“Is There A Way Out?” The First Descendant Hit the Lowest Player Count Ever in February

Things may be looking a bit grim as The First Descendant hit the lowest player count ever in February 2025.

We can’t deny that TFD is in a rough spot right now. What started with hundreds of thousands of players (approximately 264.000 players at its heyday) has now hit an all-time low. Sure, it is natural for games to lose a number of players after the launch, when the hype dies down, but The First Descendant has been on a downward slope for a while now. The numbers spike with each major update but quickly continue dropping. Now, the numbers are weaker than ever, and The First Descendant is facing the lowest player count it has ever had.

The First Descendant Currently Has Barely 5% of the Initial Player Count, Marking the Lowest Point in the Game’s History

It is a fact that TFD is lacking in endgame content, ie, something to keep the players occupied when you complete the main storyline. Sure, there are various Operations and mission types geared towards high-level players (with the Void Erosion Purges being the most popular right now), but those get stale after dozens of runs.

It’s a fact that the character design is the selling point of The First Descendant, more specifically, the design of its female characters. The girls are all bombshells, and we can’t deny that they are the reason players are checking out the game in the first place. But they can keep the game afloat only for so long.

The players realized that the game has scarcely anything to offer other than attractive ladies and have asked time and time again for something more. Nexon really does their best to cater to the player’s wishes (some more than others) and have recently even released all of the swimsuit skins in the Hot Springs update.

We know that the devs said that the swimsuits are planned for next Summer, so it looks like the Hot Springs skins were an attempt to increase the number of players. However, the Hot Springs event only increased the player base from an average of 9000 to 12-13k, and the numbers started dwindling after a couple of days.

Statistics

Let’s look at some numbers. Shortly after the release, The First Descendant had 264.860 in July 2024, according to Steam DB. Add the PlayStation and Xbox players to the mix, and you’ll get a respectable number of players. But now, with the month of February ending just a few days ago, Steam DB reports that February 2025 had an average of 13.939 players. That is barely 5% of the initial number. 

Now, in the first days of March, the numbers average to around 8000 players, which is approximately 3% of the initial playerbase. 

Future of TFD

Nexon has been really doing a good job with its fans, having constant communication with the players and hosting various livestream and Q&A sessions. They promised to have bigger and better updates, with the next one, Season 2 Episode 2, getting closer and closer. The next devlive is practically right around the corner. But will a new area, Serena, Ultimate Blair, and even the infamous jiggle physics be enough to bring the players back?

The First Descendant really has some potential, and it would be a shame if it died out. Since it is not a PvP game (like the recent craze, Marvel Rivals), it can’t rely on natural player engagement. PvE games have to add some extra effort to keep their players engaged and active on a daily basis. Helldivers 2 did a good job with that, where next to all the updates and new content, you have a constantly evolving story that players want to be part of. On the other hand, in TFD, once you finish the main story and all the side content, there is nothing really meaningful to do besides grinding for better gear…and for what? 

There are some mentions of open-world content being planned for the game, which would surely be welcomed by all. Hopefully, Nexon will realize that they need to get into high gear and prioritize keeping the players engaged, lest the game becomes another niche title with a negligible player base.