DOOM: The Dark Ages is Id Software’s follow-up to the gore-tastic DOOM: Eternal, set in the alien planet of Argent D’Nur. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth buying.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review Overview

What is DOOM: The Dark Ages?

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a fast-paced, ultra-violent action FPS from id Software and Bethesda Softworks that once again unleashes the legendary Doom Slayer on a demon-blood-soaked rampage through the forces of hell. This time, the carnage takes place across the war-torn battlefields of ancient Argent D’nur—the homeworld of the Sentinels first introduced in the series’ 2016 soft reboot.

Digging deeper into the grim, fractured history of the Sentinels, the Maykrs, and the Demons, The Dark Ages casts the Slayer right in the middle of it all—an unrelenting, unstoppable force of pure destruction.

DOOM: The Dark Ages features:
　⚫︎　Campaign mode with 22 chapters
　⚫︎　New and returning guns, including the Super Shotgun and more!
　⚫︎　New melee options like the Flail and Power Gauntlet
　⚫︎　New mechanics, including the Atlan Mech, Chainsaw Shield, and Dragon
　⚫︎　Synergistic weapon progression system
　⚫︎　Wide-open, sandbox-style stages with exploration
　⚫︎　Fully voice-acted, high-fidelity cutscenes

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about DOOM: The Dark Ages's gameplay and story.

Steam		PSN		Xbox
Price		$69.99

DOOM: The Dark Ages Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
In With the Old and the New Every Slayer Loves A New Arsenal Dragons and Mechas…’Nuff Said! More Backstory for the New Continuity	Much Slower Than Eternal Maybe A Bit Too Long Bring Back Mick Gordon, Now! Bricks Most Low-End Computers

DOOM: The Dark Ages Overall Score - 88/100

DOOM: The Dark Ages, despite what its title might suggest, plays more like a second renaissance for the franchise. It ditches the airborne chaos and rapid-fire weapon cycling of DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, opting instead for a grittier, boots-on-the-ground combat loop that feels closer to the original DOOM experience. Toss in a mech, a dragon, a dark story nestled within the series' freshly rebooted continuity, and a crusade-sized campaign mode, and you’ve got something well worth sinking your chainsaw shield into.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Story - 8/10

I've always been a fan of DOOM's new continuity since the 2016 reboot, and Eternal did a great job pushing the story forward. DOOM: The Dark Ages feels more like a B-tier Marvel movie in that sense—less of a main event, more of a solid side story that fleshes out the backstory and broader context of the series in a new setting, complete with its own distinct narrative tone.

If it weren’t for the slightly overstretched runtime and the lack of any truly memorable characters beyond the Slayer himself, it could’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with the others. Still, I'm a sucker for world-building, and this game has plenty, so it gets a higher than average score nonetheless.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Gameplay - 9/10

It took some getting used to—just as the devs warned—but DOOM: The Dark Ages's more grounded, methodical take on the Slayer’s rampage eventually grew on me. It doesn’t hit the same high-octane power fantasy as Eternal, dialing back the verticality and doubling down on melee, but in return, it nails the feeling of being a proper, battle-hardened Sentinel knight—anachronistic arsenal and all. Push through those first few stages, get a few upgrades under your belt, feel the rhythm of the new system, and you’re golden.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Visuals - 10/10

DOOM has always been one of those games you can spot at a glance—even before the reboot—and The Dark Ages carries that torch well, even if it looks nothing like Eternal. The devs double down on the ancient, war-torn aesthetic of Argent D’nur without straying too far from the iconic look and feel of the weapons, enemies, and characters we know and love. Add in some jaw-dropping visuals, killer cosmetics, and weapon designs that are metal-as-hell in every sense of the word, and yeah—we’re slaying well tonight.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Audio - 8/10

