Tribes: Ascend View on Steam

We Love It's Guide to…

Tribes: Ascend

Tribes: Ascend is a team-based sci-fi first-person shooter set across large battlefields. Players choose a class and fight alongside their team in objective-based matches. Movement centers on jetpacks and skiing: glide downhill to build momentum, then use that speed to cross the map, evade opponents, and attack from the air. Players also pilot vehicles including a tank, a two-person cycle, and a flying craft. Playing classes earns experience for unlocking class-specific skills and perks, with some experience shareable across classes. During matches, players earn credits by fighting or supporting objectives, then spend them on base defenses, vehicles, or tactical strikes.

A class-based team FPS where jetpacks and momentum-building downhill skiing power high-speed fights across large maps.

Released 27 Jun 2012

81%positive of
8.6k player reviews

Free

View on Steam

FPS

Massively Multiplayer

Jetpack Aerial Combat

Ski For Speed

Pilot Battlefield Vehicles

This edition packages weapon DLC from ten previous expansions as well new featured content.

Developed by Hi-Rez Studios · Published by Hi-Rez Studios

Tribes Ascend: EU Draft Grand Finals: Game 1

Tribes Ascend | Community Mixers | 2025 05 23

Tribes Ascend | Community Mixers | 2025 05 02

Players Praise Most

Fast Movement
Jetpack Mobility
Competitive Teamplay
Rewarding Kills

Common Player Critiques

Server Access Problems
Developer Support Ended
Steep Movement Learning
Class Balance Issues

81%

positive of 8.6k player reviews

86/100

Metacritic

From the Devs

Tribes: Ascend is the world’s fastest shooter - a high-adrenaline, online multiplayer FPS with jetpacks, skiing, vehicles, and multiple classes. The classic shooter franchise Tribes has been played by well over 1 million people. With Tribes: Ascend, the franchise is reborn – fast-paced, vertical, acrobatic combat combined with class-based teamwork and stunning sci-fi visuals.

Key Features:

Skiing: A slow soldier is a dead soldier. By holding down space bar you remove friction and build momentum to traverse large maps, hunt down targets, and escape enemy territory at intense speeds.
Jetpacks: Total freedom of movement and aerial, dog-fight like combat.
Class-Based Combat: Unlock up to nine distinct classes, each with unique weapon loadouts and abilities.
Player Progression: As you play a class you gain experience which is used to unlock class-specific skills and perks. You can also share the xp gained while playing a favorite class to progress other classes.
Escalating Intensity: In each match you earn credits for shooting down enemies or supporting your team’s objectives. Use these match credits to upgrade base defenses, access vehicles, or call-in tactical strikes. The longer you play, the more chaotic the match becomes.
Vehicles: Pilot the powerful Beowulf tank, the speedy two-person Grav Cycle or the versatile flying Shrike.
Beautiful, Massive Battlefields: Wage war in a variety of open environments including frozen wastelands, sprawling cities, and jagged mountains.
Don’t Fight Alone: Friend-list allows you to link up with others and establish supremacy online
Free To Play... but not pay to win: All items affecting game play can be earned by playing the game itself. Players can purchase optional Tribes Gold to unlock classes more quickly and/or skills more quickly. Players will also be able to purchase cosmetic skins with Tribes Gold.
Spectator Mode: Highly-detailed spectator mode allows you to zoom in on your favorite players, view player data, and switch between action hot spots on the fly.

Awards & Kudos

Back of the Box

Platforms	Windows
Age ratings	ESRB T — Violence PEGI 12
Players	2–28
Play modes	Online PvP
Other modes	Capture the Flag Team Deathmatch Rabbit Capture and Hold Arena Training maps Competitive PUGs Spectator mode
Multiplayer	Tribes: Ascend is an online multiplayer-only FPS focused on team-based matches. Official text describes online multiplayer, friend-list support, teamwork, vehicles, and spectator mode. Reviews indicate team modes such as Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch, custom/private servers, community servers, competitive play, and training maps. A review states teams can have up to 14 players each, implying matches up to 28 players.
Multiplayer & mods	Mod support is described by players as missing compared with older Tribes games. Reviews mention community servers, private servers, custom server rules, and some server-side modifications, but no clear official multiplayer modding support.
Controller required	No
Content notices	Violence Age rating for: ESRB
Metacritic	86/100 View on Metacritic
Website	Official website