Rocket League has changed how players earn the new Dev Boost after its original unlock method caused problems in matchmaking. Psyonix says the cosmetic is now a Free Tier 99 reward in the Season 24 Rocket Pass and will no longer be awarded for winning with or against a developer. The change was announced through the official Rocket League Status account on September 24, one day after Season 24 began.
The studio said it had tried something new with Dev Boost, but the system led to a poor match experience and was difficult for the global community to participate in. Under the original setup, players needed to encounter a developer in a live match and either win alongside or against them to receive the item. That created a reward structure dependent on randomly meeting a comparatively small number of eligible players rather than completing a conventional challenge or progressing through the Rocket Pass.
Reports from players quickly showed why that approach became disruptive. Some users described players repeatedly leaving, forfeiting or otherwise abandoning matches while trying to find a developer, with Casual playlists particularly affected. Psyonix has now removed that condition entirely, meaning encountering a developer in matchmaking no longer grants Dev Boost.
Instead, anyone who progresses far enough through the Season 24 Rocket Pass can unlock the cosmetic through its free track at Tier 99. That makes the reward available without purchasing the premium Rocket Pass, although reaching the required tier still demands substantial seasonal progression. Season 24 launched on September 23 and introduced Honor Duels, Black Market Trade-Ins, customizable scoreboards, Top 100 titles and the new Bullet Ball limited-time mode.
Moving Dev Boost into the Rocket Pass also makes its availability more predictable across regions. The previous method depended on whether developers happened to be playing on a particular server, playlist and time zone, something Psyonix specifically acknowledged as difficult for a global player base. A progression-based unlock removes that geographical and matchmaking dependency while preserving the item as a reward players still need to work toward.
Dev Boost is also notable because Rocket League Boost cosmetics can support cross-game ownership with Fortnite when the same Epic Games account is used. Epic has previously established that eligible Boosts obtained in one game can appear in the other, allowing Rocket League cosmetics to function across both ecosystems. The Dev Boost has consequently attracted attention beyond Rocket League itself as Epic continues expanding shared vehicle cosmetics between its games.
The timing of the reversal makes it unusual. Psyonix introduced Season 24 only a day earlier, meaning the studio changed the acquisition method almost immediately after seeing how players reacted to it in live matchmaking. Rather than adjusting the odds of meeting developers or modifying the win requirement, the developer removed the mechanic completely.
Season 24 already has several other progression paths running alongside the Rocket Pass. Its Run it Up event includes 14 challenges and rewards from the new Nova Collection, while the season also includes limited-time events such as Bullet Ball and the Persona 5 event beginning September 25. Those systems use conventional challenge or progression structures rather than requiring players to encounter specific members of the development team.
Psyonix has not indicated that the original Dev Boost distribution method will return in another form. For now, Free Tier 99 is the sole announced way to earn the reward, and winning matches involving developers no longer provides it. The change turns what began as a developer-encounter reward into a standard seasonal progression item while directly addressing the matchmaking problems created by the initial experiment.
