DOOM: The Dark Ages marks id Software’s most successful debut, attracting 3 million players. Discover how it stacks up against DOOM: Eternal and explore exclusive PC updates on the horizon.
DOOM: The Dark Ages Hits Shelves!
id Software’s Most Monumental Launch Yet
DOOM: The Dark Ages launched last week to widespread acclaim, earning glowing reviews across multiple platforms. A May 21 post on X by Bethesda revealed the game has already drawn over 3 million players, cementing it as id Software’s largest launch to date.
The milestone was reached seven times faster than DOOM: Eternal, according to Bethesda’s post. However, this contrasts with Superdata’s 2020 claim that DOOM: Eternal hit 3 million players within 10 days of release. Note that these figures are estimates, as Bethesda has not officially commented on the matter.
Comparing the two games requires broader context. At the time of DOOM: Eternal’s launch, Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media, was not yet under Microsoft’s umbrella, so it wasn’t available on Xbox Game Pass at release.
In contrast, DOOM: The Dark Ages launched day one on PC Game Pass, impacting its Steam performance. SteamDB reports a peak of 31,470 players, significantly lower than DOOM: Eternal’s 104,891 at launch. Ampere’s estimates suggest 2 million of DOOM: The Dark Ages’ players are from Xbox.
Still, fans hail it as a standout in the franchise. At Game8, we scored DOOM: The Dark Ages an 88/100 for its visceral reinvention of the series, swapping the high-flying combat of DOOM (2016) and Eternal for a grounded, intense battle experience. Dive into our full review below for more insights!
