Doom: The Dark Ages Marks id's Biggest Launch, Sales Data Pending

Since its release last week, Doom: The Dark Ages has attracted an impressive 3 million players, making it the biggest launch in id Software's history in terms of player count. Bethesda's social media post highlighted that this game reached 3 million players seven times faster than Doom Eternal did back in 2020. This remarkable achievement, however, comes without an accompanying sales figure from Bethesda, leaving us to analyze the player engagement across different platforms.

Doom: The Dark Ages launched on May 15, 2025, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. On Steam, the only platform with publicly available player data, the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, with a 24-hour peak of 16,328 players. Comparatively, Doom Eternal achieved a peak of 104,891 players, and the 2016 Doom hit 44,271. These figures suggest that, on Steam, Doom: The Dark Ages might have underperformed relative to its predecessors.

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, likely drawing a significant number of players who opted for the subscription service over purchasing the game outright at its $69.99 price tag in the U.S. This strategy aligns with Microsoft's broader goal of boosting Game Pass subscriptions. Interestingly, other games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have shown that strong sales are possible even with a day-one Game Pass launch, having sold 2 million copies despite also being on the service.

Bethesda's decision to announce player counts rather than sales figures is not unique to Doom: The Dark Ages. Similar approaches were taken with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which reported 4 million players, and Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, which also announced 3 million players. This trend suggests a focus on player engagement over traditional sales metrics.

Ultimately, only Bethesda and Microsoft have insight into whether Doom: The Dark Ages has met its internal targets. The 3 million player count indicates strong performance, particularly on consoles and through Game Pass, even if it appears to have struggled on Steam. IGN's review of Doom: The Dark Ages awarded it a 9/10, praising its shift from the mobility-focused gameplay of Doom Eternal to a more weighty and powerful style, which remains highly satisfying.