Yes the skill level is much higher right now. Probably will ease up again on release, but not as much as in beta (unless the game instantly explodes in popularity).
#Are people just way better in the prerelease compared to the betas or does the game feel different?
pallid reef
versed shell
we need to remember that there were 2 betas where we had millions of players and it was f2p for the beta so we got a lot of people that pumped a lot of time in and then after decided to buy the game, the elite and pro editions are usually for people that enjoy the game a lot and people that played the beta a lot so it makes sense that their skill is on avg a little higher then the millions that played the beta's on avg
pure sleet
Ye what vex said is exactly it I think. I thought the same too but in my case when I paid attention, it was just that I was getting punished for stuff that I would get away with in the last beta. So basically right now, like Vex said, the chances of you playing against a better player than you is very high. This means you will have less time to think, less time to react etc. Which in turn can make it feel not right.
I thought the same too, then I realised I was just getting punished by better players for taking too long to execute. For now, if you find yourself in one of these matches, try to pass as your main priority (I know this is almost a meme tip at this point but really) instead of going for dribbles. A better player will have a much easier time punishing your dribble then your pass. And then just pray you have a strong player on your team too xD