Doom: The Dark Ages Release Date – All You Need to Know About the Release

Doom has been massive in the video game sphere since the early 90s, and with good reason. Blasting away demons with wild abandon is pretty entertaining. The newest iterations of the franchise (Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal), have somehow become even more fun to play than the original. I think it’s because of all the options you have to, “Rip and tear, until it is done.” With a new title in the series, Doom: The Dark Ages, looming on the horizon, fans already have questions. We’ll do our best to cover what we know so far, such as features, pricing, and the expected release date. Meanwhile, here’s the trailer. 

Doom: The Dark Ages Expected Release Date

We don’t have a specific Doom: The Dark Ages release date yet, but we do know it will be sometime in 2025. Historically, the newer Doom games (2016 and Eternal) made their debuts in spring. Cross your fingers that the same can be expected for Doom: The Dark Ages. It is currently available on wish lists, so that’s at least something of a good sign. 

Confirmed Features for Doom: The Dark Ages

Despite the trailer, there is still a lot we don’t know about Doom: The Dark Ages. Still, let’s dive into what we do know, including specific features we’re certain we can look forward to.

A New Setting

The other games took place mostly within hell. Dark Ages looks to take place in a hell-adjacent setting but with a medieval flare. We’re talking castles, armor, dragon-like creatures with guns on their heads (aka mecha dragons), and lots and lots of demon killing. 

New Weapons

The wide range of over-the-top weapons are one of the things that makes the Doom games so fun. Frantically whirling through your weapon wheel while dodging demonic projectiles is just part of the experience. There are at least two new weapons that we know of for this game, besides the usual plethora of guns. The flail and the throwable shield saw. That’s right. Shield saw. It has a chainsaw-like cord that sets the blades spinning, at which point you throw that sucker at the nearest demon and watch the carnage. The flail looks fun too, with the heavy spiky ball acting as half ranged, half melee weapon. 

The Atlan

What is an Atlan? A mecha machine the size of a skyscraper that the Slayer can enter and control, taking on the biggest demons while he’s at it. Think old school Power Rangers zords, only Doom style. 

The Latest Speculation on Doom: The Dark Ages

Because we only have the one trailer (so far) to go from, there is a lot that we still have to speculate. Many gamers expect that it will have more “horde shooter” elements where you have to fight bigger crowds of enemies, paired with less arena-like settings and a more open feel. Because Doom Eternal was so incredibly beloved for both the action and the gameplay, many gamers are a bit nervous as to how Dark Ages will compare. It seems like the closer to Doom Eternal the new game can get, the happier players will be. 

Another speculation is price. New games have been hovering around $60 USD for some time now, but it’s pretty common for deluxe or premium versions of games to cost more. Hopefully we’ll at least have a reasonable baseline price to start with…

There’s also already a lot of thoughts on the game’s soundtrack, which we haven’t even really heard yet. Mick Gordon was the original composer for Doom 2016 and most of Doom Eternal, but a rather messy falling out with Bethesda ended his iconic work on these games. His soundtrack was so incredibly good that many players simply don’t think it’s possible for any other composer to even come close. Big shoes for the new composer to fill (whoever that may be), and oh so much pressure. 

It might be different if Mick hadn’t done such an unbelievably good job in the first place, but few (if any) other game soundtracks smack you in the face like Mick’s. For someone else to replicate that…it’s understandable why fans are doubtful. Time will tell.

FAQs

What platforms will Doom: The Dark Ages be released on?

Will there be a Doom: The Dark Ages Steam release? Yup. It’s also going to be on PlayStation 5, PC, Game Pass, and Xbox Series X/S. Everybody gets to rip and tear!

What is the Doom: The Dark Ages story?

The official quote about the Dark Ages story is, “Vile forces push a kingdom to the brink. Fangs gnashing, their fury is emboldened by the flames of Hell’s own malevolence. No mortal blade cuts their masses down. No bulwark stays their advance. No army dares match them in the battlefield.

But you will. You are the super weapon primed to destroy evil.

For when Hell is at the gates, the DOOM Slayer answers.” 

Sounds pretty cool if you ask me. Vague…but cool. Honestly, while it can be interesting, most of the time the story takes a backseat for Doom games. It has always been more about kicking butt and not even bothering to take names. Doom Eternal did try to do more with this, fleshing out the history of Doom guy a lot more than other games ever did. Dark Ages will probably do the same.

Why was Doom so controversial?

Other than the Mick Gordon composing fallout, Doom has had other controversies. Namely…demons. Remember, the original game came out in 1993. There were still plenty of parents back then who weren’t too keen on the unprecedented level of violence, gore, and satanic imagery. Even certain countries, like Germany, banned the game for years. The unfortunate fact that the 1999 Columbine High School shooting perpetrators were Doom fans only further painted it in a bad light. 

Video games have long been accused of creating violent adolescents, and the original Doom game was at the forefront of that. It was more violent, more graphic than other games before it. Now, looking back, the simplistic graphics don’t hold anywhere near the same levels of 90’s parental disapproval. Quality in games has ramped up exponentially and titles are bloodier and gorier than ever before, the newer Doom games included. 

Most sociologists and psychologists these days no longer blame video games for violent teens, at least not like they did in the past. What used to be shocking is now commonplace and, for many with the right maturity, enjoyable. Still, there are game age ratings for a reason. There isn’t a rating for Dark Ages yet, but the other Doom titles are rated ERSB Mature 17+ so it’s more than safe to say the new game will be too. Doom is a fantastic game franchise, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Enjoy responsibly. 

Is Doom: The Dark Ages a prequel?

Yes! It seems that this will be a direct prequel to Doom 2016 and Doom eternal, showing us the Doom Slayer’s origins. It will be interesting to see if they make his abilities a little more simplistic, to reflect his earlier levels of fighting prowess, or if he’s just going to be the same level of demon-destroying chaos he’s always been. Probably the latter. I think we’re all fine with that.