Doom: The Dark Ages to Be id's Largest Release

Doom: The Dark Ages has already attracted 3 million players in its first week, though Bethesda remains tight-lipped about actual sales figures.

A Bethesda social media post revealed this marks the largest player launch in id Software's history, reaching the 3 million milestone seven times faster than 2020's Doom Eternal.

Let's break down these numbers. The medieval-flavored shooter launched May 15, 2025 across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. With Steam being the only platform sharing player data publicly, we can start our analysis there.

The Steam version peaked at 31,470 concurrent players, with a 24-hour high of 16,328. Comparatively, Doom Eternal achieved 104,891 peak concurrent players five years ago - making The Dark Ages' performance appear modest on Valve's platform. Doom (2016) reached 44,271 concurrent players when it launched nine years ago.

However, we can't ignore the Game Pass factor. Microsoft's subscription service offered The Dark Ages at launch for both Xbox and PC gamers. Many likely opted for this $9.99/month option rather than paying the full $69.99 retail price.

From Microsoft's perspective, this strategy makes perfect sense - Game Pass subscriptions remain their priority. Yet we've seen successful launches despite Game Pass availability, like the $50 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 selling 2 million copies. The Dark Ages' higher price point might have influenced some purchasing decisions.

The 3 million player count without sales figures echoes Bethesda's approach with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (4 million players via Game Pass) and Ubisoft's recent announcement for Assassin's Creed: Shadows.

Only Bethesda and Microsoft truly know if The Dark Ages met their internal targets. But the player count suggests strong Game Pass/console performance while potentially underperforming on Steam.

IGN awarded Doom: The Dark Ages a stellar 9/10, praising its "weighty, powerful combat that carves its own path while remaining true to the series' spirit."