"DOOM: The Dark Ages Launches with 3 Million Players, id Software's Biggest Ever"

DOOM: The Dark Ages has surged to become id Software's most successful launch to date, amassing an impressive 3 million players. Dive in to discover how it stacks up against DOOM: Eternal and what exclusive updates await PC users.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is Out Now!

Biggest Launch in id Software’s History

Launched just last week, DOOM: The Dark Ages has been warmly received, garnering high acclaim from numerous review platforms. A tweet from Bethesda on May 21 proudly announced that the game has surpassed 3 million players, marking it as the largest launch in id Software's storied history.

The announcement highlighted that this milestone was achieved 7 times faster than their previous title, DOOM: Eternal. Yet, this claim stands in contrast to Superdata's 2020 report, which suggested DOOM: Eternal hit the 3 million player mark within 10 days of its debut. It's worth noting that these were estimates, and Bethesda has not officially confirmed these figures.

When comparing the performance of both games, it's crucial to consider broader contextual factors. At the time of DOOM: Eternal’s release, ZeniMax Media, Bethesda's parent company, had not yet been acquired by Microsoft, meaning it wasn't available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.

In contrast, DOOM: The Dark Ages was made available on PC Game Pass from day one, which likely influenced its Steam numbers. According to SteamDB, it peaked at 31,470 concurrent players, significantly less than the 104,891 peak for DOOM: Eternal at launch. Analyst firm Ampere estimates that 2 million of DOOM: The Dark Ages' players come from Xbox.

Despite these metrics, the fanbase has hailed it as one of the finest entries in the DOOM series. Here at Game8, we've awarded DOOM: The Dark Ages an impressive 88 out of 100, praising its gritty, ground-level combat that marks a bold departure from the aerial acrobatics of DOOM (2016) and Eternal. For a deeper dive into our review, be sure to check out our detailed article below!