New Free Steam Game Sees Massive Player Count in Just Two Hours

A new free-to-play co-op game, The First Descendant, surpassed 170,000 concurrent players on Steam within two hours of its launch. The First Descendant rolled out globally on the platform on July 2 after multiple rounds of beta tests conducted over the past few years.

The Korean-made game is the latest addition to the online looter-shooter genre, featuring RPG elements and co-op support for up to four players. Players must face off against an alien threat to save humanity, and the sci-fi title puts a focus on co-op gaming, requiring players to work together to vanquish various enemies and bosses. The First Descendant concluded its final beta in May, and the game is now officially available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

According to data found on SteamDB, The First Descendant amassed 170,242 concurrent players just two hours after going live at 12 AM PDT earlier today. Its instant popularity with players has only increased, with the third-person shooter crossing the 200K mark within five hours of release. At the time of writing, the Nexon title has 221,177 Steam users playing the game with an all-time peak of 229,257 concurrent players. Moreover, The First Descendant also currently sits sixth among the most-played games on Steam.

The First Descendant Gets Impressive Response On Steam But There’s A Catch

While leagues of players have tried the free title, The First Descendant isn’t getting entirely favorable reviews. On its Steam page, the co-op game currently has a “Mixed” rating based on 5,349 user reviews. Out of these, only 2,269 reviews are marked as positive, with some players liking the game overall despite facing some technical issues. On the flip side, negative reviewers criticized the game for being too similar to popular online looter shooters like Destiny and Warframe, as well as for its perceived “pay-to-win” elements. A few user reviews suggested that, while The First Descendant‘s gameplay doesn’t seem to be an issue, its story may need some more work.

As soon as the game launched, some players revealed that they had not received their in-game purchases despite completing their payment. Developer Nexon has acted quickly to remedy the issue, while also issuing compensation for The First Descendant players as an apology. Given the prompt way in which the devs are responding to player feedback, many players are eager to see how The First Descendant performs over the next few weeks and if the game can sustain or grow its initial popularity.

The First Descendant

Nexon’s The First Descendant is a free-to-play looter shooter that also incorporates action RPG elements. Focusing on cooperative play, the game allows up to four players to work together. 

Released

July 2, 2024

Developer(s)

Nexon Games

Genre(s)

Action RPG , Third-Person Shooter