The First Descendant player count is high, but is it actually good?

As The First Descendant exits open beta for its final release and garners thousands of players in its early player count, is it actually holding up as a good game?

Fans of the sci-fi shooter have long awaited its final release, but The Final Descendant’s exit from open beta also meant open season for public judgment. While the open beta received fairly positive reviews, critics did cite multiple negatives surrounding the core gameplay loop and its monetization practices. 

Most critics hoped these issues would be gone by the final release. The First Descendant officially launched in July 2024, and the conversation around it is thoroughly mixed. Some gamers can’t even decide if the game is worth trying out in its current state, even as The First Descendant shows of an impressive player count.

Is The First Descendant good? 

The First Descendant currently has mixed reviews from critics and players alike.  Metacritic puts the game’s average score in the 50s, while user scores hover around 5 out of 10 or lower. On Steam, it sits at “Mixed” reviews, with many players split on its fun factor. For the positives, players love the aesthetic and solid mechanics and do have hope for its future potential. However, the negatives outweighed the positives in some reviews.

Many reviewers criticized the derivative nature of The First Descendant, citing its similarities to Destiny and Warframe. Some even derided the game as showcasing the “bad parts” of typical looter shooters. The story, as it stands, is middling at best and boring at worst, with cutscenes often carrying the load for cinematic impact.

Others found the game fun but disliked the predatory monetization practices, with expensive currency and reportedly low drop rates. Currency purchases also tend to be uneven relative to expensive cosmetics, forcing players to buy more in-game currency than they actually need. 

Despite these criticisms, The First Descendant’s player count paints a more optimistic picture as many seem ready to take on and carry the adventure despite concerns.

How many people are playing The First Descendant?

The First Descendant has a lot of people playing it early on, as the game reached 10 million players within its first week.  According to SteamCharts, the new game from Nexon hit an all-time concurrent peak of 264,860 players and currently averages 190,000 concurrent players daily. While the critical reception for The First Descendant hasn’t been the best, there’s no denying that it has found success and people are playing it.

While off to a great start in terms of its player base, some believe the hype won’t last. With so many criticisms laid at its feet, the developers at Nexon have a long road ahead of them. If they want to be more than just a flash in the pan, these issues must be fixed, lest they meet the same fate as many other looter shooters that have come and gone.