Rocket League is getting Easy Anti-Cheat on PC, and the switch-on date is now locked in. Psyonix confirmed the rollout through its official channels, ending months of speculation about when the system would actually go live. The change affects how PC players launch the game, whether mods like BakkesMod can run, and how online queuing works.
Release time: April 28, 2026
What happens on April 28, 2026
Starting that day, Rocket League on PC (both Epic Games Store and Steam versions) launches with an Easy Anti-Cheat toggle. You choose whether to start the game with EAC on or off. The choice determines what you can do in that session.
With EAC enabled, you can queue for online matches, private matches, and tournaments. Mods will not run in this mode. With EAC disabled, mods are allowed, but online queuing is blocked. You are limited to offline matches, training, LAN matches, and replay viewing with custom video tools.
To switch between the two modes, you need to close and relaunch the game.
EAC on vs EAC off
| Activity | EAC on | EAC off |
|---|---|---|
| Online ranked and casual matches | Allowed | Blocked |
| Private matches | Allowed | Blocked |
| Tournaments | Allowed | Blocked |
| Offline matches and training | Allowed | Allowed |
| LAN matches | Allowed | Allowed |
| Replay viewing | Allowed | Allowed (with custom video tools) |
| BakkesMod and other mods | Blocked | Allowed |
| Steam Workshop and community maps | Allowed (without mods on top) | Allowed (with mods if you want) |
What this means for BakkesMod
BakkesMod and its plugin ecosystem, including tools like AlphaConsole, don't disappear. They just can't run while EAC is active. If you want BakkesMod features such as colored freeplay, custom car previews, rank viewers, or POV replays, you'll launch Rocket League with EAC turned off and stick to offline or LAN activities.
Community-made content is treated separately. Steam Workshop maps and similar community content remain playable with EAC on or off. The rule is simple: if you want to layer mods on top of community content, you need EAC off for that session.
Linux, Steam Deck, and Mac
Psyonix confirmed that Rocket League will continue to work on Linux and Steam Deck through compatibility layers like Proton with Easy Anti-Cheat enabled. EAC runs in userspace for these platforms, which keeps the game accessible without kernel-level access on Linux.
Mac is a different situation. Rocket League isn't natively supported on macOS and has been played through tools like Heroic, CrossOver, or Wine. With EAC enforced for online play, those compatibility paths are expected to break for queuing into matches. Mac-only players looking to continue online play will need to fall back to a streaming service or a Windows install on supported hardware.
How to verify EAC is active
Step 1: Launch Rocket League on PC through the Epic Games launcher or Steam. You will be prompted to choose whether to start with Easy Anti-Cheat on or off.
Step 2: Select the EAC-enabled option. The game will load with anti-cheat running in the background.
Step 3: Open the main menu and try to queue for an online match. If EAC is active, queuing works normally. If you picked the EAC-off launch, the online queue options will be unavailable until you restart the game.
Why Psyonix is adding it now
The headline target is automated play. Bots have become a visible problem at the higher end of the ranked ladder, along with DDoS-based match manipulation. EAC is designed to detect and ban cheaters in real time, and Psyonix has hinted that hardware-level bans are part of the broader enforcement toolkit.
EAC won't eliminate cheating outright. No anti-cheat does. But it raises the effort required, removes the easiest off-the-shelf bot tools, and gives Psyonix an ongoing detection framework to update as new exploits appear.
Things to do before April 28
- Back up any BakkesMod configurations, custom training packs, and plugin settings you want to keep for offline use.
- If you rely on POV replays or custom video tools, plan to run them in EAC-off sessions going forward.
- Mac-only players should test a streaming option or consider a Windows install if online play matters.
- Linux and Steam Deck users don't need to change anything; EAC-enabled play is supported through Proton.
Psyonix has said a full blog post with additional details is coming in the week leading up to the switch-on. The core facts, however, are already set: April 28 is the date, PC players get a launch-time toggle, and mods and online play will no longer share the same session.