The arena design in Rocket League covers Rocket League Keys a visually eclectic array of places, from an ornate garden embellished in brick to a slice of Mad Max’s deserted backyard. They all share an elegant oval shape that funnels the ball toward the goal - but rarely straight into it.

In fact, a huge part of playing well is learning to bounce or roll the ball against the curved perimeter (even rocketing across the walls and ceiling, if you must) and get it in just the right spot for a decisive headbutt or a flanking teammate to seal the deal. The enclosed arena keeps things moving, always, and comes to represent just how satisfying and neatly locked in all of Rocket League’s mechanisms are. Play it enough and it’s like existing in that capsule. Your body is a car now. You drink gasoline and fart fire.

Man would not become car quite so quickly if Rocket League wasn’t also peppered with respectful features to put play at the forefront. Loading times leave in a flash, there’s split-screen play (remember that?) along with a huge list of gameplay mutators that make exhibition matches between friends feel especially wild.