Doom: The Dark Ages is only around the corner, launching May 15, but for excited demon slayers and skull crushers that's an eternity away. Good news, then. You can (kinda) play the metal-medieval romp early via a mod for the original FPS classic.
Doom mods pretty much fuel a subculture of their own. Doom modders have gotten the game working on everything from a pregnancy test to a printer, and mods include everything from new maps, entirely fresh campaigns, and surrealist horror tributes to long-lost friends. Now, one mod gives us a look at the near future - or the very distant past in the Doomiverse.
As per PCGN, released in early access this week, Doom Darkfall is a mod for Doom 2 that's essentially a "port of the Doom: The Dark Ages weapons into classic Doom, trying to match the official gameplay closely," available on ModDB. (How many Dooms is too many Dooms for one sentence?)
Of course, modders haven't yet gotten their hands on The Dark Ages' new suite of deadly toys, but Doom Darkfall's using all of id Software's marketing materials as inspiration. That chainsaw shield? Here, and it bounces off surfaces as it would in the final game. That contraption that squishes skulls and shoots their sharp pieces back out at underworld enemies? Here, too. Medieval architecture? Here. And even some enemy models and glory kills are here, as well.
If you'd rather wait for the full game, it looks like you're in for a treat. Id Software chief Marty Stratton recently said Doom: The Dark Ages is the studio's "biggest" game yet and a "dramatic expansion of our world."
In the meantime, don’t miss a single exciting release with our new games of 2025 and beyond release calendar.
