Doom: The Dark Ages is finally here, continuing the legacy built by its two modern predecessors, not to mention the rich history of the Doom franchise as one of the earliest first-person-shooters. But while Doom: The Dark Ages’ rich pedigree has helped it garner positive attention with audiences from across the gaming spectrum, it hasn’t stopped players from decrying a particularly frustrating aspect of its physical release.
Just a few days before launch, it was discovered that Doom: The Dark Ages’ physical disc only has about 85 megabytes of data, requiring users to download the rest of its content. The full download is only about 85 gigabytes—for the base game on day-one, at least—which is roughly in-keeping with contemporary AAA standards. In other words, the size of the download isn’t what players are mad about. Instead, there’s been drama about Doom: The Dark Ages’ download requirement because of what it means for game preservation and game ownership, which are ever-relevant topics in this industry.
Doom: The Dark Ages Shares a May 15 Release Date With 4 Iconic Games
While Doom: The Dark Ages is 2025’s biggest game to be released on May 15, several other major titles have graced the date before.
Why Players Are Mad About Doom: The Dark Ages’ Physical Release
Doom: The Dark Ages’ Physical Disc Is Basically Pointless
Downloading a substantial update or additional content upon booting up a physical disc is nothing new, with several major releases of the PS4/Xbox One era and beyond requiring such hard drive investment. But there’s always been an understanding that the majority of the game—or at least a significant chunk of it—exists on the disc itself. This helps preserve digital storage space, but it also upholds the implicit arrangement between players and game companies: players purchase a game, and then they own it.
With Doom: The Dark Ages’ physical disc being little more than a glorified download code, this arrangement is eroded. The heart of this controversy is thus revealed: players feel that they aren’t actually purchasing Doom: The Dark Ages, but rather purchasing the rights to download it; the physical disc more or less becomes a piece of memorabilia, rather than something with any real entertainment or artistic value. And while players have a right to be frustrated about this, Dark Ages’ approach to its physical release has not occurred in a vacuum. Sadly, all signs point to this sort of thing happening more and more frequently.
There’s also been some backlash on the grounds of wastefulness. After all, why use the resources to print and package a physical disc, if that disk isn’t even required to play the game?
Doom The Dark Ages’ Physical Disc Fiasco Is Indicative of a Larger Industry Problem
As many gamers are all too aware, game preservation and ownership have been going down the drain in recent years. Hardware manufacturers consistently favor an all-digital ecosystem, as evidenced by the Xbox Series S, PS5 Digital, and PS5 Pro—all consoles shipped without a disc drive. As Ubisoft’s director of subscriptions Phillipe Tremblay infamously put it, gamers may need to “get comfortable” with the notion of not owning their games.
This mirrors the shift in the music and film industries in the last two decades. Before the likes of Netflix and Spotify, consumers would need to purchase a physical DVD, VHS, CD, or vinyl record to have easy access to movies and music. This was less convenient, of course, but it meant that consumers actually owned the media that they spent money on. They didn’t just borrow the right to watch or listen at the platform holder’s whim.
As gaming moves more toward digital downloads and away from physical ownership, it’s probable that there will be more instances like Doom: The Dark Ages’ recent controversy. Unless there’s a significant, meaningful push against such practices en masse—not just among hardcore gamers, as it has been thus far—digital-only will almost certainly continue to solidify as the status quo.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- May 15, 2025
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- id Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
WHERE TO PLAY
BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.
REIGN IN HELL
As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for.
STAND AND FIGHT
Experience an epic story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage in this cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.
DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS
In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id's largest and most expansive levels to date.
- Engine
- id Tech
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5
