Doom: The Dark Ages review

Doom: The Dark Ages is the best pure single-player shooter on the list. Bethesda's Steam page describes it as the prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal and the third game in the modern series, with the DOOM Slayer fighting a medieval war against Hell. You keep the Super Shotgun and gain new weapons such as the Shield Saw, and the page calls these id's largest and most expansive levels so far, from ruined castles to hellscapes. It lists adjustable difficulty, full controller support and Steam Cloud saves, and English Steam reviews are Very Positive at 86%. At $49.99 it costs $20 less than the big military shooters. The limits: there is no multiplayer at all, the minimum PC spec needs a ray tracing capable GPU with 8 GB of VRAM, and the Revelations campaign DLC is extra. If you want a shooter you can finish without queuing, start here.

Who it is for

Players who want a fast, story-driven solo shooter with no online grind.

Price

$49.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

$49.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Single-player campaign as the DOOM Slayer
• Super Shotgun plus new weapons such as the Shield Saw
• id's largest and most expansive levels to date, per the Steam page
• Adjustable difficulty
• Revelations campaign DLC sold separately

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Very Positive on Steam: 86% of 20,381 English reviews
• Strength: No online play needed
• Strength: Adjustable difficulty and full controller support
• Weakness: No multiplayer
• Weakness: Minimum spec needs a ray tracing GPU with 8 GB VRAM and 16 GB RAM
• Weakness: Campaign DLC costs extra

Key facts

• Developer: id Software
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Released on Steam: May 14, 2025
• Steam reviews: Very Positive, 86% of 20,381 (English)
• Steam achievements: 38

Where it ranks

Doom: The Dark Ages is No. 3 in our Best First-Person Shooters verdict.