PlayStation reveals that the 2015 soccer-with-cars game Rocket League beat the likes of Battlefield and Call of Duty to be the most downloaded PS4 game of 2016.

2016 was a year full of huge, blockbuster releases. From action-packed first-person shooters like Battlefield 1 to Ubisoft's ambitious open world game The Division, the year had plenty of big budget games competing for consumer dollars. However, some may be surprised to learn that the most downloaded PlayStation 4 game in 2016 wasn't an AAA title. In fact, it wasn't even a game that released in 2016. As it turns out, the innovative "soccer with cars" game Rocket League from Psyonix topped the PlayStation Store sales charts for the PS4 in 2016.

As announced by PlayStation, Rocket League earned the top spot in 2016, a feat made even more impressive since it originally launched in the summer of 2015. What makes Rocket League's accomplishment even more impressive, though, is that when it launched, it was as a free PS Plus game. So, even though many PS4 owners once had access to Rocket League for free, consumers are still showing up in droves to download the game.

When one considers how much Psyonix has supported Rocket League since its launch in 2015, its continued success should come as no surprise. Rocket League received regular content updates throughout 2016, including new cars, arenas, game modes, and much more, offering plenty of free and paid content to keep fans engaged with the game.

If Psyonix is able to keep up the momentum moving into 2017, then Rocket League could continue topping the digital sales charts. After all, PlayStation 4's install base continues to grow, with the console selling over 50 million units worldwide since launch, giving plenty of new consumers the chance to purchase Rocket League. With a continuously growing audience for its game, Psyonix could theoretically sell millions more digital copies of Rocket League in 2017.

Of course, that will depend on Psyonix keeping the community engaged. Psyonix did a good job of keeping Rocket League fans playing throughout 2016, with substantial updates that have even included an outer-space setting, an underwater dome, and more. New arenas are nice, but if Psyonix could implement the cross-platform play feature that it has designed, then Rocket League could be virtually guaranteed a surge in popularity, as it would give PS4 and Xbox One owners the chance to play a game together online.

Whatever the future holds for Rocket League, the game has already carved itself a significant legacy. Its persistent popularity is a testament to the game's pure fun factor, as well as Psyonix's dedication to keeping the game feeling fresh with regular content updates. With games like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Red Dead Redemption 2 on the horizon, Rocket League's 2017 competition will be stiff, but considering the games it trounced in 2016, no one should rule out the possibility that it will be the most downloaded PS4 game yet again.

Rocket League is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.