2025 has been an incredible year for shooter fans. Not only did Battlefield 6 and a Battlefield battle royale release, but the other major series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, also dropped. Then there was Arc Raiders, an extraction shooter that proved to be incredibly successful. 2026 is looking to capitalize on this success, and one tactical shooter has revealed a release date. Ahead of this release, players can check out the game early during a closed beta.
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Ascendant has confirmed an early release in Q1 next year, but developer PlayFusion is hosting another closed beta starting on December 13th and running through December 14th. It is exclusive to PC and only available for a brief window so that the developer team can best monitor the servers and respond to any issues players may have. These times are:
- EU – 4PM GMT
- US – 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST
Ascendant is a squad-based tactical FPS built around high-intensity combat, unpredictable encounters, and constantly shifting objectives. Set in a vibrant yet deadly biopunk world born from a mysterious disaster known as the Cascade, the game drops players into an environment where biotechnology has reshaped every aspect of life. Organic and synthetic elements blend, creating a hostile, ever-changing ecosystem in which nearly everything is built to kill you.
Each match features four teams of three battling across a dynamic 3v3v3v3 extraction map. The landscape continually evolves, forcing squads to adapt their strategies as resource locations, hazards, and enemy movements shift. Success depends on securing and extracting scarce biocores, which demands both combat skill and coordinated team tactics. Players must decide whether to strike aggressively, set traps, or exploit the chaos created by other teams.
Matches are further transformed by large-scale events and threats, such as Air Strikes launched from a missile tower, the subterranean Burrower and its swarm of offspring, or the towering Deathbringer, an armored, multi-weapon vehicle capable of harvesting biocores while unleashing devastating firepower. These events act as both opportunities and dangers, reshaping engagements and rewarding players who can rapidly adapt.
Outside of battle, Ascendant’s lobby serves as a social hub filled with activities including duels, mini-games, platforming challenges, and loadout preparation. Player customization plays a major role, with extensive customization for characters, gear, and weapons. Thousands of weapon modifications allow each firearm to function uniquely, supporting a wide range of playstyles and tactical preferences.
In today’s gaming age, it isn’t enough to just be a well-made shooter. Developers are leaning more heavily into aesthetics or gimmicks, such as Splitgate’s portals. This not only gives a game a unique feel but also makes it stand out in a saturated market. The shooter genre offers many different subcategories, and these are where modern games are carving out their space.
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