The audio in this game—while technically solid and free of any real flaws—commits the cardinal sin of not being composed by Mick Gordon. I’m sure the folks at Finishing Move gave it their all, and to be fair, their work does a fine job of setting the tone and has merits of its own. However, where Gordon’s soundtracks stood out with raw, unmistakable personality, theirs is a bit more generic in comparison. Giving credit where it’s due, at least the voice acting is very much on point, and the sound effects are as visceral as ever.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Value for Money - 9/10

As far as AAA games go, DOOM: The Dark Ages is one of the rare recent titles that doesn’t feel like it’s out to squeeze your wallet without giving something worthwhile in return. The campaign is impressively long, offering that sweet value through sheer playtime, and the game itself is genuinely fun, even if it plays a bit differently than what modern DOOM fans might expect.

That said, this value doesn’t lower the bar for entry, it only makes it worth reaching, which is why it still loses a few points. That's also assuming you could run it in the first place, otherwise, this bar is even higher for some. Still, for a $70 game, this is more than respectable.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review: More Like DOOM: The Renaissance

DOOM is a game that really needs no introduction—it’s been around for decades, bridging the gap between retro and modern AAA in the best way possible, and carving out its place in the gaming zeitgeist as one of the all-time greats. It’s always been a simple idea executed with brutal clarity: shoot demons with shotguns until they explode. That core hasn't changed much, aside from the bells and whistles of modern tech.

With everything DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal brought to the table—weapon cycles, mods, and an outrageous ceiling for high-skill play—it only made sense to assume the next game would double down and crank it all to eleven, keeping the momentum of this modern DOOM renaissance alive. But, in a twist of historical irony, The Dark Ages doesn’t follow the Renaissance metaphorically—it follows it literally. Rather than descending into a creative slump, though, this “Dark Ages” marks a second renaissance of its own: one forged not by escalation, but by expert simplification of a formula that had grown more intricate with each entry, and not necessarily for the better.

But enough preamble—I’m sure the Slayers among you are already itching to cleave some demons in half. So let’s rip and tear right into this review.

More Ripping and Tearing, But Medieval This Time

The first thing you’re going to notice about DOOM: The Dark Ages is just how different it feels in almost every respect. Some of those differences are in clear service to the return to form the devs have been teasing since the game’s announcement, while others are brand-new ideas altogether. And among those fresh changes, the one that stands out the most is the story.

Unlike DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, The Dark Ages doesn’t take place on Earth, in Hell, or in some twisted fusion of the two mid-invasion. Instead, the action unfolds entirely in Argent D’nur—the war-scarred homeworld of the Sentinels, the warrior race introduced in the rebooted continuity. From the very beginning, it’s clear this isn’t your typical “Slayer wakes up and wrecks Hell” narrative. In fact, the Slayer isn’t even rampaging on his own terms. That’s right: in this game, he’s operating under the command of the Maykrs, taking on missions at their behest. It’s a striking shift in tone and agency that recontextualizes the carnage—and gives the story a flavor all its own.

Here, it’s not just about rage, blood, and gore—though don’t worry, there’s still plenty of that to go around. This time, the story centers on a full-scale war between Hell and the allied forces of the Sentinels and the Maykrs, introducing new characters like King Novik and his loyal warriors on one side, and some upstart hell-prince leading the demonic charge on the other. It’s a far cry from the pure rampage-with-a-dash-of-intrigue vibe of the first two rebooted DOOM games, but it’s a welcome shift.

The added narrative weight doesn’t take away from the spirit of the series—it still lets us rip, tear, and dismember at will, while finally grounding the universe with some much-needed world-building. And hey, it even gives us a reason for the game’s medieval aesthetic: Argent D’nur is a high-tech society draped in knightly tradition. All around, it’s a smart opening move to this new renaissance, and one presented well with the game’s stellar graphics, too.

I can’t get enough of the rebooted DOOM aesthetic—that fusion of high-tech futurism and quasi-biblical hellscapes is just chef’s kiss. DOOM: The Dark Ages stirs a medieval flavor into that already rich aesthetic stew, and the result is something uniquely its own and downright gorgeous to look at. That blend carries over beautifully into the enemy designs too—we’re talking demons decked out in plate armor, swinging swords, blasting lasers, and generally looking metal as hell while they try to tear you apart.

