5 Best Video Games Like Rocket League

"Rocket League" has continued to be one of the most unique and skillful games in the entire industry since its launch in 2015. There's really nothing else like it on the market, as it masterfully combines a racing game with the core elements of soccer, making for a brilliant blend of two sports genres. Of course, if you've ever played "Rocket League," then you know how taxing the game can be, especially as you learn new and more difficult mechanics.

Fortunately, there are a few games in 2026 that any "Rocket League" fan will enjoy, especially if they're fond of the car soccer title's core mechanics. Naturally, nothing will truly match that unique blend of racing and soccer. However, some games have certainly been inspired by "Rocket League" and added their own twist to the formula, while other competitors are currently in development. For today, though, here are five games that capture the spirit of "Rocket League," each offering its own similarities to the game.

"Star Wars: Galactic Racer" is one of the purest and most enjoyable racing games to be released in recent years. While it's set in the "Star Wars" universe, you're not required to have any knowledge of the franchise to play and understand what's going on. If you wanted a place to start, though, "Star Wars Outlaws" is a great game to get familiar with the franchise. Unlike many of the modern open-world racing games that have become more popular over the past decade, "Star Wars: Galactic Racer" is a roguelike that offers a linear story to follow, as well as several other game modes.

In the game's Campaign, you'll go through distinct runs, where you can upgrade your character and vehicle with various abilities and parts. However, if you crash too many times or lose a particular race, you're forced to start the entire run over again. For "Rocket League" fans, you'll find that "Star Wars: Galactic Racer" offers an incredible sense of speed, which is mostly helped by the boosting mechanic, and a packed multiplayer mode that lets you race against both friends and strangers. While there are no soccer mechanics, you'll likely forget all about that after your first few races with a Pod Racer.

While "Rocket League" offers a variety of content that doesn't surround the game of soccer, the core mechanics are based on that sport. So, it's only fitting to have a soccer, or football, game on the list, and the best option for most players is "EA FC 27." You could also include the entire "EA FC" franchise, which used to be called "FIFA," but a new title is released every year, and the current offering is certainly worthy of a purchase. If you've never played an "EA FC" title before, you have access to a heap of game modes that allow you to play as numerous teams from around the world and give you the chance to create your own player in a story-based mode.

Of course, a variety of the modes are multiplayer-focused, with FC Ultimate Team serving as the crown jewel for many players. Ultimate Team lets you assemble a team of players, which can be upgraded with new player cards, and play against both the CPU and real players to earn more currency so you can purchase better players. If that's not your jam, you can head to The Grounds, a social hub designed to let you interact with other players, or simply hone your soccer skills in one of several single-player modes. The actual soccer mechanics are what you would expect from a AAA title, but unlike in "Rocket League," "EA FC 27" has you contend with real rules, like offsides and player substitutions, and master various skills, like passing and shooting.

A few games that have been released after "Rocket League" were clearly inspired by the game's mechanics, and "Roller Champions" is one of them. You can think of this game as "Rocket League," but with roller skates instead of cars. There are no soccer mechanics, but the overall goal of "Roller Champions" is to take a ball around a track and make it one lap while keeping it in your team's possession, which scores a point.

Just like "Rocket League," the core game mode is in a 3v3 PvP environment, so you and a team of two others compete against another team of three to see who can roller skate the best. You actually go fairly fast in "Roller Champions," and there are a slew of skills and mechanics that you can master to improve your gameplay. While you're technically confined to a lap-based track, there are no rules about how you maneuver the track, so you can skate up the walls, into opponents, and just about anything else in order to score points. There are also decent customization options and progression, which serve as the main replayability incentives in "Roller Champions."

With just a single glance, it's plain as day that "Turbo Golf Racing" was heavily inspired by "Rocket League." The game basically features the same concept and mechanics, but with golf instead of soccer. So, instead of trying to shoot a ball into a net, you're attempting to sink a ball into a hole. Despite the clear inspiration, though, "Turbo Golf Racing" actually has solid reviews from players, as the game offers a completely different set of skills compared to its car soccer predecessor.

Using your car, which features a boost system that allows it to soar through the air, your main goal is to complete a golf course with the lowest score possible. To do this, you just have to sink your ball into the hole before any of your competitors. "Turbo Golf Racing" allows for a maximum party size of seven, so you and six others compete on a single course. To make matters more chaotic, though, all seven players are on the course at the same time, trying to get their ball into the hole first, which causes plenty of havoc. There are other modes available in "Turbo Golf Racing," making it a fairly deep experience.

Perhaps the most difficult part about "Rocket League" is that it features one of the highest skill ceilings of any multiplayer game. However, it's not the only game in the racing genre to have an incredibly steep skill gap. "Trackmania" seems like a simple racer when you first pick it up, but as you play more and more, you'll learn that you're only scratching the surface of what's mechanically possible.

"Trackmania" is highly multiplayer-focused, but it can be played in single-player as well. At its core, the game lets you control an F1-style car and race around a variety of tracks to try to score the best possible time. Once you start to really get into "Trackmania," though, you'll see just how much precision it takes to get around the track in the quickest way. From finding the right speed to turning at a certain time to mastering different surfaces, a ton of strategy goes into every race of "Trackmania." The game even features a revolving set of tracks, all of which are player-made, so you always have something new to master, especially if you want to climb the multiplayer leaderboards.