DOOM: The Dark Ages is id Software’s biggest launch with 3 million players. Read on to learn more about how it is compared to DOOM: Eternal, and upcoming exclusive updates for PC.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is Out Now!
Biggest Launch in id Software’s History
DOOM: The Dark Ages was released last week to a warm reception and received high praise from various review sites. In a Twitter (X) post by Bethesda on May 21, the game has reached over 3 million players, making it the biggest launch in id Software’s history.
According to the post, they reached this milestone 7x faster than their previous game, DOOM: Eternal. However, this contradicts claims of Superdata in 2020 that DOOM: Eternal achieved the 3 million player mark within 10 days of its release. It is important to note that the data presented were estimates, and Bethesda has never announced anything regarding this matter.
Comparing both titles’ numbers must also be looked at in a wider context. At the time of DOOM: Eternal’s release, Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media, had not been acquired by Microsoft, which means that it was not available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
Meanwhile, DOOM: The Dark Ages is available day one on PC Game Pass, which also affected their data on Steam. SteamDB’s data reports that it reached an all-time peak of 31,470 players, which pales in comparison to DOOM: Eternal having 104,891 players at launch. Based on the analyst firm Ampere’s estimates, 2 million DOOM: The Dark Ages players are from Xbox.
Regardless, fans are viewing it as one of the best games from the franchise. Here at Game8, we gave DOOM: The Dark Ages an 88 out of 100 for its brutal renaissance of the DOOM series, trading the aerial flair of DOOM (2016) and Eternal for a grittier, boots-on-the-ground combat loop. To know more about our thoughts on the game, check out our article below!
Path Tracing & DLSS Ray Reconstruction Upgrade Coming This June
DOOM: The Dark Ages is amazing visually, pushing the limits of id Software’s id Tech 8 engine. The game runs natively in ray-traced mode, offering dynamic, realistic lighting and shadows, including ray-traced global illumination that emulates real-world light simulation.
On top of that, it will have a PC-exclusive post-launch update coming in June that will introduce path tracing, taking lighting quality to the next level with even more realistic light bounces and reflections. This is coupled with NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction, which uses AI to improve the quality of images and performance. According to NVIDIA, more details will be shared soon.
DOOM: The Dark Ages launched with resounding success, enticing players across all platforms, especially on Xbox. Its plans on improving its quality with upcoming updates push it to be playable for a long time. DOOM: The Dark Ages is set to be released on May 15, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Source:
Bethesda Twitter (X) post on DOOM: The Dark Ages Reaching 3 Million Players
DOOM: The Dark Ages SteamDB Charts
Superdata March 2020 Estimates
Christopher Dring Twitter (X) post on DOOM: The Dark Ages 2 Million Players from Xbox
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