Mil-Sim Shooter ‘Onward’ Unveils Highly Anticipated Major Update After Year-Long Hiatus

Onward, the tactical military simulation shooter developed by Downpour Interactive and owned by Meta, is gearing up for a major 2.0 update. This news comes as a refreshing change since the last substantial upgrade hit nearly a year ago.

While it might seem like Onward has been on a slow path of updates, it definitely hasn’t been forgotten. The game’s notable ‘Mercenary’ update, released back in February 2024, introduced players to a new PVE mode and included various graphical enhancements. However, since then, things have been relatively quiet.

Now, the excitement builds as Downpour Interactive prepares to release the 2.0 update for Onward. According to a recent blog post from Meta, fans can look forward to “the biggest update ever” for the game sometime this year, packed with a plethora of new content.

Among the expected changes, there will be “a massive graphical overhaul across weapons and utilities,” as described by Meta. Players can also anticipate a new Operator system featuring 20 fresh characters, alongside new map content. While details remain under wraps for now, more information is promised to be revealed “very soon.”

This anticipated update comes after some turbulent times within the gaming industry. Downpour Interactive faced significant challenges in 2023, including widespread layoffs. Adding to this, the company saw the departure of its founder and CEO, Dante Buckley, who originally brought the studio to life in 2015, stepping away just a month before the layoffs occurred.

Onward initially launched in Early Access on Steam in 2016, eventually making its way to the original Oculus Quest in 2020. The game prides itself on realistic squad-based gameplay and an unwavering dedication to accurately depicting real-world weaponry.

For those eager to dive into Onward, the game is available on the Horizon Store page for Quest 2 and beyond, as well as on Steam for PC VR headsets, with its regular price set at $25.