Ascendance is a real-time space strategy game that blends grand strategy management, 4x mechanics, and real-time strategy ship combat in a game of massive scale and depth. Within this game world, the player may choose to play as a government leading their civilisation, as a corporation within it building an industrial empire, or try making a living as a ship captain.

Beneath the gameplay is a complex simulation where civilisations are made of governments, militaries, and corporations, with functional political systems, colonies, stations, ships, and characters. The political system features elections, laws, and factions striving for control. The economy is deeply modelled, with complex production chains, location-based production and consumption, and physical freight.

At the most detailed end of the scale, ships use physically-based movement, require fuel, crew, and ammunition, weapons have to track targets and use physical projectiles.

The nature of the game being a simulation allows the player to automate as much or as little as they want, from a relaxing experience of watching your civilisation expand and develop, or micromanaging every little detail possible.