Descenders

Descenders is a downhill mountain bike game by RageSquid. Instead of fixed race tracks, the game relies on procedurally generated descents: jumps, slopes, turns and obstacles are constantly recombined.

The controls are physics-based and designed for freestyle moves like whips and scrubs. At the same time, the career works on a roguelite principle: crashes cost valuable chances within a run, while successful descents unlock new tracks, gear and progress.

The PC version of Descenders was released on May 7, 2019. Further native versions followed: PlayStation 4 on Aug 25, 2020 and Nintendo Switch on Nov 6, 2020. Today the game is also available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, as well as a mobile version for iOS and Android.

There is no separate PS5 version of the game on PlayStation; according to the PlayStation Store, the PS4 version is playable on PS5 via backward compatibility.

Descenders is available for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. The PC version on Steam supports Windows, macOS and Linux. The Xbox version supports Smart Delivery and Xbox Play Anywhere, among others; the Switch version offers online play for up to four people.

The mobile versions are offered by Noodlecake. There is no native PS5 version; on PS5 the PS4 version runs via backward compatibility.

Each descent combines speed, line choice and tricks. Before a section, the game shows how steep, winding or stunt-heavy a route is; this lets you deliberately control the risk within a run. If you crash too often, you lose the current attempt.

In addition to normal descents, there are large boss jumps, bike parks and special obstacle courses. The physics system reacts finely to the rider's posture, which forms the basis for clean landings, jumps and freestyle moves.

On Windows, Steam lists as minimum an Intel Core i5, 4 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 550 or equivalent graphics card, DirectX 11 and 17 GB of free storage. 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 760 or equivalent GPU are recommended. Steam also lists separate minimum and recommended requirements for macOS and Linux.

The career starts with several procedural worlds and can later be continued in the harder Career Plus. Tricks, jumps and risky rides earn reputation, which unlocks new bikes and gear.

Players can join one of three teams: Kinetic stands for speed, Enemy for tricks and Arboreal for off-road lines. The reputation collected also feeds into the progress of the chosen team.

Descenders supports online multiplayer for up to four players. Together you can ride the procedural tracks or explore special bike parks and challenges.

The permanent bonus content includes the Bikeout tracks with moving obstacles as well as Stoker Park. Multiplayer can be used both as a competition with points and leaderboards and as shared riding.