Doom: The Dark Ages vs Doom Eternal
id Software made two masterclass shooters with opposite philosophies: Eternal is an aerial combat ballet, The Dark Ages is a medieval tank brawl — and with the Revelations expansion out July 7, the newer game just got a lot bigger. Here's which Doom is yours.
Buy Doom Eternal if you want the highest skill ceiling in shooter history — a fast, airborne resource-juggling dance that rewards mastery like nothing else. It's also dramatically cheaper by now.
Buy Doom: The Dark Ages if you want grounded, brutal power-fantasy — the shield saw, the parries, the mech and dragon set pieces — plus the freshest content: the Revelations expansion (July 7, 2026) adds a 10–12 hour campaign, the new Chain Spear, and Ripatorium 3.0. Both are on Game Pass, which may settle this instantly.
The Head-to-Head at a Glance
| Doom Eternal | Doom: The Dark Ages | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | March 2020 | May 15, 2025 |
| Metacritic | 88 | 85 |
| Combat philosophy | Aerial ballet — dash, swap, juggle resources | "Stand and fight" — shield, parry, crunch |
| Signature tool | Meat Hook + dash mobility | Shield Saw + parry system |
| Campaign | ~15 hrs + The Ancient Gods Parts I & II | ~20 hrs + Revelations (10–12 hrs, July 2026) |
| Set pieces | Pure arena combat | Atlan mech and dragon-riding sequences |
| Price | $39.99, routinely under $10 on sale | $69.99 (Revelations in Premium or standalone) |
| Game Pass | Yes | Yes — day one |
Two Opposite Answers to the Same Question
Doom Eternal is a test. It hands you a toolkit — dash, meat hook, flame belch, chainsaw, grenades, eight weapons with mods — and designs every arena to punish you for not using all of it. Ammo is deliberately scarce; health and armor come from aggression. At high difficulty it's less a shooter than a rhythm game played at 200 BPM, and its devotees consider it the best pure combat loop ever built. Its DLC, The Ancient Gods, pushes that demand even further. The honest flip side: it's exhausting for some players, and it has no interest in meeting you halfway.
The Dark Ages is a power trip. id explicitly designed it as the inverse: slower, heavier, grounded. The shield saw changes everything — you parry glowing attacks instead of dashing away from them, you wade into crowds, and the game feels like piloting a wrecking ball with opinions. Projectile-dense encounters play almost like a melee-parry game wearing a shooter's skin. Add the medieval dark-fantasy setting, mech and dragon sequences that break up the pace, and broad difficulty sliders, and you get the most accessible modern Doom — which is exactly why some Eternal diehards found it a step down in intensity, and why its 85 sits a few points under Eternal's 88.
The Revelations Factor
Timing matters here: Revelations launched July 7, 2026, and it's not a token DLC — previews clocked it at 10–12 hours (roughly double an Ancient Gods part), with a new Chain Spear weapon, an expanded bestiary, and a major Ripatorium 3.0 endgame update. Notably, previews describe its combat as leaning more Eternal-like — faster and more demanding than the base campaign. If The Dark Ages' one knock was that it went down too easy, the expansion is aimed squarely at that complaint. It's included in the Premium Edition or sold standalone.
Value Math
Eternal wins the wallet round without trying: five years of sales mean the base game regularly drops under $10 and the Deluxe with both DLCs isn't much more. The Dark Ages is still a $69.99 game (more with Revelations) — but both live on Game Pass, which for subscribers turns this from a purchase decision into a play-order decision.
DOOM ETERNAL ADVANTAGES
- The highest-skill combat loop in the genre
- Two campaigns' worth of content for pocket change on sale
- Better sustained intensity for hardcore players
- Slightly higher critical scores
- A masterclass in enemy and arena design
DARK AGES ADVANTAGES
- Shield-and-parry combat — fresh, weighty, satisfying
- More accessible: play it your way with granular sliders
- Brand-new Revelations expansion (July 2026), 10–12 hours
- Mech and dragon set pieces vary the pacing
- The best-feeling 'heavy' Doomslayer ever
Skill-ceiling chasers: Doom Eternal, and at its perpetual sale price it's one of the best shooter purchases available, period.
Everyone else: The Dark Ages — it's the more welcoming, more varied campaign, and post-Revelations it's also the more complete modern package.
On Game Pass? Play The Dark Ages first while Revelations is fresh, then graduate to Eternal when you're ready to be humbled.
Get Doom: The Dark Ages
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Get Doom Eternal
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Doom: The Dark Ages better than Doom Eternal?
Critically they're close — Eternal's 88 edges The Dark Ages' 85. Mechanically they're opposites: Eternal is fast, aerial, and demanding; The Dark Ages is grounded, parry-driven, and more accessible. Preference legitimately splits the fanbase.
What is the Revelations DLC?
Doom: The Dark Ages' first campaign expansion, released July 7, 2026 — a 10–12 hour frozen-Hell campaign with the new Chain Spear weapon, new enemies, and the Ripatorium 3.0 endgame update. It's included in the Premium Edition or available standalone, and previews describe its combat as faster and more Eternal-like.
Do I need to play Doom Eternal before The Dark Ages?
No — The Dark Ages is a prequel set before Doom (2016). Story order is actually Dark Ages → 2016 → Eternal, so it's arguably the best starting point for the modern trilogy.
Which Doom is harder?
Eternal, by consensus — its resource loop and enemy design demand constant execution. The Dark Ages offers extensive difficulty customization and a more forgiving core loop, though the Revelations expansion raises its ceiling.
Are both games on Game Pass?
Yes — Doom Eternal is in the catalog and The Dark Ages launched day one on Game Pass, where the base game remains. Revelations is a separate purchase or part of the Premium Edition.