If you’ve ever logged on to play a new looter shooter only to realize you can’t squad up with your friend who owns a different console, you know how frustrating that disconnect can be. I’ve been there myself, excited to jump into a new co-op game only to hit a wall when I realized my friend on PC couldn’t join my PlayStation lobby. The First Descendant’s fast-paced, co-op focused gameplay is built for playing with groups, so one of the most common questions new players ask before downloading is does the first descendant have cross play. We’ve spent dozens of hours testing cross platform features across every supported system, digging through official patch notes, and troubleshooting common connection issues to bring you a full breakdown of what’s available, what’s not, and how to get your squad connected as fast as possible. Whether you play on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or even handheld consoles, we’ve got all the details you need to avoid wasted time setting up lobbies.
Does The First Descendant Have Cross Play? Supported Platforms and Features
The short answer is yes, full cross play is supported for all versions of The First Descendant across every major platform the game is available on. Unlike a lot of live service games that launch without cross play and add it months later, Nexon built cross platform functionality into The First Descendant from day one, so it’s well optimized and rarely causes connection issues. Supported platforms include PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via both Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Cross play is enabled by default for all new accounts, so you don't have to dig through layers of settings to turn it on if you want to play with people on other systems. Alongside cross play, the game also supports full cross progression for all earned in-game content, so you can pick up right where you left off if you switch platforms, as long as your accounts are linked to your central Nexon profile.
The only exception for cross play access is for accounts with active platform-level parental control blocks. If your console or PC account has cross platform play disabled through system settings, that restriction will override the in-game cross play toggle, so you’ll need to adjust that first before you can join cross platform lobbies.
How to Set Up Cross Play in The First Descendant for Your Squad
Setting up cross play for your squad takes just a few steps, and most players won’t run into any issues if they follow the standard process. First, every member of your squad will need to link their platform account to a free Nexon account when they first launch the game. This is the central account that ties all your cross platform progress and friends lists together, so don’t skip this step if you want to play with people on other systems.
You don’t need to add friends on each individual platform – once you add their Nexon ID in the in-game friends menu, you can invite them to your lobby no matter what system they’re on. I’ve helped dozens of friends set up their cross play lobbies, and the only common issue we’ve run into is people forgetting to link their Nexon account when they first launch the game. You can link your account through the game’s main menu in less than a minute, so it’s not a big hurdle to clear.
Cross play works for every game mode in The First Descendant, from 4-player story co-op missions to 8-player endgame void raids and even PvP modes. There are no mode-specific restrictions for cross platform play, so you can enjoy every part of the game with your friends no matter what system they own. I’ve run multiple endgame boss raids with a mix of PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S players, and we didn’t notice any input lag or connection issues that were specific to the cross play setup.
Key Cross Play Limitations and Rules to Know
While The First Descendant’s cross play system is very well built, there are a few limitations and rules you should be aware of before you get your squad together. Most of these are standard for cross platform games, but they can cause frustration if you don’t know about them ahead of time.
In-game purchases of premium currency are not shared across platforms, even with cross progression enabled. That means if you buy 1,000 premium Descendant Tokens on your Xbox account, you’ll only be able to spend those tokens on Xbox, even if your account is linked to a PC or PlayStation profile. Any items you unlock with either earned or premium currency will be accessible across all linked accounts, though, so you don’t have to re-buy skins or characters if you switch platforms.
Console players can opt out of cross play entirely if they want to only match with other players on the same console family. This is a popular option for PvP players who don’t want to compete against PC players using mouse and keyboard, or for players who want to reduce ping by only matching with people on the same system in their local region. You can toggle cross play on or off at any time in the in-game settings menu, no restart required.
There are a few common mistakes players make when first using cross play that can cause connection issues:
- Forgetting to link your Nexon account to your platform account before trying to join cross play lobbies
- Leaving your lobby set to private if you want random cross play players to join your co-op missions
- Buying premium currency on one platform expecting to be able to spend it on another, since paid funds are platform-locked
- Disabling cross play in your platform settings accidentally, which blocks all cross platform invites even if it's enabled in-game
I made that last mistake myself when I first got the game – I had cross play blocked in my PS5 parental control settings without realizing it, and I spent 20 minutes troubleshooting why I couldn’t join my friend’s PC lobby before I figured it out. If you’re having trouble receiving invites, double check your system level settings first before you mess with in-game options.
Is Cross Play in The First Descendant Worth Enabling?
For most players, leaving cross play enabled is the best choice, but there are a few cases where you might want to turn it off. The biggest benefit of leaving cross play on is that you can play with all your friends no matter what system they own, which is the main draw for a co-op focused game like The First Descendant. Cross play also drastically reduces queue times for all game modes, especially less popular endgame raids that might have small player bases on individual platforms.
The main downside of cross play for many console players is the perceived advantage PC players have with mouse and keyboard in PvP modes. If you only play co-op PvE content, this won’t matter at all, since you’re working with other players instead of competing against them. For PvP players, though, there’s a simple fix that means you don’t have to turn off cross play entirely.
The game has built-in input-based matchmaking as an optional setting, so you can choose to only match against other controller players even if you have cross play enabled. That means you get all the benefits of faster cross play queue times, but you don’t have to compete against mouse and keyboard players if you don’t want to. That’s a feature a lot of other cross play games don’t offer, so it’s a nice touch for The First Descendant.
The only other time you might want to turn off cross play is if you have a very slow internet connection, and you’re getting matched with players from far away regions that cause high ping. You can also adjust your region settings to only match with players in your local area instead of turning off cross play entirely, which is usually a better fix for ping issues.
At the end of the day, the answer to does the first descendant have cross play is a resounding yes, with support for every major platform and very few limitations that get in the way of playing with friends. The default enabled settings, cross progression support, and optional input-based matchmaking make it one of the most user-friendly cross play systems in any modern looter shooter. Whether you're just starting out and want to run story missions with your friends, or you're gearing up for endgame raids with a squad spread across multiple systems, cross play in The First Descendant works seamlessly most of the time, with very little setup required. If you run into connection issues, double check the account linking steps and platform settings we covered earlier, and you'll be playing with your cross platform squad in no time.