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

DOOM: The Dark Ages is Out Now!

Biggest Launch in id Software’s History

DOOM: The Dark Ages has shattered records upon its release last week, earning high acclaim from multiple review platforms. Bethesda proudly announced on Twitter (X) on May 21 that the game has soared to over 3 million players, marking the largest launch in id Software's storied history.

This milestone was reached seven times faster than their previous title, DOOM: Eternal. However, it's worth noting that Superdata reported in 2020 that DOOM: Eternal hit the 3 million player mark within just 10 days of its release. These figures are based on estimates, as Bethesda has not officially disclosed specific numbers for DOOM: Eternal.

When comparing the player counts of both games, it's essential to consider broader contexts. At the time of DOOM: Eternal's launch, Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, had not yet been acquired by Microsoft, meaning the game was not available on Xbox Game Pass from day one.

Contrastingly, DOOM: The Dark Ages launched simultaneously on PC Game Pass, which has influenced its performance data on Steam. According to SteamDB, DOOM: The Dark Ages achieved an all-time peak of 31,470 players, significantly lower than the 104,891 players DOOM: Eternal saw at its launch. Analyst firm Ampere estimates that 2 million of DOOM: The Dark Ages' players come from Xbox.

Despite these numbers, the fanbase has embraced DOOM: The Dark Ages as one of the finest entries in the franchise. Here at Game8, we've awarded it an impressive score of 88 out of 100, celebrating its brutal return to the DOOM series with a more grounded, gritty combat experience compared to the aerial dynamics of DOOM (2016) and Eternal. For a deeper dive into our review, be sure to check out our detailed article below!