5 Years Later, Cyberpunk Shooter The Ascent Gets a Major Update, Hints at Sequel

The Ascent is getting a surprise major update to celebrate its fifth anniversary, and it sounds like a sequel is on the horizon. Neon Giant's twin-stick action RPG impressed players upon its 2021 release with its punchy action, detailed environments, and beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic. In IGN's review, we said, 'The Ascent’s satisfying gun-tastic action-RPG gameplay loop mixes with its beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic to create an overall enjoyable experience.' Now, publisher Krafton has announced that the update, due in November 2026, will deliver 'a smoother more dependable experience for solo and co-op players, including improvements to co-op teleportation, the encounter system, save-game reliability and player-progression reliability.' Additionally, Krafton noted: 'Final details will be shared closer to release alongside plans to expand The Ascent across new platforms, genres and future sequels.' This suggests The Ascent 2 is in development, and possibly a Nintendo Switch 2 version. The mention of new genres is intriguing—could a first-person action RPG be next? With over 12 million players, a sequel seems likely. 'We are incredibly proud of what we built with The Ascent and grateful to the millions of players who have made the journey to Veles,' said Arcade Berg, co-founder of Neon Giant. 'We have also listened closely to feedback about where the experience can be stronger. With Krafton’s support, this update marks a new chapter for the game and for our ambitions for The Ascent as a franchise.' Swedish studio Neon Giant, with only 20 developers, is also working on the promising No Law, which resembles Cyberpunk 2077.