The official competitive circuit for Rocket League is the Rocket League Championship Series, commonly abbreviated RLCS. It is the game’s premier esports competition and culminates in the Rocket League World Championship.
Psyonix announced the first RLCS in March 2016 after seeing strong interest in Rocket League broadcasts on Twitch and other streaming platforms. The inaugural finals were held later that year, with a $55,000 prize pool. Early seasons used a more traditional league structure, including the Rocket League Rival Series as a second division.
The format has changed considerably. RLCS X, introduced for the 2020 season, replaced league play and the Rival Series with regional splits and point-based qualification. Later seasons added international Majors, regional events, and expanded competition across areas such as the Middle East, North Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
RLCS is sometimes confused with community tournaments or older divisions such as RLRS. Those events can be important parts of the competitive ecosystem, but RLCS is the official top-level circuit. Psyonix organized it through 2023; BLAST became its tournament operator beginning in 2024.