Doom: The Dark Ages has captivated a staggering 3 million players since its release last week, yet Bethesda has not disclosed any specific sales figures for the game. In a recent social media announcement, Bethesda celebrated Doom: The Dark Ages as the largest launch in id Software's history by player count, reaching this milestone seven times quicker than Doom Eternal did back in 2020.
To understand these impressive numbers better, let's delve into the specifics. Doom: The Dark Ages launched on May 15, 2025, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Steam, being the only platform with publicly available player statistics, shows that Doom: The Dark Ages achieved a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, with a 24-hour peak at 16,328 players. In comparison, Doom Eternal hit a peak of 104,891 concurrent players five years ago, and the 2016 Doom reached a peak of 44,271 players nine years ago. This indicates that, relatively, Doom: The Dark Ages might have underperformed on Steam.
However, we cannot overlook the significant impact of Xbox Game Pass on these figures. Doom: The Dark Ages was available on Game Pass from day one on both Xbox consoles and PC. This likely attracted a considerable number of players who opted to play through Game Pass rather than purchasing the game at its full price of $69.99 in the U.S.
From Microsoft's perspective, this strategy could be seen as a success, as it promotes their Game Pass subscription services. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that other games, such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, have managed to sell well even while launching on Game Pass. Clair Obscur, priced at $50, sold 2 million copies, showing that a day-one Game Pass release doesn't necessarily hinder sales. The higher price point of Doom: The Dark Ages might have deterred some potential buyers, though.
Bethesda's choice to announce player numbers rather than sales figures for Doom: The Dark Ages mirrors their approach with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which saw 4 million players, also launching on Game Pass. Similarly, Ubisoft announced 3 million players for Assassin's Creed: Shadows, focusing on player counts rather than sales.
Ultimately, only Bethesda and Microsoft have insight into whether Doom: The Dark Ages met their internal targets. However, the 3 million player milestone suggests strong performance on consoles and through Game Pass, despite a potentially weaker showing on Steam.
IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10, praising the game for introducing a new, powerful, and weighty play style that diverges from the mobility-focused approach of Doom Eternal, yet remains highly satisfying and distinct within the series.