But nothing screams “medieval” louder than the weapons—and oh boy, does this game bring the arsenal.

Can’t Get Enough of All These New Weapons and Tech!

When you think DOOM, you think guns. That’s just how it is. The Slayer and high-tech firepower go together like Cacodemons and sticky bombs. But this time around, we’re deep in the medieval age of Argent D’nur, so don’t expect the full suite of futuristic weaponry from previous games. God knows Charlemagne didn’t have any BFG 9000s lying around. You do still have guns, however, anachronistic as that is, and some of them are not like anything you’ve ever seen in a DOOM game.

You start off with the trusty combat shotgun—because, of course, you do, that’s just how id Software rolls—but the arsenal quickly escalates into some of the most metal, over-the-top weaponry to ever grace a video game. You get a stake launcher that feels like it was designed specifically to give Dracula a very aggressive acupuncture session. There’s a ball-and-chain cannon that smashes armored enemies from across the battlefield. And—brace yourself—a gun that shreds skulls and then launches them in an arc as bone-piercing projectiles. I don’t know if I’ve made it clear just how metal that is, but younger me would’ve been foaming at the mouth just hearing about it, let alone actually getting to use it in-game.

You also get a chainsaw shield—yes, really—a gloriously absurd piece of gear you can chuck around like Captain America’s shield or use to parry incoming attacks. This bad boy is just one half of DOOM: The Dark Ages’ clear push to make melee a core part of the combat loop, not just a finisher or glory-kill mechanism like in previous games. You can even string together melee combos on bigger demons, and not just with your fists either—there are properly medieval tools of carnage like a flail that shines under certain combat conditions.

But all of that pales in comparison to the sheer spectacle that is the Atlan Mech and the Slayer’s rideable dragon. Just when you thought DOOM couldn’t get any more over-the-top, id Software said, “You know what this Slayer needs? A Jaeger-sized mech and a flying lizard of death with laser wings.” These aren’t just flashy one-off moments, either—they’re fully integrated into the gameplay, complete with their own mechanics and combat sections.

You’ve got entire chapters dedicated to piloting the Atlan or taking to the skies on dragonback. The dragon, while not the most precise thing in the world—it handles like a hawk caught in a hurricane—still offers satisfying dodge-and-shoot gameplay, even if it stays pretty simple. The Atlan mech, on the other hand, delivers some of the game’s most bombastic sequences, letting you square off against massive Titans in battles that feel like a first-person kaiju brawl. This isn’t DOOM returning to form—there were no 50-foot mech fights in classic DOOM, unless you’re counting the Icon of Sin in Eternal—but it’s a smart, controlled escalation that cranks the experience up without jumping the shark entirely.

As for how these weapons unlock and evolve—well, it’s business as usual at first. Weapons are doled out naturally as you progress through the campaign, just like in previous DOOM entries. But the upgrade system? That’s where things take a bit of a turn.

Unlike DOOM: Eternal, which had its mix of weapon mod challenges and mastery unlocks, The Dark Ages simplifies things with a centralized upgrade station. Using currencies like Gold and Rubies, you can enhance your arsenal in a variety of ways. Some upgrades are straightforward—adding burn or shock effects—while others get spicy, like slowing time while aiming down sights or bouncing shots between enemies like demonic pinballs. Each upgrade not only improves the weapon but also opens up new synergies, slowly layering depth into your overall combat rhythm.

And that rhythm—the combat loop—is where DOOM: The Dark Ages starts to really feel like it’s coming back to its roots, because it’s a lot less about double jumps, air dashes, and glory kills in The Dark Ages.

