Doom: The Dark Ages - id's Biggest Launch Ever, Sales Figures Pending

Doom: The Dark Ages has rapidly garnered attention since its release last week, boasting an impressive 3 million players. Bethesda proudly declared this as the largest player count launch in id Software's history, achieving this milestone seven times faster than the 2020 release of Doom Eternal. However, despite the player count success, Bethesda has not yet disclosed specific sales figures for the game.

Launched on May 15, 2025, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, Doom: The Dark Ages has shown varying performance across platforms. On Steam, where player numbers are publicly available, the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, with a 24-hour peak of 16,328 players. This is notably lower than Doom Eternal's peak of 104,891 and even the 2016 Doom's peak of 44,271. These figures suggest a relatively weaker performance on Valve's platform for The Dark Ages.

However, the impact of Game Pass cannot be overlooked. Doom: The Dark Ages was available on Game Pass from day one for both Xbox consoles and PC, which likely influenced many players to engage with the game through subscriptions rather than purchasing it outright at the $69.99 price point in the U.S. This strategy aligns with Microsoft's broader goal of boosting Game Pass subscriptions, though it may have affected direct sales figures.

Comparatively, other titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which also launched on Game Pass, managed to sell 2 million copies despite being priced at $50. This raises questions about whether the higher price of Doom: The Dark Ages might have deterred some potential buyers.

Bethesda's focus on player count rather than sales figures is a pattern seen with other titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, both of which announced player numbers without specific sales data. Ultimately, only Bethesda and Microsoft can determine if Doom: The Dark Ages met its internal targets, but the 3 million player count indicates strong performance, particularly on consoles and through Game Pass.

IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10, praising the game for its shift from the mobility-focused gameplay of Doom Eternal to a more weighty and powerful style that remains immensely satisfying and unique within the series.