The time has come again to rip and tear, folks. Doom: The Dark Ages is heading our way in 2025, and will see the Doom Slayer acting as the agent of Gods and Kings to blast his way through the forces of hell in style.
The prequel to some of the best FPS games of all time (the Doom reboot and Doom Eternal), Doom: The Dark Ages was officially announced during the 2024 Xbox showcase in June. In the upcoming shooter, players will be defending a kingdom from armies of demons, and exploring a fantasy-inspired map as they shotgun blast enemies in the chest.
With a brand new setting, new enemies and an array of new weapons, there are tons of details to unpack here. So, to make your crusade against hell a bit easier, we’ve gathered all the intel that you need before the carnage begins. From the Doom: The Dark Ages release date, gameplay, trailer and more - here’s everything you need to know about one of the most anticipated new games heading our way.
Doom: The Dark Ages release window
Get ready to blast some demons because the Doom: The Dark Ages release window has been announced as 2025. This 2025 date was revealed during the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase and came with a shiny new trailer as well.
While we don’t know the exact Doom: The Dark Ages release date just yet, it’s exciting that it will be coming out next year regardless! We also have plenty of time to replay all the Doom games (read our Doom Eternal review if you need a refresher) while we get ready for one of the most exciting upcoming games heading our way in 2025.
Doom: The Dark Ages platforms
The good news is that Doom: The Dark Ages will be available to play across several platforms. So it doesn’t matter if you are a PC or console player; you’ll get a chance to murder some Cacodemons regardless. It will even be available on Game Pass.
Once it releases in 2025, Doom: The Dark Ages will be available to play on PC, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PlayStation 5. Given the rise in console exclusives, hearing that Doom: The Dark Ages won’t be locked down to one platform is welcomed news.
Luckily, the game’s team understood our universal love for one of the best action games in history. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told IGN that he and id Software Studio Director Marty Stratton wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to play Doom: The Dark Ages.
“I asked Marty what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to sell it on all platforms; simple as that," Spencer explained.
Doom: The Dark Ages trailer
The Doom: The Dark Ages trailer above gives us our first look at the Doom Slayer before his appearance in the Doom reboot. In the clip, he shoots his way through burning castles, fights some gnarly-looking enemies, and rips through waves of demons.
Besides showing us an almost fantasy-like setting and the Doom Slayer’s new cape, the teaser also lets fans check out some of the upcoming weapons. Of course, we see a shotgun (the Doom Slayer’s best friend), but we also see a chainsaw shield that looks straight out of a slasher movie, a gun that spits skull fragments at enemies and several other devices for annihilating all those pesky demons.
Both the world and the enemies look massive, like seriously, there are demon dragons in this trailer. Basically, it seems like Doom is coming back and is better than ever. And if the game is half as exciting as this trailer, then Doom: The Dark Ages may just join some of its predecessors on our list of the best shooters of all time.
Doom: The Dark Ages gameplay
It will shock no one to hear that Doom: The Dark Ages is a single-player FPS. But what may surprise you is that the new game is a prequel to the 2016 Doom reboot and Doom Eternal. We’re officially going back to the time when the Doom Slayer was used as a weapon for Gods and Kings.
That means instead of the high-tech weapons we saw in Doom Eternal, you’ll be wielding a skull gun, a mace, and a saw shield during your medieval stand-off against the forces of hell. While this setting and all the Doom: The Dark Ages weapons seem like relatively new concepts, Doom: The Dark Ages is actually going to be pretty familiar to long-time Doom players in terms of its core gameplay.
Creative director Hugo Martin told 12DOVE that Doom: The Dark Ages is going back to the original Doom games when it comes to gameplay. That means every projectile is going to count and strafing is coming back in a big way.
"If you were an F22 fighter jet in Doom Eternal, this time around, we wanted you to feel like an Abrams tank," Martin explained. This means that you’ll be more grounded as a player.” Players will be weaving between projectiles - just like the original Doom - and all this talk on “strafing-to-aim” indicates we are going back to horizontality instead of the verticality seen in Doom Eternal.
"The combat system for new players – those who only got into Doom with the reboot – I think with The Dark Ages, they are going to feel like this is a reimagined combat system,” Martin said. “But for long-time fans of the series, people who played the original Doom, you'll see it's really a return to form."
Martin has also teased that Doom Eternal will have the “biggest spaces”, the “biggest AI”, and the most powerful feeling weapons that we’ve ever seen in a Doom game. That’s a big statement but an exciting one. So, fingers crossed that Doom: The Dark Ages delivers on its promises.
Can you pre-order Doom: The Dark Ages?
Currently, you can’t pre-order Doom: The Dark Ages. But we are expecting to hear news on when pre-orders will be open soon.
Since the game is coming out in 2025, we are guessing that pre-orders will open up towards the end of 2024 across all platforms. Keep your eyes on this page as more news heads our way!
We will keep you updated as soon as we hear more details. In the meantime, you can check out our list of all the upcoming horror games coming out this year to get your demon fix, or if you fancy cracking on with your console, check out all the best games on Game Pass to play right now.
