Since its release last week, Doom: The Dark Ages has attracted 3 million players, though Bethesda has yet to disclose the game's sales figures. A social media post from Bethesda highlighted that Doom: The Dark Ages marks the largest launch in id Software's history by player count, reaching this milestone seven times faster than Doom Eternal did in 2020.

To better understand these figures, it's important to consider the platforms on which Doom: The Dark Ages was released: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on May 15, 2025. Steam, being the only platform that publicly shares player numbers, provides a starting point for analysis. On Steam, Doom: The Dark Ages achieved a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, with a 24-hour peak of 16,328 players. Comparatively, Doom Eternal reached a peak of 104,891 players five years ago, while the 2016 Doom hit a peak of 44,271 players nine years ago. These figures suggest that The Dark Ages may have underperformed relative to its predecessors on Steam.

However, the impact of Game Pass must be taken into account. Doom: The Dark Ages launched day-one on Game Pass for both Xbox consoles and PC, potentially attracting a significant number of players who opted for the subscription service over purchasing the game outright at its $69.99 price point in the U.S. From Microsoft's perspective, this could be seen as a success, as it aligns with their strategy to boost Game Pass subscriptions. Yet, examples like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which sold 2 million copies despite a day-one Game Pass launch, show that high sales can still be achieved. The higher price of Doom: The Dark Ages might have deterred some potential buyers.

Bethesda's decision to announce player counts rather than sales figures for Doom: The Dark Ages mirrors their approach with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which saw 4 million players. Similarly, Ubisoft announced 3 million players for Assassin's Creed: Shadows without disclosing sales. Only Bethesda and Microsoft have the full picture of whether Doom: The Dark Ages met its internal targets, but the 3 million player count indicates strong performance on consoles and Game Pass, with a possible weaker showing 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 that remains deeply satisfying and unique within the series.