DOOM: The Dark Ages is Out Now!
Biggest Launch in id Software's History
DOOM: The Dark Ages has stormed onto the scene, achieving a monumental launch with over 3 million players within a week of its release. This impressive feat was announced by Bethesda via a Twitter (X) post on May 21, marking it as id Software's most significant launch to date. The game has been met with enthusiastic acclaim, earning high praise from various review platforms.
Notably, DOOM: The Dark Ages reached this milestone 7 times faster than its predecessor, DOOM: Eternal. However, it's worth clarifying that there's some conflicting data. Superdata reported in 2020 that DOOM: Eternal hit the 3 million player mark within 10 days of its release, though these were estimates and Bethesda has not officially confirmed these figures.
When comparing the two titles, context is crucial. At the time of DOOM: Eternal's release, Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, had not yet been acquired by Microsoft, meaning DOOM: Eternal was not available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. In contrast, DOOM: The Dark Ages is available on PC Game Pass from day one, which impacts its player numbers on Steam. According to SteamDB, DOOM: The Dark Ages reached an all-time peak of 31,470 players, significantly lower than DOOM: Eternal's launch peak of 104,891 players. Analyst firm Ampere estimates that 2 million of DOOM: The Dark Ages' players come from Xbox.
Despite the numerical comparisons, fans and critics alike are hailing DOOM: The Dark Ages as a standout in the franchise. Here at Game8, we've awarded it an impressive 88 out of 100. The game offers a brutal renaissance of the DOOM series, moving away from the aerial combat of DOOM (2016) and Eternal to a more grounded, gritty combat experience. For a deeper dive into our thoughts on the game, be sure to check out our detailed review below!
