Doom: The Dark Ages Sets Record for id's Biggest Launch

Since its launch last week, Doom: The Dark Ages has attracted 3 million players, making it the largest launch in id Software’s history by player count. Bethesda has yet to reveal specific sales figures for the game, but a social media post highlighted its impressive player engagement, reaching the 3 million mark seven times faster than Doom Eternal did in 2020.

Released on May 15, 2025, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, Doom: The Dark Ages has shown varying performance across platforms. On Steam, where player numbers are publicly available, the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 31,470 and a 24-hour peak of 16,328. This contrasts with Doom Eternal's peak of 104,891 and the original Doom's peak of 44,271 from 2016, suggesting a relative struggle on Valve's platform.

However, the impact of Game Pass cannot be overlooked. Doom: The Dark Ages was available on day one for Game Pass subscribers on both Xbox and PC, which likely influenced the player count. Many players might have opted to try the game through Game Pass rather than purchasing it outright at the $69.99 price point in the U.S.

From Microsoft's perspective, this could be seen as a positive, as it encourages Game Pass subscriptions. Yet, other games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have shown that day-one Game Pass launches can coexist with strong sales figures. Clair Obscur, priced at $50, sold 2 million copies despite being available on Game Pass. The higher price of Doom: The Dark Ages may have deterred some potential buyers.

Bethesda's announcement of 3 million players without disclosing sales figures mirrors their approach with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which also launched on Game Pass and saw 4 million players. Similarly, Ubisoft announced 3 million players for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows rather than sales numbers.

While only Bethesda and Microsoft have access to the internal targets for Doom: The Dark Ages, the 3 million player count indicates strong performance on consoles and Game Pass, despite the game's challenges on Steam.

IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10, praising the game for its shift away from Doom Eternal's mobility focus towards a more weighty and powerful gameplay style, which remains highly satisfying and unique within the series.