to just try a character, experiment with artifacts, or practice use of items like the Rocket Magnet and Ninja Headband - check out the Practice Mode in the game on launch day.

The team at FSG have hidden lore, and easter-eggs everywhere within Rocket Arena. Look for details within the maps that hint at the back stories and experiences of the characters. Within the World of Crater you may even find hints at future characters we have not yet introduced or mysteries not yet uncovered! You can also find Rockets everywhere - there are so many hidden rockets in the landscapes, buildings, decor, foliage, and even wildlife that we’ve admittedly lost count.

What to expect in Season 1

Starting July 28, Season 1 will follow our heroes as they take part in the famous Rocket Arena Championship Tour. Previous champions and new competitors alike will battle it out across the World of Crater. Each of the heroes have their own personal motivations to win the Tour Trophy, their drive reflects on their personality, backstory, and passions. Jayto won last year’s tournament on an ‘accidental rocket’, so he hopes to prove himself while his home region, Boom City, hosts the opening ceremonies of the Season 1 tour.

This summer, Season 1 takes the Championship Tour to new lands introducing our first major in-game event, which will bring new maps,and daily and weekly challenges. Over 10 new playlists will be introduced, representing Rocket Arena’s Social, PVE, and Ranked Modes. Season 1’s final major event will launch this fall and again you’ll see the same level of new content introduced to Rocket Arena as in the first event.

Rocket Arena will be available for cross-platform play on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Origin and Steam) starting July 14, 2020.