Doom: The Dark Ages Marks id's Biggest Launch, Sales Figures Pending

Doom: The Dark Ages has rapidly amassed 3 million players since its release last week, marking the largest launch in id Software's history by player count. Bethesda proudly announced that this new installment reached the milestone seven times faster than its predecessor, Doom Eternal, which launched in 2020. Despite this impressive player engagement, Bethesda has yet to reveal specific sales figures for Doom: The Dark Ages.

The game, which hit the shelves on May 15, 2025, is available across multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. To gain a deeper understanding of its performance, it's crucial to examine the platform-specific data. On Steam, Doom: The Dark Ages achieved a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, with a 24-hour peak at 16,328. In contrast, Doom Eternal reached a peak of 104,891 concurrent players, and the 2016 Doom peaked at 44,271. These figures suggest that, on Steam alone, Doom: The Dark Ages might have underperformed compared to its predecessors.

However, the influence of Xbox Game Pass cannot be overlooked. Doom: The Dark Ages was launched day-one on Game Pass for both Xbox consoles and PC, likely attracting a significant number of players who opted for the subscription service over purchasing the game outright at its $69.99 price tag in the U.S. This strategy aligns with Microsoft's broader goal of boosting Game Pass subscriptions, even if it might impact direct sales. For instance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which also launched on Game Pass, managed to sell 2 million copies despite being priced at $50, indicating that a game's price point can influence consumer behavior.

Bethesda's choice to highlight player counts rather than sales figures is consistent with their approach to other titles, such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which reported 4 million players. Similarly, Ubisoft announced 3 million players for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows without disclosing sales numbers. While only Bethesda and Microsoft have access to the internal performance metrics of Doom: The Dark Ages, the 3 million player milestone suggests strong performance on consoles and through Game Pass, though it may have faced challenges on Steam.

IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10, praising its shift from the mobility-focused gameplay of Doom Eternal to a more weighty and powerful style. The review noted that this new approach, while different, remains immensely satisfying and marks a fresh direction for the series.