Last night Psyonix officially announced that the Rocket League Rumble patch would release on Thursday, 8th September with a truly incredible number of new features that should greatly improve the game for all types of player. Here's a summary of a few new features we'll be seeing, but to see the complete list, check out the official page here.

Rumble

Rocket League Rumble is a brand new game mode that seems to target a more casual audience, with similarities to games like Mario Kart. Alongside the core game mechanics, you'll also be able to use 'power-ups,' such as freezing the ball, kicking opponents out of the way with a boot, grappling hooks, whirlwinds and more. See the video above for more of a taste of the game mode if you haven't seen it already.

Crates & Keys

Although there has been negative press around crate and key systems recently, this is a feature we've wanted to see since way, way back in the alpha. Although the ultra rare items introduced in the previous patch were great, they were still quite easy to obtain. By adding crates, Psyonix are introducing a vast array of new customisation options that should freshen up the look of matches, whilst also generating revenue to improve the Rocket League Championship Series prizepool.

Crate items will come in a selection of rarities - Rare, Very Rare, Import, Exotic and Black Market. The official Rumble page shows off a few of these new items  including moving decals, animated wheels and four new 'import' vehicle bodies.

Trading

Trading was teased several months ago when the new items were introduced, and it's now confirmed to be in this month's patch. It appears that you'll be able to trade almost all items except standard items and premium DLC. It seems that the rare and highly coveted alpha items will be valid for trades, as will all of the certified and painted items you've collected over the past couple of months.

Team Customisation

We've seen hundreds of requests for this over the past year, so we're glad to see that Psyonix are now implementing it. Once the September patch drops you'll be able to specify a custom load-out for both the blue and orange team, plus have up to ten customisation pre-sets that you'll be able to switch between quickly if you like to run with a few different looks.

New Maps

We're a big fan of map variety, and the Rumble patch is going to bring a further three to the table - reskins of Urban Central and DFH Stadium (Dawn and Stormy respectively) and a brand new map. The new map will be joining the ranks of the Rocket Labs and called 'Octagon,' which, perhaps predictably, will be shaped like an octagon.