If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Doom: The Dark Ages release date: The return of Doomguy is here as the series goes medieval on some demons

The latest entry in the Doom series sees the Doom Slayer riding a steampunk tank to take on the demonic forces of Hell.

Doom The Dark Ages Screenshot — Image credit: id Software

Guides by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Mon Feb 24 2025

Popverse's top stories

What Critical Role's Liam O'Brien imagined for the Vox Machina 'Deathwalker's Ward' armor is not what the costume ended up looking like
Simon Kinberg on writing X-Men movies, producing Glenn Powell's The Running Man remake, and co-creating Star Wars Rebels [Popversations]
DC Comics, Matt Dinnamin, Kickstarter, Jim Butcher, Warner Bros. Animation & more are part of NYCC 2025 Professional Programming line-up

If you love shooters packed with over-the-top gore and violence, you’ll be excited for the return of Doom and the appropriately named Doom Slayer. With Doom: The Dark Ages, developers id Software are going back to basics and going medieval on some demons in a prequel to the series. Doom: The Dark Ages’ release date is just around the corner and stands as one of the most anticipated video game releases of 2025.

The Doom series has had a strange relationship with continuity. While all the games technically take place in the same timeline, things got a bit of a reset with 2016’s Doom. Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to the entire series, showing how Doomguy (or Doom Slayer, depending on who you ask) became the hero of a techno-medieval kingdom fighting the forces of Hell. It is a wild premise that we can’t wait to dive into when Doom: The Dark Ages is released on May 15, 2025.

With such a different setting from the rest of the Doom series, it isn’t surprising that Doom: The Dark Ages has a greater emphasis on melee combat than its predecessors. Weapons like flails, maces, and gauntlets make an appearance, as does the newly introduced Shield Saw. How well the series adapts to this new direction will be a test of the level design and gameplay balance. Personally, we’re almost as excited for the soundtrack, which always provides some absolutely killer metal tracks while you’re mowing down demons.

Doom: The Dark Ages is out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles as well as PC on May 15, 2025.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer: