Since its launch last week, Doom: The Dark Ages has attracted 3 million players, marking a significant milestone as the largest launch in id Software's history by player count. According to Bethesda, this impressive number was achieved seven times faster than the 2020 release of Doom Eternal. However, while the player count has been publicly shared, Bethesda has not yet disclosed the game's sales figures.
Doom: The Dark Ages was released on May 15, 2025, across multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. For a closer look at the game's performance, let's focus on Steam, the only platform that provides public player data. On Steam, Doom: The Dark Ages reached a peak concurrent player count of 31,470 and a 24-hour peak of 16,328 players. This figure is notably lower than Doom Eternal's peak of 104,891 players from five years ago, and even less than the 2016 Doom's peak of 44,271 set nine years ago. This comparison suggests that The Dark Ages may have faced challenges in gaining traction on Valve's platform.
It's important to consider the impact of Game Pass when analyzing these numbers. Doom: The Dark Ages was available on Game Pass from day one, which likely influenced the number of players opting for this subscription service over purchasing the game outright at its $69.99 price tag in the U.S. Microsoft's strategy to promote Game Pass subscriptions could be a factor here, as it benefits from increased subscription numbers. Yet, other games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which launched on Game Pass and sold 2 million copies at a lower price of $50, demonstrate that strong sales are still possible despite the subscription model. The higher price point of Doom: The Dark Ages might have deterred some potential buyers.
Bethesda's decision to announce player counts rather than sales figures mirrors its approach with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which reported 4 million players after its day-one launch on Game Pass. Similarly, Ubisoft announced 3 million players for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows without revealing sales data. Only Bethesda and Microsoft have access to the internal targets set for Doom: The Dark Ages, but the high player count indicates strong performance on consoles and through Game Pass, despite the game's relative struggle on Steam.
IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10, praising its shift from the mobility-centric gameplay of Doom Eternal to a more weighty and powerful style that remains immensely satisfying and unique within the series.
