Game profile
DOOM: The Dark Ages
A grim prequel that pushes a slower, heavier combat feel with shields and giant mechs to the front. Medieval fantasy collides with demonic war machinery.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Shooter / Action, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. Sessions of an hour or two sit at the sweet spot here.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The story matters and gives the mechanics a frame, without taking over. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It runs on 3 platforms. It is a full price release.
What stands out
- Shield as a weapon
- Mech and dragon battles
- Heavy, impactful combat
This fits you if
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
- you prefer a darker, heavier tone
Look elsewhere if
- you want something light and easy going
- you are not willing to pay full price right now
- you specifically want an open world to roam
- you want to play it side by side with someone
How long is DOOM: The Dark Ages?
About 20 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 3 weeks, or 10 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 87 out of 100, which puts it above 71 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 306 overall. That is mid-table for this database. Not a standout at the top, but solidly rated.
For comparison, Shooter averages 81 points across the database, so this one sits 6 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 164 collected ratings.
Released in 2025, so it is current. Expect it to run well on modern hardware and still get patches.
The facts
- Release year
- 2025
- Genres
- Shooter, Action
- Playtime
- approx. 20 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Present and relevant
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Fantasy, Sci-fi
- Visual style
- Realistic
- Price bracket
- Full price
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox
- Critic rating
- 87 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOOM: The Dark Ages | 2025 | approx. 20 hrs. | 87 | Full price |
| DOOM Eternal | 2020 | approx. 22 hrs. | 86 | Mid price |
| Gears of War: E-Day | 2026 | approx. 15 hrs. | 80 | Full price |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order | 2014 | approx. 14 hrs. | 77 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- 86/100 DOOM Eternal Shared: Shooter, Action, Fantasy
- 80/100 Gears of War: E-Day Shared: Shooter, Action, Sci-fi
- 77/100 Wolfenstein: The New Order Shared: Shooter, Action, Sci-fi, shorter
- 88/100 Gears 5 Shared: Shooter, Action, Sci-fi, shorter
- 87/100 DOOM (2016) Shared: Shooter, Action, Sci-fi, shorter
- 87/100 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Shared: Shooter, Action, Sci-fi, shorter