Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 346 sampled Steam reviews (97 positive / 249 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing24% mention it
- Grind & repetition16% mention it
- Monetization11% mention it
- Progression & loot9% mention it
- Visuals & art9% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Monetization35% mention it
- Grind & repetition25% mention it
- Bugs & crashes21% mention it
- Progression & loot20% mention it
- Story & writing17% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
42%
26 reviews
5-15h
44%
27 reviews
15-40h
50%
28 reviews
40-100h
52%
31 reviews
100h+
19%
234 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 56 | 37 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 30 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 57% | 58 | 1050 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 63 | 146 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 48% | 51 | 847 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 27, 2026) · 229 reviews sampled · 847 total reviews in window · weighted 74.7 up / 127.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (37)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 30
“It’ll probably be dead within a year like so many of its sordid ilk. That would be a genuinely good thing for the industry and for the players it’s trying to scam. I hope it dies on its toxic vine.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The First Descendant is still not Destiny at its best or a new revelation in the genre, a very pretty time eater. The game is able to attract the audience with cute graphics and beautiful character models, but it doesn't offer anything radically new. In an era of high competition, this is clearly not enough.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The First Descendant is an extremely derivative looter shooter that takes most of its mechanics from Warframe, but newcomers to the genre will almost certainly have a blast in its futuristic gunfights.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“Destiny is grindy, but it has an immensely satisfying gameplay loop and a rich story. Outriders doesn't have the best plot or visuals, but each class has a wide variety of powers that synergise brilliantly, meaning each build is unique to how you want to play and combat is worthwhile for its own sake. The First Descendant has the stand-out Colossi battles, but everything leading up to them is so mind-numbingly tedious that they don't justify the time or monetary investment you'd need to spend to enjoy them. It's the gaming equivalent of playing with a fidget spinner while on a Discord call - something to keep your hands occupied while you catch up. It's a game designed to get you to pay to skip it, not play it, so what's the point of it?”
read full review ↗ - 75
“While the game functions well enough thanks to its proven system and solid foundation, it still shows some shortcomings in various aspects. These can be understandable considering it is still in pre-season, but the game needs to demonstrate something significant in the next update to prove its long-term service potential.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There is so much that the First Descendant does right, as is evidenced by how visually striking and mechanically engaging the online looter-shooter can be. The descendants’ varying personalities and capabilities provide a unique flourish to a somewhat played-out genre.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It’s clear that they focused much more on fidelity than performance, which is a major pet peeve for most gamers. There’s nothing wrong with putting a lot of emphasis on the graphics, but the gameplay needs as much attention, even more would be better. The silver lining is that this game is free, so there’s no harm in giving it a shot. The game has something there, but it will need more improvements to get the best out of it. Plus, plenty of The First Descendant updates along the way will feature more characters, weapons, adjustments, and so on. So, hopefully, The First Descendant will become a more interesting game in the future.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The First Descendant is neither bad nor outstanding. It doesn't do anything particularly well, but it doesn't do anything insanely badly either. A mid-range shooter that is outshone by the greats of the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“The First Descendant has moments of fun, but its action is constantly debilitated by tiresome mission design and a grind entirely informed by its venomous monetization. It's designed to frustrate and steer players toward an extensive storefront that lets you circumvent some of its monotony, only to be met with even more. There are no redeeming features to its intentionally infuriating free-to-play model; it feels like a game designed in a boardroom, where every single aspect of its design is secondary to the pursuit of making more money. It's a sad state of affairs, and I wouldn't recommend The First Descendant to anyone.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“Artistically impressive, mechanically abusive, and narratively bankrupt, The First Descendant is (and likely will be for years to come) the defining example of how not to create a loot shooter.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“The First Descendant isn’t shying away from where it’s inspired. Destiny has been a called-out game by its fans and the studio and for good reason, it set the bar. Warframe as well has been a go-to for many in the live service catalog, and by using both as a base and creating something in between, it creates a game that while not terribly original, is an absolute blast to play. Each Descendant has a wealth of skills to make them stand out with a design and graphical fidelity to them that makes this one of the best looking games out there.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Being free-to-play, it’d be hard for me to tell you not to give The First Descendant a try. Even after forty hours, I’m still looking forward to spending more time in Ingris and unlocking more Descendants.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
GameMAG
Gaming on PC
Push Square
INVEN
Pure Dead Gaming
GamesCreed
Eurogamer
GameSpot
GameLuster
Analog Stick Gaming
MonsterVine…and 25 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.4.1bAug 28, 2026
- (Revised) The First Descendant Patch 1.4.1Aug 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- (Updated) The First Descendant Update 1.4.0Aug 20, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- (In-Game) 08.06 (Thu) Event InfoAug 6, 2026
- August Known IssuesAug 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- The First Descendant Patch 1.3.37Aug 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.3.37 Schedule for August 6 (Thu)Aug 4, 2026
- The First Descendant Patch 1.3.36Jul 30, 2026
- Patch 1.3.36 Schedule for July 30 (Thu)Jul 28, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.35bJul 24, 2026
- The First Descendant Patch 1.3.35Jul 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.3.35 Schedule for July 23 (Thu)Jul 21, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.34cJul 16, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.34bJul 15, 2026
- July Known IssuesJul 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- The First Descendant Update 1.3.34Jul 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- (In-Game) 07.15 (Wed) Event InfoJul 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Dev Note vol. 27 | Details Regarding the Patch on July 15thJul 13, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- The First Descendant Patch 1.3.33Jul 2, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.3.33 Schedule for July 2 (Thu)Jun 30, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.32bJun 27, 2026
- The First Descendant Patch 1.3.32Jun 25, 2026
- (Updated) Notice regarding additional information on Ines ‘Dark Current’ skillJun 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.3.32 Schedule for June 25 (Thu)Jun 23, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.31cJun 19, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.31bJun 19, 2026
- (Updated) The First Descendant Update 1.3.31Jun 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- (In-Game) 06.18 (Thu) Event InfoJun 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Dev Note vol. 26 | Details Regarding the Patch on June 18thJun 16, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.30bJun 5, 2026
- June Known IssuesJun 4, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- (Updated) The First Descendant Patch 1.3.30Jun 4, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- (In-Game) 06.04 (Thu) Event InfoJun 4, 2026
- Patch 1.3.30 Schedule for June 4 (Thu)Jun 2, 2026
- The First Descendant Hotfix 1.3.29bMay 30, 2026
- The First Descendant Patch 1.3.29May 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.3.29 Schedule for May 28 (Thu)May 26, 2026
…and 13 earlier patch announcements.