If you’ve been considering picking up Nexon’s fast-paced looter shooter, you’ve probably asked why is The First Descendant rated M before hitting purchase. The M (Mature 17+) rating from the ESRB isn’t handed out arbitrarily, and understanding the specific content that triggered the label can help you decide if the game is a good fit for you or the younger players in your household. I’ve put over 120 hours into the game across beta and full release, so I’ve seen every bit of content that contributed to the rating firsthand, no secondhand rumors included.
Core Factors That Explain Why Is The First Descendant Rated M
The ESRB evaluates every game released in North America across six core content categories, and The First Descendant hit the threshold for an M rating in three of them. You won’t find overly explicit content that crosses into AO territory, but the consistent presence of the below themes pushed it past the T for Teen rating most looter shooters aim for these days.
- Frequent graphic violence against human and humanoid enemies: Unlike many cartoonish looter shooters, combat in The First Descendant includes visible blood splatter, dismemberment for some enemy types, and slow-motion kill animations that show graphic impacts of firearms and melee attacks.
- Mature thematic content tied to the core story: The game’s central plot revolves around colonization, genocide, forced labor, and government corruption, with unflinching depictions of civilian suffering and war crimes that are too heavy for younger audiences.
- Strong, uncensored language in main and side dialogue: Characters regularly use swears including f-bombs, slurs against enemy groups, and crass sexual jokes during both cutscenes and casual in-mission banter, with no option to toggle a language filter as of the latest update.
It’s worth noting that none of this content feels tacked on to get a higher rating, either. Every part of it ties directly to the game’s gritty, dark tone that sets it apart from more lighthearted competitors, and it’s exactly why is The First Descendant rated M instead of the T rating many fans expected before launch. You won’t run into random explicit scenes that don’t serve the story, which is a common complaint for M-rated games that chase the label for marketing clout.
How The M Rating Impacts Your Gameplay Experience
A lot of players assume an M rating means the game is locked behind strict access gates, but that’s not the case for The First Descendant for the most part. The only real restriction you’ll run into is if you’re playing on a console with parental controls enabled, where accounts marked as under 17 will be blocked from launching the game entirely unless an admin overrides the setting.
You also won’t see censored content if you’re playing in most regions outside of North America, though some countries do require minor cuts to the most graphic kill animations to meet local content rules. For example, players in Germany reported that the dismemberment animations are disabled by default in their version of the game, with no way to turn them on manually.
There are no gameplay features locked behind the M rating, either. You get access to every character, mission, and multiplayer mode regardless of your age, as long as you’re able to launch the game on your platform of choice. The rating is purely a content advisory, not a way to restrict access to specific mechanics.
What Parents Should Know Before Letting Kids Play
If you’re a parent who’s heard your kid begging to play The First Descendant with their friends, understanding why is The First Descendant rated M can help you have a more informed conversation with them about content boundaries before you let them install it. A lot of older teens (15 and up) can handle the mature themes just fine, especially if you’ve already talked to them about how to separate fictional content from real life.
You can’t disable the graphic cutscenes or mature dialogue, which is the biggest thing to keep in mind. Even if you skip every cutscene, your kid will still hear the casual swearing and mature jokes from characters during missions, and see the blood and dismemberment during regular combat. There’s no family-friendly mode available right now, even though the devs have mentioned they’re considering adding one in a future update.
It’s also a good idea to sit in on a couple of missions if you’re on the fence. The multiplayer mode lets players use voice chat with random teammates too, so you’ll want to make sure you have those settings adjusted to disable contact with strangers if you’re letting a younger teen play. Toxic language from other players is pretty common in public lobbies, which adds another layer of mature content that isn’t covered in the official ESRB rating.
Common Myths About The First Descendant’s M Rating Debunked
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around online about why is The First Descendant rated M, especially from players who haven’t actually played through the full story. I’ve seen everything from claims that there’s explicit sexual content to rumors that the rating was a marketing stunt, and almost all of it is false.
One of the most common myths is that the M rating comes from pay-to-win mechanics, but that’s not even a factor the ESRB considers when assigning ratings. The game does have microtransactions for cosmetic skins and battle passes, but those have zero impact on the content rating, no matter how expensive they are.
Another myth I see all the time is that you can get banned for streaming the game because of its M rating, but that’s also not true. All major streaming platforms allow M-rated content as long as you mark your stream as mature, and I’ve streamed over 40 hours of the game without getting a single warning or strike. Just make sure you don’t focus exclusively on the graphic content, and you’ll be fine.
Some players also claim the rating is unnecessarily harsh, but I disagree after playing through the full campaign. The dark story themes and consistent graphic violence would be overwhelming for most kids under 17, and the rating is a fair and accurate reflection of the content you’ll encounter every time you play.
At the end of the day, asking why is The First Descendant rated M is a smart step to take before you spend money on the game, especially if you’re shopping for a younger player. The rating comes down to consistent graphic violence, heavy mature themes, and uncensored strong language, all of which fit the game’s dark, gritty tone perfectly. If you’re 17 or older and enjoy looter shooters with compelling, serious stories, you’ll probably love what the game has to offer, and the M rating won’t get in the way of your fun at all. If you’re considering letting a younger teen play, just take the time to review the content first and adjust your platform settings to keep them safe while they play.