Choose Descenders
Choose Descenders if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 10,694 reviews.
Descenders vs Descenders Next
Descenders and Descenders Next both land in Action, Sports, Racing on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Sports, Racing on Steam. Descenders (2019) is 6 years older than Descenders Next (2025). Descenders scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Descenders Next (78.1% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Descenders Next
Choose Descenders Next if you want a Massively Multiplayer and Early Access game with Online Co-op and Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Descenders Next launched in 2025.
Both Descenders and Descenders Next sit in Action, Sports, and Racing on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Descenders |  Descenders Next | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Sports, Racing | Action, Sports, Massively Multiplayer, Early Access, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (10,694 reviews) | 78.1% positive (260 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | RageSquid | RageSquid |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Sports, Racing on Steam.
- Descenders (2019) is 6 years older than Descenders Next (2025).
- Descenders scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Descenders Next (78.1% positive).
- Descenders is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Descenders Next (24.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Descenders Next has co-op; Descenders does not.
- Steam Deck: Descenders is Deck Playable, Descenders Next is Deck Verified.
Descenders vs Descenders Next — FAQ
- Which is better, Descenders or Descenders Next?
- On Steam reviews Descenders scores higher (95.3% positive) than Descenders Next (78.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Descenders is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Descenders or Descenders Next first?
- If you want chronology, Descenders (2019) came out before Descenders Next (2025). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Descenders and Descenders Next similar?
- They overlap on Action, Sports, Racing on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.