The Ascent's first big patch addresses ray tracing on PC Game Pass, co-op issues and more Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. The Ascent's first big patch addresses ray tracing on PC Game Pass, co-op issues and more The only way is up. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 7 Aug 2021 27 comments Neon Giant has released a significant patch for The Ascent that addresses some of the burning issues with the game. The update, which is available now for the Steam version of the cyberpunk-themed RPG-shooter and will be out soon for Xbox and Windows 10 players, tackles co-op problems and stability issues, among other things. Watch on YouTube Here's the Digital Foundry video breakdown for The Ascent, tested on all Xbox consoles - and PC. Specifically on PC, the patch improves performance in DX12, also with ray tracing, and makes ray tracing available to players on the Windows Store. That latter change is important - after The Ascent came out, players soon discovered the PC version lacked DLSS and ray tracing on Game Pass but not Steam. DLSS for PC Game Pass was added in a small update issued earlier this week, along with a difficulty selector. The Ascent does not support ray tracing on Xbox Series X or S - it is a PC-only feature. The patch also mentions improved loading in of NPCs on PC, and the addition of a CPU performance mode for lower-end PCs. Across all platforms, the patch fixes numerous instances of one-time crashes, both in single-player and co-op. However, Neon Giant acknowledged some other instances of crashes remain, which it's working to sort out. Sticking with co-op, there's a fix for local co-op where player one and player two have controller focus issues on certain menus. "Numerous other crash-fixes have been made to improve the stability of both local and online co-op," the patch notes continue, "including fixes when disconnecting controllers, issues when 3 Players start a new game, and fixes when the internet connection becomes unstable." Watch on YouTube Meanwhile, also across all platforms, the patch tackles issues with save progress, including the addition of a new system to circumvent situations where save files could become corrupted. There's a lot more to the update - the patch notes are worth checking out if you've been playing the game, or holding off until it improved. "Our team is continuing to work hard on improving the game and we are very grateful for all the support and feedback from our players," Neon Giant said. Despite technical issues, it sounds like The Ascent is a hit. Publisher Curve Digital said it achieved its largest ever opening weekend sales revenue, generating more than $5m (£3.6m) from The Ascent's launch. Neon Giant is an indie developer made up of 12 people based in Uppsala, Sweden. Digital Foundry took a look at The Ascent last week. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store