Clipping the Slayer’s Wings Was Actually A Good Idea

You’ll feel the shift from the very first shotgun blast to the final boss fight—DOOM: The Dark Ages plays differently. This time around, it’s more grounded—literally and figuratively. Where DOOM: Eternal was all about breakneck weapon cycling, constant momentum, and maximizing DPS with perfectly timed mod swaps, The Dark Ages slows the tempo and brings you in closer. You’re not just dancing around arenas anymore—you’re marching through them, blade-first.

There’s a stronger emphasis on lateral movement, weapon synergy, and melee integration. You’re not juggling five guns in rapid succession to delete enemies in milliseconds. Instead, you’re playing the long game—setting up combos, parrying with your shield, and exploiting elemental weaknesses. It’s less ballet, more brawl.

Encounters, even at a high skill level, feel chunkier and more deliberate. Enemy density is lower, stages are wider with more open terrain, and demons—especially the bigger ones—don’t just throw themselves at you anymore. They form ranks. They hold positions. It forces you to approach fights with more tactical awareness. And what carries you into that fight is something technically new to the series, but eerily similar to the Meat Hook from previous games: a glorious lock-on charge that lets you bullrush across the battlefield and vaporize lesser demons in your path.

And then there’s the parry—a bold new addition that makes DOOM: The Dark Ages feel just a little bit Dark Souls. Certain enemy attacks and projectiles can be deflected at just the right moment, allowing you to riposte with a devastating attack of your own in addition to that demon's attack reflected back at it. It’s short-range, it’s risky, and it’s absolutely brutal. More than any previous DOOM title, this one forces you to stay right in the demons’ faces, where every decision is life or death and every successful parry feels like a mic-drop.

Strip away the new melee mechanics and the parry system, though, and you’ll start to see the game’s core resemblance to classic DOOM—really classic DOOM. Weaving between charging Imps and floating projectiles, snapping off shots when you get a window—it’s the bones of the genre, alive and kicking. It’s not new to DOOM as a whole, but to the modern rebooted era? The Dark Ages is to this trilogy what DOOM (2016) was to the franchise: a renaissance all on its own.

But for all its smart changes and glowing highlights, this game isn’t perfect. The most noticeable of its flaws? Well, you’ll feel it around chapter... ten because the most noticeable flaw is that the game is 22 chapters long.

Too Much Campaign To Handle

Yeah, this game is massive in terms of story and scope, boasting 22 chapters of carnage spread across the myth-soaked lands of Argent D’nur. The devs pitched this as a “crusade for the ages,” a true test of any Slayer’s mettle—and for some players, it absolutely is. But for me? I think it overstays its welcome just a bit. If you’re playing on a higher difficulty, where one mistimed dodge means restarting an encounter, that length can start to wear you down fast.

For comparison, DOOM: Eternal clocked in at 19 levels including its DLCs. So yeah, 22 full-length chapters is a lot to chew on, and not all of them hit the same. The pacing feels inconsistent—some levels, like the sprawling and semi-open “Siege — Part 1,” can run over two hours, while others feel like a quick 10-minute dungeon crawl. That stop-start flow throws off the rhythm and leaves parts of the campaign feeling bloated, even if most of the content is still solid.

Then there’s the size—literally. The game demands nearly 90 GB of storage and a ray tracing-compatible GPU just to hit minimum specs on PC. I can run it fine, but plenty of others will have to make tough choices: uninstall a couple of other games or fork out for hardware upgrades. Pair that with the $70 price tag, and it’s clear this is a high-barrier experience. It’s not necessarily unreasonable, especially given the sheer volume and quality of the content, but it’s still a lot to ask from a player just looking to rip and tear.

Couldn’t Fill A Mick Gordon-Shaped Hole

And now, the unspoken truth must be said out loud—the single most egregious sin this game commits is the absence of Mick Gordon. Our beloved, chaotic metal maestro… we need you back. DOOM: The Dark Ages just doesn’t hit the same without him.

