Doom: The Dark Ages release date and details revealed at Xbox Developer Direct

XBOX Developer Direct is focusing connected conscionable a fewer large upcoming games, and 1 is the highly anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages.

Doom arsenic a bid isn’t peculiarly large connected story, but The Dark Ages is simply a prequel of sorts, taking spot agelong earlier different games successful the series.

The clip play isn’t the lone alteration for the series, and crippled manager Hugo Martin explained that Doom fans volition person to unlearn their aged gaming habits.

Rather than the ultra fast-paced combat of Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, Martin wants america to “stand and fight” alternatively than tally and gun.

It besides calls backmost to the earliest games successful the bid with strafe-to-aim movement.

The Doom Slayer from The Dark Ages feels much similar an “iron tank” compared to his much caller iterations.

You tin determination quickly, and dash done enemies with the shield saw, but this Slayer feels anchored to the ground.

The Slayer tin instrumentality down enemies with 3 antithetic melee options, oregon destruct them with a caller slow-motion glory termination feature.

In erstwhile games glory kills locked you into the animation, but The Dark Ages speeds things up by keeping you successful power during the attack.

Martin says: “For 10 years now, we’ve been trying to lick the occupation of what happens erstwhile determination are aggregate demons staggered astatine the aforesaid time.

“By the clip you play 1 synced glory kill, you crook to the different one, and he's already retired of his stagger state. 

“It ne'er worked to conscionable permission them successful the stagger authorities longer. That conscionable feels weird. 

“Plus, erstwhile you determination from aggregate enemies doing synced animations, it conscionable feels jarring. You could consciousness the intermission successful the gameplay.”

Players volition person much options than ever to destruct demons, alongside much choices for however to power your Slayer.

The power strategy volition besides disagree depending connected whether NPCs, objects oregon enemies are nearby.

Slayer’s shield is 1 of the astir absorbing caller features. It not lone blocks and deflects projectiles but you tin propulsion it crossed the tract arsenic a grapple.

You tin past onslaught with an robust flail, electrifying gauntlet oregon spiked mace erstwhile up adjacent and personal.

The Dark Ages mightiness beryllium bigger and much brutal but it’s besides much accessible, and players tin play with assorted trouble sliders, that don’t suffer the essence of Doom’s difficulty.

It’s not conscionable giving enemies much health, oregon making you deed harder, but making parry windows longer, giving much resources, and slowing down projectiles.

Unlike Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages volition lone motorboat with a campaign, but this has allowed the squad to absorption connected implementing amusive features similar the Atlan mech and dragon mount.

Producer Marty Stratton says: “It’s our largest, astir expansive, astir epic run ever. 

“We’re truly blessed with the determination and I deliberation it’s been awesome to person the squad focused conscionable connected polishing and finishing the campaign.”

Martin adds: “We person moments wherever it opens up to a sandbox.

“The levels are mazy, folding backmost connected themselves. It’s much of an expanded linear experience, with much accent connected exploration.”

There’s besides a dragon that players tin summon and thrust crossed the hellscape successful bid to research caller areas, portion the mech thrives successful linear missions.

Like each modern Doom games, it has a bombastic heavy-metal soundtrack, and portion it’s by a caller composer, the preview gave america hope.

Doom: The Dark Ages volition motorboat connected PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S connected May 15, 2025. 

The crippled volition beryllium disposable to download connected time 1 connected Xbox Game Pass for PC and Game Pass Ultimate.