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

DOOM: The Dark Ages is Out Now!

Biggest Launch in id Software's History

Last week, DOOM: The Dark Ages burst onto the gaming scene and was met with enthusiastic acclaim across numerous review platforms. Bethesda's official announcement on Twitter (X) on May 21 revealed that the game has already amassed an impressive 3 million players, marking the largest launch in id Software's storied history.

This milestone was achieved at a rate seven times faster than their previous title, DOOM: Eternal. However, it's worth noting that this claim differs from Superdata's 2020 report, which suggested DOOM: Eternal reached 3 million players within 10 days of its release. It's important to clarify that Superdata's figures were estimates, and Bethesda has not officially corroborated these numbers.

When comparing the performance of both games, it's crucial to consider broader contextual factors. At the time of DOOM: Eternal's launch, Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, had yet to be acquired by Microsoft, meaning the game was not available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. In contrast, DOOM: The Dark Ages was released day one on PC Game Pass, which has influenced its player statistics on Steam. According to SteamDB, DOOM: The Dark Ages hit an all-time peak of 31,470 concurrent players, significantly lower than the 104,891 peak for DOOM: Eternal at launch. Analyst firm Ampere estimates that 2 million players of DOOM: The Dark Ages came from Xbox.

Despite these differences, fans are celebrating DOOM: The Dark Ages as a standout addition to the franchise. Here at Game8, we awarded it an impressive score of 88 out of 100, praising its brutal renaissance of the DOOM series. The game shifts from the aerial acrobatics seen in DOOM (2016) and Eternal to a more grounded, gritty combat experience. For a deeper dive into our review, be sure to check out our detailed article below!