To be fair, Finishing Move clearly didn’t try to imitate or outdo Gordon—they knew better. Instead, they crafted something that leans more into traditional metal with a cinematic flair, better suited to the game’s new themes of crusades and ancient war. It’s respectable. It fits. It works well. But it doesn’t ignite. It doesn’t channel that unholy adrenaline rush that made Eternal feel like a playable death metal album. What we got instead is… fine. In any other game, it’d even be good. But this is DOOM, and that comes with expectations they just couldn’t meet.

I don't think those expectations tarnishes what what Finishing Move has made too much—what could be isn't as important as what is, in my opinion—but it's food for thought on how hard this game could've gone if Mick Gordon got to try his hand at something medieval.

That said, I don’t want to undersell the rest of the audio. The voice acting is great across the board—gravelly, mythic, and dramatic in all the right ways—and the sound effects are delightfully punchy and grotesque. Every chainsaw rip, every stake shot, every demon death thud feels as satisfyingly physical as it should be. I wouldn't play as the Slayer if slaying wasn't this visceral.

I’m Liking This Renaissance for DOOM

All in all, DOOM: The Dark Ages is the modern incarnation of DOOM. I used to think that title belonged to DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, if only by default—but this game changed my mind. It doesn’t just build on the foundation of the reboot era; it digs deeper, reaching back to the franchise’s roots while forging something bold and new. It’s not flawless—the campaign runs a bit too long, and there’s a Mick Gordon-shaped hole in the soundtrack that bleeds with every shotgun blast—but it doesn’t matter because the spirit is still here.

The genre-defining bones of DOOM remain, now wrapped in a fresh coat of medieval mayhem, with a killer arsenal, a stronger sense of setting, and a combat loop that feels both familiar and revitalized. It understands what made DOOM great—and has the guts to push it somewhere unexpected.

I’m here for this renaissance, but if you’d rather call it The Dark Ages, then darkness has never been this enlightening.

Is DOOM: The Dark Ages Worth It?

Yes, If You Can Afford It

This game is a lot. It’s intense, it takes up a lot of space in your drive, and it’ll take a substantial bite out of your wallet at the AAA premium of $69.99. That’s a chainsaw hit to your finances if I’ve ever seen one—but honestly, it’s worth it. You’re getting a full-throttle, content-packed experience right out of the gate and for 22 levels after.

Just be ready for whatever DLCs are lurking down the line, because you’ll probably want those too, but as long as you can pony up, you shouldn’t walk away at all disappointed.

Digital Storefronts
Steam		PSN		Xbox
Price		$69.99

DOOM: The Dark Ages FAQ

Is DOOM: The Dark Ages a Prequel?

Yes. This entry unfolds in the distant past, when Argent D’Nur was still untouched by the forces of Hell. At this point in the timeline, the Slayer hasn’t yet made his return to Earth. Instead, he’s being wielded as a weapon of war by the Maykrs, unleashed against the Demons in a brutal campaign that predates the events of DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal.

Are There Weapon Mods in DOOM: The Dark Ages?

No. Unlike DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, DOOM: The Dark Ages doesn’t use traditional weapon mods. Instead, it offers similarly classed weapons that occupy the same slot on the weapon wheel—like the Combat Shotgun and Super Shotgun—but they’re separate tools, not alternate modes of the same base weapon.
However, the game introduces a comparable system through its branching upgrade paths. Each weapon can be customized by choosing between two upgrade options per tier, effectively allowing players to tweak how a weapon functions without fundamentally altering its identity.

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DOOM: The Dark Ages Product Information

Title	DOOM: THE DARK AGES
Release Date	May 15, 2025 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) May 13, 2025 (Premium Edition Early Access)
Developer	id Software
Publisher	Bethesda Softworks
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre	Action, Shooting
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	ESRB 18+ PEGI 18
Official Website	DOOM: The Dark Ages Website

Aaron Bruce Albert..

A massive fan of roguelikes, turn-based RPGs, and open world adventure games. His gold standard games include The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.