Ambitious extreme sports game sequel Descenders Next locks in release date

Descenders Next is will grind its way into Game Pass in April, but you can play the new sports game right away thanks to a new Steam demo.

Making the switch from bikes to boards (and whatever other extreme ways of getting around its developers can think of) Descenders Next is an extremely ambitious and intriguing sequel to the brilliant downhill cycling game, Descenders. Launching into Game Pass on day one and offering huge variation with its procedurally generated zones, Descenders Next sounds like it’s got a lot of the right ingredients to succeed. After featuring in today’s ID@Xbox showcase, we also now know exactly when it’ll be releasing, and while you wait, there’s a demo for you to play right away.

While its predecessor perfected the art of downhill mountain biking, Descenders Next is going for a multi-discipline approach. When it launches, you’ll be able to ride on snowboards for its colder biomes and mountainboards when your surroundings are a little less wintery. However, over time, that offering will expand with more ways to ride. Maybe bikes will return in the future, or maybe they’ll be totally absent from RageSquid’s new extreme sports game. Right now, we don’t know what the future lineup will be.

What we do know is that there will be online multiplayer support from the get go, and thanks to Descenders’ reputation and the fact that Next will be one of this year’s many new Game Pass games, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding people to race with or humiliate with your most complicated tricks. Up to 12 players can share the same procedurally generated slope, which could create quite the spectacle. There are also some more hand-crafted areas and bespoke races, but you’ll be hanging out in these large, open procedural zones a fair amount.

Thanks to its ID@Xbox appearance, we also now know when it’s going to be in players’ hands: today! Kind of…

A new demo for the game has just hit Steam and you can download it for free now to try it out. However, in terms of a full release, you’ll be waiting a little while longer – but not as long as I expected.

Descenders Next will launch on Wednesday, April 9 on Steam and Xbox and PC Game Pass. You can find out more about the game, grab the demo, or add it to your Steam wishlist here.

If Descenders Next is right up your street, the best racing games can provide similar thrills – especially those that take things offroad. Alternatively, to see what other gems lie in Microsoft’s subscription service, visit our list of the best Game Pass games.

You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or join our community Discord to stay in the know.