Descenders Next

As in the original Descenders, players in Descenders Next race down the mountain at high speed. This time, however, they are not on mountain bikes, but on snowboards and mountainboards. The feeling of speed is still intense.

Descenders Next was a shadow drop — and a highly successful one, the extreme sports game attracting 100,000 players within 24 hours of its release and 500,000 players in its first week. For comparison, it took the original Descenders 18 months to reach this number of players, though the mountain bike downhill racing game has since amassed a player base of over 35 million since its launch seven years ago. Building on the success of Descenders, the Netherlands-based developer RageSquid and the UK-based data-driven publishing label No More Robots aim to deliver the same feel and sense of speed but expand beyond mountain biking. This time, the game focuses on snowboarding and mountainboarding, each with their own objectives and challenges - but there's no mountain biking this time (yet). Interestingly, Descenders Next follows the same pattern as Megagon Industries, who first introduced downhill mountain biking in Lonely Mountains: Downhill (2019), followed by Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (2025), which features skiing in a winter setting. However, Descenders sets itself apart by offering a third-person perspective and a strong sense of speed.

Each sport has a different feel and handling. The controls take some getting used to, but work well once players have accepted that snowboards don't respond as directly as bikes and that maintaining control at high speeds is tricky. The developers are already looking into this and how they can make high speeds easier to handle, especially since there is no dedicated braking mechanism like on mountain bikes. Instead, speed is reduced by riding or turning the board 'sideways'. Nevertheless, the boards feel different to mountain bikes, but the control scheme has remained the same, as have the Descenders feel and the sense of speed associated with the descents. The world of Descenders Next consists of different biomes with procedurally generated tracks that chain together to form parks and vistas.

"The parks in particular provide fresh new challenges, while also acting as Next's playgrounds of fun. Sometimes you'll be required to dash down the mountain with your friends as quickly as possible, while other times you'll be aiming to focus on your tricks and perfect landings. Scavenger hunts will see players exploring every inch of the mountain, and unlocking special rewards for those who venture the deepest." - RageSquid and No More Robots

Descenders Next retains the familiar roguelike concept whereby players choose from several procedurally generated paths down which to race, performing tricks to earn points and 'lives' for this run. A handy feature of all the tracks is that players can watch a video fly-through of the course beforehand to familiarise themselves with it. If players lose all their lives, they lose their progress up to the last save point (base camp). However, an option to bank runs allows for risk management. During the runs, players earn reputation as a progression system. Using this currency, they can customise their character and equipment, and purchase new boards, kits, helmets, goggles, and other items to personalise their rider - including gear from real brands. Another new feature is the focus on content creation, with tools for recording and editing videos of the best stunts. An electronic dance soundtrack from the Monstercat label provides the musical backdrop.

The game contains the same amount of content as the original Descenders, including a variety of tricks that can be combined, grinds on rails and other objects, and huge biomes to explore. Players can let off steam in several different parks, each offering a different style of play and terrain. From central locations, players can access the aforementioned roguelike track sections. In addition to single-player mode, there is an online multiplayer mode ('massively multiplayer' in the developers' words) that enables players to compete against friends and riders from around the world. The number of other players currently in the area is also shown when selecting tracks, trails or hubs.

RageSquid and No More Robots shadow dropped Descenders Next on 21 July 2025 in Early Access. It is available on Steam, Xbox and Xbox Game Pass for PC at a price of €28.99.

The Early Access version features four biomes and two types of downhill sport. "It's packed with parks and trails to ride, three teams to choose from an a heap of gear to customise your character. Once you hit the trails, you'll be able to do tricks, earn rep and save replays so you can relive those crazy moments again and again, or film your next crazy edit," said the developers. They estimate that the game will be in Early Access for around two years. The outlook for further content: "We plan on adding more biomes throughout early access, letting you ride through a whole host of crazy downhill worlds, as well as multiplayer game modes and modding support! We're also looking to add more sports, so snowboarding and mountainboarding won't be your only options to hit the trails! On top of those you can expect tonnes of customisation options, boards, threads, helmets... everything you'll need to make your rider you!"

Conclusion

Descenders Next is a promising successor that builds on the original game with new sports. Allowing the community to drive the game's development in Early Access is also a good decision.

Features

• New extreme sports: snowboarding and mountainboarding
• Fast-paced descents and lots of tricks
• Customisable rider