Summary
The First Descendant, the latest triple-A release from Korean publisher Nexon, has proven to be a hit, as the free-to-play looter-shooter has officially reached a major player milestone less than two weeks after its launch. It appears that the somewhat rocky launch ofThe First Descendanthasn’t been enough tothreaten its popularity so far, which is an encouraging sign for both the future of the multiplayer game and its potential longevity as a live service title.
Initially announced in 2022 alongside a brief CGI teaser trailer,The First Descendantfinally made its way into the hands of gamers worldwide nearly two years later, on July 16, 2025. The game, which puts players in the shoes ofsuperhuman beings called Descendants, has accrued an impressive online following since its launch. Upon its release on PC,The First Descendantskyrocketed to the top of Steam’s player count charts and garnered nearly 230,000 concurrent users on that platform alone.Since then, the free-to-play live service shooter has maintained a steady player count above 150,000 on PC.
ThoughThe First Descendant’s popularity on Steamwas evident, it was initially unclear how wellthe game was faring across all platforms, including PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Now, thanks to a recent statistic shared by Nexon, fans have a better idea about the looter shooter’s overall popularity.According to a Twitter post from the game’s official Twitter account,The First Descendentwas able to cross the 10 million player threshold only seven days after its launch across PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
The First Descendant Reaches 10 Million Players In Just 7 Days
Celebrating this milestone, the developers ofThe First Descendanttook the opportunity to reiterate their commitment to supportingthe popular free-to-play shooterwith more quality content in the future. “Thank you all for your tremendous support and love. It means everything to us. We will do our best to bring you great experiences. Can’t wait to continue this journey together,” the post reads.
ThoughThe First Descendenthas gotten off to a great start commercially speaking, the critical reception of the game hasn’t been as strong. Reviews for the multiplayer title have been divisive across the board, with the game currently sitting at an underwhelming 55 on OpenCritic and brandishing ‘Mixed’ reviews on Steam. ThoughThe First Descendantdoes do some things differently than other looter shooters, some players have nonetheless criticized it for being far too repetitive. Meanwhile, others have called the game out for having what they consider to be overly aggressive monetization. Ultimately, only time will tell if these complaints will hinderThe First Descendantfrom maintaining its popularity in the long run.
The First Descendant
WHERE TO PLAY
The First Descendant is a next-generation third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter featuring high-quality graphics created in Unreal Engine 5.Players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction – for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris. Players will encounter spectacular stories of forces fighting over the Iron Heart as they grow stronger through various missions and raids.Encounter features that make The First Descendant’s gameplay unique: a variety of characters with unique concepts and combat styles, massive boss battles with up to four player co-op, free movement and coordinated action with grappling hooks, a variety of weapons and compelling customization options.
