Gridiron was the Rocket League mode that replaced the usual soccer ball with a football for the Super Bowl LV celebration.
Psyonix introduced Gridiron in February 2021 as a limited-time event connected with Super Bowl LV. Instead of using Rocket League’s standard spherical soccer ball, the mode featured an American-football-shaped ball and rules designed around carrying, passing, and battling for possession in an arena styled for the occasion.
The event demonstrated how Rocket League could adapt its central car-and-ball formula to other sports. Earlier updates had already expanded the game beyond standard soccar with modes inspired by ice hockey and basketball. Gridiron similarly changed the ball’s behavior and the way players approached attacks, catches, clears, and team positioning.
The name can cause confusion because “gridiron football” is a broad term for American and Canadian football, while Gridiron is the specific Rocket League playlist name. The other choices are unrelated Rocket League modes or themed events: Chaos Run is associated with post-apocalyptic content, Spike Rush uses spiky cars, and Heatseeker alters ball behavior toward goals.