Underworld Ascendant
Released Nov 2018
From the creative minds behind the System Shock, Thief and Underworld® series. Enter The Stygian Abyss, a dangerous, highly interactive dungeon world. Mix and match dozens of combat, stealth and magic skills to develop your own unique style of play. Become The Ascendant.
34% positive · 1,100 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Prices in USD, as listed by each store.
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Evaluation
Underworld Ascendant launched on November 15, 2018 and received a concentrated post-launch improvement campaign through mid-2019. The developer shipped four numbered updates between December 2018 and June 2019, addressing the game's most-criticized issues: a complete save system overhaul (Update 1, December 20, 2018), a major structural rework of the world and quest flow (Update 2, February 14, 2019), a performance and content pass (Update 3, April 10, 2019), and a substantial content update adding new NPCs, enemies, and quests (Update 4, June 18, 2019). This was followed by a series of hotfixes through August 27, 2019, with the final communication being Hotfix 4.3 on August 27, 2019. There have been no developer posts, patches, announcements, or communications of any kind since August 27, 2019 — now nearly seven years ago. No DLC was ever listed on the store. The December 2018 roadmap covered only Updates 1 and 2, with no commitments made beyond those. The console release mentioned in August 2018 was never confirmed as shipped, and no further mention of it appears in developer communications after that point. With all announced content delivered, no unreleased DLC, and complete developer silence since August 27, 2019, the game is a finished product.
Evidence
Hotfix 4.3 released, fixing the brightness slider and a color vibrancy issue. This is the last official developer communication on record.
Update 4 shipped with new NPCs, faction quests, enemy types, and a substantial suite of gameplay improvements — the final numbered content update for the game.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
505 Games
Achievements
45
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
From the creative minds behind the acclaimed Ultima Underworld®, System Shock and Thief series, in Underworld Ascendant®, Paul Neurath and Warren Spector's OtherSide Entertainment challenges you to think creatively in an interactive sandbox environment.
You are summoned by a mysterious figure to The Stygian Abyss, a dangerous and constantly evolving dungeon world imperiled by the looming threat of the beast Typhon. To save this world, and yours – you must overcome complex challenges, uncover lost secrets and gain favor with factions to maximize your knowledge and strength. Utilize your environment to stack the odds in your favor. Devise the ideal plan to overcome the challenges you face or dive in and think on your feet.
Each decision holds great opportunity and grave consequence. What you leave behind will be engraved on the lives of others. Assuming you survive…
KEY FEATURES:
A DEEPLY IMMERSIVE WORLD
Enter a fully-realized dungeon realm, from the village of Marcaul to the Vault of Nyx and seven other large-scale levels to explore, each comprising a labyrinthine assembly of rooms, passages, halls and ruins connecting massive cavern complexes. Interact with useful flora and physics-based traps. Encounter fantastic creatures like Lizard Men, opportunistic Outcasts, and fearsome Mind Cripplers – all with unique abilities that can be used to your advantage.
A HERO TO CALL YOUR OWN
Tailor your skillset by combining more than 75 skills from three different archetypes (Combat, Stealth, Magic) that you can mix and match to develop a unique hero who is truly your own. Craft over a hundred different types of spells using the runic spell crafting system. The game sets the challenge, the solution is up to you.
CONSTANTLY EVOLVING UNDERWORLD
Become embroiled in an epic plot, as rival factions vie for dominance in struggles that ebb and flow across the realm. The decisions you make have consequences on events and the world around you. Unique challenges, dynamic enemy spawning, variable Outcast-built structures and a degrading world state that varies enemy population provide a dynamic world to play through in many different ways.
EMERGENT QUESTS
Set out on more than 70 quests and numerous Side Bounties that reward you for avoiding detection, going unarmed and more, providing many opportunities to explore, replay and test unlimited strategies and playstyles.
UNIQUE REWARDS SYSTEM
Earn rewards and unlock skills through resourceful, unboxed gameplay and ingenious performance. Solve challenges in unique ways and push yourself to experiment.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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