Doom: The Dark Ages crosses 3 million players, becoming ID Software's 'biggest launch' ever

 

Doom: The Dark Ages has become the "biggest launch" in ID Software's history, Bethesda revealed on Wednesday. The publisher announced that the first-person shooter had reached three million gamers, but did not provide the original sales statistics. Doom: The Dark Ages has hit this milestone in less than a week after launching on May 15 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Doom: The Dark Ages Reached 3 Million Players
In a post on X (previously Twitter) Wednesday, Bethesda stated that the game was now ID Software's "biggest launch" ever, with three million players seven times quicker than its predecessor, Doom Eternal.

"Thank you for making DOOM: The Dark Ages the biggest launch in id's history," the developer stated.

Thank you for making DOOM: The Dark Ages the biggest launch in id's history - 7x faster to 3 million players than DOOM Eternal. pic.twitter.com/c0SKR97FO8

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 20, 2025

The three million player total includes players across all platforms, as well as Xbox Game Pass subscribers who gained free access to the game as part of their subscription. Doom: The Dark Ages was released on the service's first day, with PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X versions.

According to SteamDB data, the game had a peak concurrent player count of little more than 31,000. While it is still early, the statistic is far lower than Doom Eternal's top concurrent player count on Steam, which was 104,891. However, with Doom: The Dark Ages debuting on Game Pass, a substantial portion of PC users are expected to be PC Game Pass members.

Doom: The Dark Ages was released on May 15, with early access for those who pre-ordered the Premium Edition starting on May 13. The shooter acts as a precursor to Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, returning players to the role of the legendary Doom Slayer in the midst of a medieval struggle against hell.

The Dark Ages also introduces a slew of new gameplay features, with the goal of providing a more grounded fighting experience. Players also have access to new melee weapons and a Shield Saw, which can be used to parry incoming blows and swiftly narrow the gap between the player and an adversary before delivering a melee assault.