Since its release last week, Doom: The Dark Ages has attracted an impressive 3 million players, marking it as the largest player-count launch in id Software’s history. According to Bethesda, the game reached this milestone seven times faster than Doom Eternal did in 2020.
While these numbers sound promising, it’s essential to dig deeper into what they mean. Doom: The Dark Ages launched simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 15, 2025. Unfortunately, Steam is the only platform that publicly shares player counts, so that’s where we’ll begin analyzing.
On Steam, the game peaked at 31,470 concurrent players and saw a 24-hour peak of 16,328 players. For comparison, Doom Eternal reached a peak of 104,891 concurrent players five years prior, while Doom (2016) had a peak of 44,271 concurrent players. Although these figures suggest a relatively slower adoption rate on Steam compared to previous titles, it’s important to factor in the influence of Game Pass.
Doom: The Dark Ages was available as a day-one launch title across Xbox consoles and PC through Game Pass. This means a significant portion of players may have tried the game via subscription services rather than purchasing it outright for $69.99 in the U.S. From Microsoft’s perspective, this strategy aligns with their goal of boosting Game Pass and Ultimate subscriptions.
To illustrate the impact of Game Pass, consider Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which launched day-one on Game Pass and still managed to sell 2 million copies despite its lower price point ($50). Given that Doom: The Dark Ages is priced higher, it’s possible that some potential buyers were deterred by the cost.
Bethesda has celebrated the 3 million player milestone but hasn’t disclosed any sales figures. This mirrors their approach with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which also launched day-one on Game Pass and reported 4 million players. Similarly, Ubisoft highlighted 3 million players for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. Ultimately, only Bethesda and Microsoft know whether Doom: The Dark Ages met internal expectations.
Despite the mixed metrics, IGN awarded Doom: The Dark Ages a 9/10 review score, praising its heavy, powerful gameplay style as a refreshing change from the series’ past. They noted that while it strips away the mobility-centric focus of Doom Eternal, it delivers a uniquely satisfying experience.
