Descenders Next just landed on Xbox Game Pass as a Game Preview, bringing RageSquid’s rebooted extreme sports formula to a massive new audience. If you played the original Descenders and expected more mountain bikes, surprise — the sequel ditched two wheels for snowboards and mountainboards, and the result is something that feels both familiar and completely different.
The career mode that just went live is the headline addition. After months in early access focused on freeride and park sessions, RageSquid has finally introduced a structured progression path that gives every run a purpose. You pick a sport, choose your biome, and work through increasingly demanding challenges that test both your trick repertoire and your ability to read terrain on the fly.
Two Sports, Four Biomes, One Mountain
Snowboarding and mountainboarding play differently enough that mastering one does not automatically translate to the other. Snowboarding leans into smooth carving and aerial rotations, while mountainboarding is grittier — rougher terrain, tighter lines, and a physics model that punishes lazy weight distribution. Four biomes offer distinct flavors: snowy peaks with powder runs, dirt trails that snake through forests, urban parks with constructed features, and mixed-terrain zones that throw everything at you at once.
The Controls Are the Whole Point
What made the original Descenders special was not the bikes — it was the feel. RageSquid built a control system where every subtle thumbstick input translated into a visible change in rider posture and board angle. Descenders Next keeps that philosophy intact. You are not pressing a trick button and watching an animation play. You are controlling every rotation, every grab, every weight shift manually. The learning curve is real, but the payoff is a sense of ownership over every trick that most arcade sports games cannot match.
Early Access Roadmap
RageSquid plans to keep Descenders Next in early access for roughly two years. The roadmap includes new sports beyond the current two, additional biomes, a full multiplayer overhaul with competitive modes, and modding support that should let the community build custom parks and tracks. If the original game’s modding scene is any indication, the custom content pipeline alone could extend the game’s life well beyond the official roadmap.
Descenders Next is available now on Steam for $20.99 (currently 30% off) and on Xbox Game Pass as a Game Preview. If you bounced off the original because bikes were not your thing, this is the version that might change your mind.
