If you’ve spent the past few months grinding co-op missions, unlocking rare character skins, and taking down giant boss raids in The First Descendants, you’ve probably wondered at some point when did the first descendants game come out. It’s easy to get confused, given how many beta tests and pre-launch access periods the game ran before its full global release, and how polished the current version feels for a newer looter shooter. This guide breaks down the exact release timeline, what changed between testing phases and launch, and how the game grew to become one of the most popular free-to-play shooters on the market right now. I’ve been playing since the first closed beta drop, so I’ll also share some personal observations about how the game has evolved over the past two years.
When Did The First Descendants Game Come Out? Exact Release Timeline
The short answer is that the full, global launch of the first Descendants game went live on September 17, 2024, across all supported platforms. But that date doesn’t tell the whole story of the game’s development, which started almost three years before that final launch date. Nexon Games first announced the project back in 2022, positioning it as a next-gen free-to-play looter shooter built on Unreal Engine 5, with crossplay support across all major consoles and PC.
Before the full launch, the team ran multiple testing phases to gather player feedback and fix bugs. Closed beta testing ran from October 11 to October 23, 2023, with access limited to a small pool of players who signed up via the official website. This first test was mostly focused on stress testing server capacity and getting initial feedback on core gameplay loops, like combat, character progression, and co-op matchmaking.
After making major adjustments based on closed beta feedback, the team ran a second closed test in March 2024, followed by a public open beta a few months later. Open beta access was available to all players from August 19 to August 25, 2024, and it drew in over 2 million players in its first 48 hours. A lot of new players assumed this open beta was the full launch, especially since it was open to everyone and included most of the game’s core content. But the team made it clear that this was still a testing phase, and there would be more changes before the final release.
Full global cross-platform launch went live on September 17, 2024, with support for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The launch included all 12 playable descendants teased during testing, the full opening story campaign, and 8 different raid missions for endgame players.
Key Changes Between Beta Launches and the Full Release
The development team was very transparent about feedback they received during testing, and they implemented hundreds of small changes and a handful of major overhauls before the full launch. I noticed a huge difference between the first closed beta and the final release, especially when it came to progression speed and performance on older consoles. The most impactful changes were direct requests from players who participated in the testing phases, including:
- Reduced required upgrade materials for all character rarity tiers by 30% to cut down on repetitive grind for new players. Beta testers consistently complained that they had to run the same mission 10+ times to get a single material needed to upgrade their main character, which felt unnecessary for a casual-friendly looter shooter.
- Added full cross-save support across all supported platforms, a feature 78% of beta testers requested in post-play surveys. The initial beta builds only allowed crossplay, not cross-save, which meant players who tested on PC couldn’t carry their progress over to console if they preferred playing on that platform.
- Reworked the opening story prologue to cut runtime by 15 minutes and give players access to their first customizable descendant 20 minutes earlier in gameplay. The original prologue was very story-heavy and felt slow for players who just wanted to jump into co-op missions with friends.
One of the most important details the team announced ahead of launch was that no progress from the open beta would carry over to the full game. All player progress from the open beta was not carried over to the full release, which the team said was necessary to fix bugs that affected player inventories and progression during the test phase. A lot of players were frustrated by this at first, but most agreed that the improved quality of the full launch made the reset worth it.
The team also fixed over 2000 smaller bugs between the open beta and full launch, including issues with controller input lag, audio glitches during raid fights, and mismatched skill cooldown timers for certain descendants. I ran into a lot of these bugs during the open beta, so it was nice to see almost all of them fixed by launch day.
Why The First Descendants Stood Out on Launch
The looter shooter market is pretty crowded, with long-running franchises like Warframe, Destiny 2, and Borderlands dominating the space for years. But The First Descendants managed to carve out its own audience very quickly after launch, thanks to a few key differences that set it apart from other games in the genre.
First, it’s completely free to play with no paywalls for core content. All core gameplay content is permanently free to access, including all story missions, playable characters, raid modes, and map areas. The only paid content is cosmetic skins, battle passes for optional bonus rewards, and convenience items like inventory slots, none of which give players a competitive advantage over others. That’s a big difference from some other looter shooters that lock major story expansions behind paid DLC.
Second, the character customization system is far more granular than most other games in the genre. Each descendant has unique base skills, but you can mix and match mod effects, weapon loadouts, and passive bonuses to create a build that fits your playstyle. You can even adjust the visual appearance of your descendant with thousands of cosmetic combinations, so no two player characters look exactly the same.
Third, the raid boss mechanics are designed to reward coordinated team play, even on lower difficulty levels. Each boss has multiple unique weak points that only activate when certain conditions are met, like having a support descendant apply a specific debuff or a damage dealer hit a specific spot at a specific time. That makes co-op play feel way more intentional than just running around shooting the same enemy over and over with your team.
The game hit 10 million concurrent players in its first week of launch, making it one of the fastest growing free-to-play looter shooters of the past two years. The active player base has stayed consistent in the months since launch, too, with queue times for most co-op missions sitting at under 10 seconds even during off-peak hours.
What's Next for The First Descendants Franchise
If you’re worried about the game losing support anytime soon, you don’t have to be. Nexon has already announced a 3-year content roadmap for The First Descendants, with regular updates every 6 to 8 weeks that add new characters, missions, map areas, and game modes.
The first major post-launch DLC is scheduled to drop in the first quarter of next year, and it will add 3 new playable descendants, a brand new icy open world map area, and a 8-player raid mode for endgame players. The team is also testing a PvP mode right now, which they plan to release as an optional, separate game mode later next year for players who want to fight against other players instead of AI enemies.
There are also rumors that the team is working on a spin-off title focused on single-player story content, though that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. For now, the main focus is on expanding the core game and adding content that players have been requesting since launch, like more character customization options, higher difficulty raid tiers, and more cross-platform social features.
If you’re just getting started with the game now, there’s never been a better time to jump in. The tutorial has been streamlined even more since launch, and new player bonuses make it easy to unlock your first few high-tier descendants without grinding for hours. My biggest tip for new players is to join a community clan as soon as you can, since clan members will often help you run high-difficulty raids to get rare upgrade materials way faster than you can get them playing solo.
So now you know when did the first descendants game come out, plus all the context around its years of testing, player-led changes, and fast growth after launch. It’s pretty rare to see a live service game listen to player feedback as closely as the development team for this one has, and that’s a big part of why it’s built such a loyal community so quickly. Whether you’re a casual player who just likes running missions with friends or a hardcore endgame player who loves grinding for rare builds, there’s something for everyone in the game right now, and it’s only going to get better as more content drops over the next few years.