Mil-Sim Shooter ‘Onward’ Unveils Long-Awaited Major Update After a Year

Onward, the 2020 tactical military simulation shooter from the Meta-owned Downpour Interactive, is generating some buzz with its impending 2.0 update. Fans have been eagerly anticipating this for a while since the last substantial update dropped almost a year back.

Although Onward hasn’t exactly been in the spotlight with frequent updates since the big ‘Mercenary’ update hit in February 2024, introducing a PVE mode and some graphical adjustments, it certainly hasn’t been left by the wayside either.

Now, Downpour Interactive is gearing up to roll out the much-anticipated 2.0 update. According to a recent post from Meta, this year promises “the biggest update ever” for Onward, packed with loads of new content.

Players can look forward to a significant graphical overhaul impacting both weapons and utilities, a sweeping update Meta refers to as part of the update. The game will also introduce a fresh Operator system featuring 20 new characters, alongside exciting new map content. While specifics on these new features are still under wraps, Meta hints that more detailed information is coming our way quite soon.

This announcement comes in the wake of some turbulence in the gaming world, notably, a wave of layoffs at Downpour Interactive in 2023. Adding to the shake-up, the studio’s founder and CEO, Dante Buckley, who began Downpour in 2015, exited the company just a month before these layoffs.

Onward first made its debut in Early Access on Steam back in 2016 and later reached early access status on the original Oculus Quest in 2020. Known for its realistically intense squad-based gameplay, the game is celebrated for its meticulous attention to the authenticity of weaponry.

If you’re curious to know more about Onward, it’s featured on the Horizon Store page for Quest 2 and above, and available on Steam for PC VR headsets, where you can typically snag it for $25.