The First Descendant
The First Descendant screenshot 1The First Descendant screenshot 2
ActionAdventureRPGFree To PlaySexual ContentLooter ShooterMultiplayerThird-Person ShooterOnline Co-Op

3,384 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 3,451

Peak in the last 7 days: 4,189

The First Descendant Steam store

Game description

The First Descendant is a third-person looter shooter powered by Unreal Engine 5. Become a Descendant. Fight for the survival of humanity. Descendants have unique abilities to tackle both solo and co-op missions. Up to 4 players use varied mechanics to defeat giant bosses. BE THE FIRST DESCENDANT!

Basic info

DeveloperNEXON Games Co., Ltd.
PublisherNEXON
PlatformsWindows
Steam DeckUnsupported
Release dateJun 30, 2024
Price

Minimum specs

OSWindows 10 x64 20H2
ProcessorIntel i5-3570 / AMD FX-8350
Memory8 GB
GraphicsGeForce GTX 1050Ti / AMD Radeon RX 570 / Intel Arc A380
Storage100 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 385 reviews from the past 1 year

61.2/ 100
Bottom 10%

Steam rating: Mixed (57%)

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 21, 2026)

Players enjoy the look and feel of this free looter shooter, but grind and paid power drag it to 61.2 from 385 reviews.

👍 Strengths

53 reviews praise the visuals, from character designs to detailed levels and effects, and Visuals & Sound ranks 731st of 1249. 16 enjoy the controls and feel, citing weighty gunplay, a fun grappling hook and satisfying abilities. 11 like the strategy of build customization, with skills and weapons that open different playstyles. Multiplayer ranks 447th of 642.

👎 Where it falls short

78 reviews criticize pricing, describing characters and powerful weapons tied to paid shortcuts, weekly caps and costly skins, and Pricing & Fairness ranks 1242nd of 1399, appearing in 50% of analyzed reviews. 37 report performance problems, including stutters, frame drops and freezes in fights. 34 say missions lack variety, repeating the same environments and enemy spawns, with newer regions that feel flat and empty. Content Volume ranks 1049th of 1351, Tech & Support ranks 1184th of 1399, and Story & World ranks 980th of 1096.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“phenomenal graphics, engaging gameplay and story” · 53 reviews
“severe optimization issues, frame drops, stutters, poor performance” · 37 reviews
“became a non-stop slog requiring constant online play, turned into full-time job” · 30 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 59% of reviews · Bottom 30% of the games we've analyzed

Progression -0.52 · Leveling, unlocks and gear — is growth rewarding or a grind?
Negative “became a non-stop slog requiring constant online play, turned into full-time job” · 30 reviews

Difficulty 10% · Onboarding 9% · Freedom 3% · Strategy 21% · Controls & feel 11%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 30% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Characters +1.58 · How memorable the characters and their relationships are
Positive “character storylines for Bunny, Gley, Nell, Freyna well done” · 9 reviews
Negative “male characters ruined, lack of respect for character personalities” · 1 review

Story 17% · World 6%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 40% of reviews · Bottom 30% of the games we've analyzed

Variety -2.40 · Fresh content and situations versus repetition
Negative “new regions are boring, flat, empty fields” · 34 reviews
Positive “variety of builds, areas, descendants, weapons and pets to unlock” · 2 reviews

Volume 21% · Replayability 2%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 34% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +2.77 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “phenomenal graphics, engaging gameplay and story” · 53 reviews
Negative “hypersexualized female characters, minimalist armor designs undermine immersion” · 7 reviews

Audio 3%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 26% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Playing together +1.49 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals
Positive “smooth movement and gunfeel make it fun with friends” · 8 reviews
Negative “mechanics discourage group play and encourage solo play in an MMO, feeling lonely” · 4 reviews

Community 11% · Servers & Connection 4%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 50% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing -0.63 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Negative “transcendent weapons are pay-to-power with disrespectful weekly caps and gambling mechanics” · 78 reviews
Positive “enjoyable without spending money, cosmetics earnable” · 10 reviews

Anti-cheat 4% · Balance 19% · Matchmaking 1%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 47% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Performance -0.47 · Frame rate, optimization, and loading times
Negative “severe optimization issues, frame drops, stutters, poor performance” · 37 reviews

Stability 12% · Developer support 35%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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