The latest free-to-play looter shooter will start preloading early on Xbox and PC

What you need to know

• The First Descendant is an upcoming free-to-play game developed by NEXON Games.
• It's a third-person looter-shooter with cross-play and cross-progression.
• The game will release on July 2, and you can start preloading 48 hours before launch.

The First Descendant is an upcoming free-to-play game developed by NEXON Games. Similar to games like Destiny 2 and Warframe , The First Descendant is a third-person looter shooter powered by Unreal Engine 5.

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The goal is to become a Descendant and fight for the survival of humanity. Descendants have unique abilities to tackle both solo and co-op missions. Up to 4 players use varied mechanics to defeat giant bosses.

You may recognize NEXON Games from titles such as The Finals and Maple Story. NEXON published the first, while Maple Story was directly developed by NEXON. While NEXON will often partner with other companies to bring their games to Asian markets, NEXON is again taking on the development mantle for The First Descendant . Soon, we won't have to wait any longer!

The wait is almost over

The First Descendant is arriving in just a few days, on July 2. In preparation for launch, NEXON has announced that preloading for the game will go live 48 hours before release. Here are the times:

• Preload starts: June 30 at 12 AM PST / 2 AM CST or 8 AM BST
• Global Release: July 2 at 12 AM PST / 2 AM CST or 8 AM BST

I'm stoked for The First Descendant. Not many people know this, but years ago, I was in the front row for the global reveal of Destiny 2. No, I don't mean from the comfort of my home; I was at the event in Los Angeles. I love these types of games, and while I dropped Destiny 2 a while back after my friends did, I'm hoping something like this will bring us all together again.

The need for endless loot and betterment of my gameplay is a constant force that pulls me back over and over again. It's the same loop that has me hooked on so many live service games at the moment. I hate to admit that, but I've been having a blast playing XDefiant , Fallout 76 , and hopefully The First Descendant when it launches.

Only a week later, Once Human will also be coming out, and I have no idea how I'm going to juggle The First Descendant and all the other games I listed. If I'm not careful, this might be one of the most indoor summers I've ever lived.

The First Descendant releases on July 2 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.