Doom: The Dark Ages Is id's Biggest Launch Ever

Doom: The Dark Ages has attracted 3 million players since its release last week, though Bethesda has not yet shared specific sales figures for the game.

A social media announcement from Bethesda confirmed that Doom: The Dark Ages marks the biggest launch in id Software's history by player count, reaching 3 million players seven times faster than 2020's Doom Eternal.

It's worth examining these figures more closely. Doom: The Dark Ages launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 15, 2025. Steam is the only platform that publicly shares player data, so let's start there.

On Steam, Doom: The Dark Ages achieved a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, with a 24-hour peak of 16,328. In comparison, Doom Eternal reached a peak of 104,891 concurrent players five years ago, making The Dark Ages' performance on Valve's platform seem relatively modest. For further context, 2016's Doom set a peak concurrent player record of 44,271 on Steam nine years ago.

However, the impact of Game Pass must be considered when analyzing these numbers. Doom: The Dark Ages was available on day one through Game Pass for both Xbox consoles and PC. A significant number of players likely accessed the game via their subscription rather than purchasing it outright for $69.99 in the U.S.

From Microsoft's perspective, this may be perfectly acceptable, as the goal is to drive subscriptions for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. We've seen other games succeed commercially despite a day-one Game Pass launch, such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which sold an impressive 2 million copies at a $50 price point. Doom: The Dark Ages carries a higher price tag—could this have deterred some potential buyers?

This brings us to the next point: Bethesda has announced 3 million players for Doom: The Dark Ages but has not disclosed sales figures. This mirrors the approach taken with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which celebrated 4 million players after also launching day one on Game Pass. Interestingly, Ubisoft similarly announced 3 million players for Assassin's Creed: Shadows rather than concrete sales numbers.

Ultimately, only Bethesda and Microsoft know whether Doom: The Dark Ages has met its internal performance targets. However, the 3 million player count strongly suggests the game has performed exceptionally well on consoles and through Game Pass, even if its Steam numbers appear more subdued.

IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10. Our verdict stated: "Doom: The Dark Ages may move away from the mobility-centric design of Doom Eternal, but it replaces it with a weighty and powerful combat style that is new for the series and immensely satisfying in its own right."