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In a recent release, id Software’s latest installment in the popular Doom series titled Doom: The Dark Ages, has been generally well-received on PC and current-gen consoles. Despite some players feeling it doesn’t quite match up to Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, the game’s reviews are comparable to those of its earlier versions. On Steam, the game has garnered an 86% positive rating from users, while on sites like OpenCritic, it boasts a Top Critic Average of 86%. While Doom: The Dark Ages may not be a frontrunner for Game of the Year, it appears to have met most fans’ expectations.

Despite the acclaimed critical reception of “Doom: The Dark Ages,” its commercial performance among fans has sparked some doubts. On its debut day, the game managed roughly 30,000 simultaneous players on Steam, significantly lower than the player counts for the last two titles in the contemporary “Doom” series. To provide perspective, “Doom” (2016) peaked at 44,000 players on the same platform, while “Doom Eternal” boasted over 100,000 concurrent players. While some experts interpret these low player numbers as evidence of poor sales for “Doom: The Dark Ages,” this may not necessarily be the case.

Many Factors Have Likely Contributed to Doom: The Dark Ages’ Muted PC Launch

Despite Its Low Player Count on PC, Doom: TDA Seems to Be Doing Well on Consoles

Steam player statistics can give a rough indication of a game’s popularity, but they frequently fail to present the complete picture. For instance, when considering multi-platform games such as “Doom: The Dark Ages,” they neglect console users since the game is playable on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. In the United States, it ranks among the top 10 most played games on these two platforms. Although Sony and Microsoft don’t release official player counts for their console games, this accomplishment is still noteworthy.

Since Doom: TDA is an Expensive Game, Some PC Gamers May Have Opted to Play It on Game Pass

Beyond considering console versions, several elements might have impacted the sales of “Doom: The Dark Ages” on PC. One notable factor is that the game is accessible via PC Game Pass. Given that it’s a Microsoft-owned title, “Doom: The Dark Ages ” was made available on this service from launch, unlike earlier Doom games. This might have led some PC gamers to opt for playing the game through Game Pass instead of purchasing it on Steam.

Despite both being available on Game Pass, “The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered” and “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” attracted significantly more simultaneous players on Steam compared to “Doom: The Dark Ages”. It could be that the majority were engrossed in these two games, leaving less attention for “Doom”.

It’s important to mention that “Doom: The Dark Ages” is priced significantly higher than both “Doom Eternal” and the 2016 version of “Doom”. Unlike its predecessors, which were sold globally at $60 each, this game retails for $70 in the U.S. However, it’s even more expensive in some countries, such as the United Kingdom where it costs £70 (approximately $93 USD). In contrast, “Doom Eternal” was priced at £50 in the UK upon release, which is much lower than the cost of “Doom: The Dark Ages”, even when taking inflation into account.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Gave Doom Eternal a Massive Boost

As a passionate fan, I can’t help but ponder about why the player base for Doom: The Dark Ages on Steam isn’t as high as it could have been. It’s clear that even if certain factors hadn’t come into play, the game might still not have rivaled the popularity of Doom Eternal. You see, Doom Eternal, which was launched in 2020, coincided with the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. With people confined at home, video games, including Doom Eternal, saw a surge in sales that surpassed their usual numbers under normal conditions. This could very well be one of the reasons behind Doom Eternal’s launch player count being more than double that of Doom: The Dark Ages. However, it’s essential to remember that the current player base for the latter shouldn’t be seen as an accurate reflection of its true potential.

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2025-05-20 22:02