Descenders Next promises to be way more than racing bikes downhill, and it's coming to Game Pass day one

Screenshot of Descenders Next.

What you need to know

• Descenders is a very popular sports game about racing stunt bikes down mountains, with a huge player base.
• No More Robots and RageSquid have announced what's next for the Descenders world, and it's definitely different.
• Descenders Next aims to be the ultimate sports game, with RageSquid wanting to continually add new, detailed, and truly unique extreme sporting experiences over time.
• The game will start with a focus on boarding sports when it releases on Windows PC and PC Game Pass in 2025.

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I'll be honest, I'm not that familiar with Descenders. I've seen plenty of people talk about how awesome a sports game it is, but I was surprised to hear that the downhill, stunt bike racing game from No More Robots and RageSquid has earned over 30 million players since its inception. Now, the publisher and developer duo are revealing what's... Next for Descenders.

Not to be confused with a simple sequel, Descenders Next aims to be the ultimate sports game that will evolve and grow over time.

Yes, Descenders Next is giving players access to far more than just racing bikes on its expanded and more diverse open-world mountain map. RageSquid wants to provide players the opportunity to master a variety of extreme sports, each with its own unique identity and intimately detailed controls. On top of that, the starting roster of sports is planned to expand over time as the game evolves with its players. Descenders Next is slated to release sometime in 2025 on Windows PC via Steam and PC Game Pass.

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A mountain of possibilities to up the stakes

No a phone (or bike) in sight, just people living in the moment. (Image credit: No More Robots)

Descenders Next will begin with a focus on boarding sports, including snowboarding and mountainboarding. Players will explore a massive mountain that combines the best the hand-crafted and procedurally generated level designs RageSquid learned from the first Descenders, mastering their boarding skills. Like I mentioned before, though, more sports are coming — and each will have an entirely unique feel.

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RageSquid is promising that Descenders Next will be just as full of content at launch as Descenders is now after years of support. There will be full online multiplayer support, a huge amount of side content like scavenger hunts and a plethora of tricks to pull off, countless ways to customize your rider, and a myriad of massive, diverse biomes to explore.

It seems that Descenders Next aims to take the fight to other "ultimate sports games" like Ubisoft's Riders Republic, except doing so with the charm and passion that Descenders players expect.

It'll be interesting to see how RageSquid adapts to each sport as its added, especially when Descenders' iconic downhill bike racing won't be here at launch. The intent seems to be for each new sport to offer entirely new experiences, with RageSquid not copying anything or cutting any corners in its pursuit of authenticity and fluidity. I also wonder if Descenders' iconic downhill bike racing will come to Descenders Next at some point, or if RageSquid is aiming for the two games to coexist and deliver different experiences.

Some players will have the opportunity to experience the vision for Descenders Next before its initial release in 2025, though, as No More Robots is running limited online test sessions later this year to collect feedback on portions of the early game.

Mountainboarding seems... Dumb and dangerous, which people love for some reason. (Image credit: No More Robots)

At least the horizon will look beautiful as your careening down the mountain. (Image credit: No More Robots)

It'll be interesting to see if Descenders Next can compete with the snowboarding game legends. (Image credit: No More Robots)

It'll be up against a long history of epic snowboarding games, but RageSquid seems confident. (Image credit: No More Robots)

How will you fall down the mountain? (Image credit: No More Robots)

Descenders Next may be one of the most interesting Game Pass additions in 2025. (Image credit: No More Robots)

When does Descenders Next release?

Descenders Next is currently aiming for a 2025 release on Windows PC. There's no specific release date at this point, nor do we know about any planned console release. Some players will be able to test portions of Descenders Next early during limited online test sessions later in 2024.

Is Descenders Next coming to Xbox Game Pass?

Descenders Next is confirmed to be a day one addition to PC Game Pass on Windows PC, but has not been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Cloud Gaming. Actually, the game hasn't even been confirmed for Xbox consoles yet, so this makes sense.