The First Descendant
Released Jun 2024
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!
57% positive · 113K reviews
Not yet
Released, ongoing live service game
High confidence
Live Service
Not yet
Released, ongoing live service game
High confidence
Live Service
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
The First Descendant launched on June 30, 2024 as a free-to-play cooperative looter shooter, and has been operating as a continuously updated live service ever since. The developer ships substantial updates on a near-monthly cadence, with major seasonal drops arriving every few months.
The most recent major update — Season 4 Episode 1 "The Great Clash," designated Update 1.4.0 — launched today, August 20, 2026. It adds a new main story chapter, the Mega Dungeon "Karel's Mothership" (with Normal, Hard, and a limited-time Conquest difficulty), the new Descendant Raven, 11 Transcendent Weapons, and a new roguelite game mode called Trials. A developer livestream on August 18, 2026 detailed the full Season 4 Episode 1 roadmap, which locks in three further update milestones: Ultimate Hailey and the "Cradle of Evolution" content on September 17, additional Transcendent Weapons and Trials map expansion on October 15, and a Conquest difficulty competitive event running from September 3 through October 14.
The broader second-half 2026 roadmap, announced at the 2nd Anniversary "Descendant Fest" livestream on July 2, 2026, extends commitments through December, including new Descendant Monet and Henosis Sanctuary in November, and Colosseum-A alongside Ultimate Jayber in December. In the accompanying Creator Roundtable on July 20, 2026, the development team discussed long-term plans for content diversification, Trials' planned 2nd and 3rd maps, and ongoing balance philosophy — all consistent with a studio actively planning well beyond the current season.
Leading up to today's Season 4 launch, the team maintained a steady cadence: a major content update on July 2 (1.3.33, 2nd Anniversary events), a feature patch on July 13 previewing July 15 changes, Update 1.3.34 on July 15 adding Void Intercept Battle: Extreme and character balance overhauls, a patch on July 23 (1.3.35), and a patch on June 25 (1.3.32) before that. Developer communication has been continuous and detailed throughout.
This is a game designed to receive ongoing content indefinitely, with a developer actively engaged in planning and communicating updates many months in advance.
Evidence
Season 4 Episode 1 Update 1.4.0 launched today, adding new main story content (S04 EP01), the Mega Dungeon 'Karel's Mothership' (Normal, Hard, and limited-time Conquest difficulties), new Descendant Raven, 11 Transcendent Weapons, and the new roguelite Trials mode.
Developer livestream revealed the full Season 4 Episode 1 roadmap: August 20 update (live today), September 17 update with Ultimate Hailey and Cradle of Evolution, and October 15 update with additional Transcendent Weapons and a second Trials map. Conquest difficulty event confirmed for September 3 through October 14.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
NEXON
Achievements
24
Platform
Windows
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · Co-op
About this game
The First Descendant is a free third-person cooperative action RPG shooter featuring high-quality graphics. Experience the fun of strategic boss fights through 4-player co-op and various unique characters, exciting gunplay, and looting. A variety of equipment is necessary for growth, and you can obtain them through clearing scenario missions within the game or in the World Missions where cooperation is crucial and battles with huge bosses.
The player becomes a Descendant in the game and is given a mission to fight against the invaders for the survival of humans and to protect the ‘Ingris continent’. The player can experience a spectacular story by growing stronger through various missions and stories to finally discover the Descendants' secret. You can also feel the First Descendant’s unique atmosphere through high-quality fields developed with Unreal Engine 5 and gain a new experience of reality and SF fantasy coexisting in one place.
The player becomes a Descendant in the game and is given a mission to fight against the invaders for the survival of humans and to protect the ‘Ingris continent’. The player can experience a spectacular story by growing stronger through various missions and stories to finally discover the Descendants' secret. You can also feel the First Descendant’s unique atmosphere through high-quality fields developed with Unreal Engine 5 and gain a new experience of reality and SF fantasy coexisting in one place.
Charming and Unique Characters
You can play various characters with distinctive concepts and battle styles. We plan to add various customizable elements such as skins for each character to support character decoration.Exciting Battles and Dynamic Action Using Various Skills and Firearms
Experience the First Descendant’s exciting battles composed of various characters with unique skill sets, free movements, and chain actions through Grappling Hooks, colorful firearms, and additional effects. With these, the player can create any battle style they desire.Battles With Huge Boss Monsters Through Cooperative Play
You can target huge boss monsters with different appearances and abilities through 4 player co-op play. The various difficulties will stimulate your competitive spirit, and you can destroy or extract various parts of the huge bosses through 4-player cooperative play. By targeting the huge boss’s gimmicks, you will be able to experience a more compact team play.Motivating Play and Growth
You can equip a character with 3 guns, 4 secondary accessories, and various sub-weapons. Of course, there will also be items to enhance a character or their firearm stats or add a new ability all together. A variety of equipment is a necessary element for growth, and you can obtain them through clearing scenario missions within the game, or in the World Missions where cooperation is crucial and battles with huge bosses. We provide equipment so you can develop the characters to play continuously through character growth and acquiring and combining the various equipment. Use it to challenge yourself with more difficult tasks and enjoy the thrill of clearing them.Last evaluated Aug 20, 2026
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