Demons, all-out war, and one enraged Slayer, here’s Doom: The Dark Ages

The DOOM saga isn’t done just yet, as the Slayer is about to enter The Dark Ages for all-new shotgunning, shield-slinging action.

They shot him from a gun. Again.

There’s a new DOOM coming, and it’s preparing to tell the origin story of the rebooted series’ Slayer. Announced yesterday at the Xbox Games Showcase, DOOM: The Dark Ages brings players back to the wars that saw the ‘alien’ Sentinels locked in battle against a legion of demons. As fans well know, right at the front of those titanic clashes, was the aforementioned Slayer. So does DOOM: The Dark Ages have that medieval tilt that was hinted at before the big reveal? Well, yes and no.

There’s definitely more of that kind of feel to this new game, but it doesn’t seem to go completely all-in, instead carrying across the themes that were shown in DOOM Eternal. Players will take up arms both familiar and all-new in the game, with some of them being of a more primitive nature. The arsenal includes the returning super shotgun (sans meathook) and a shield called the Shield Saw, that doubles as a flying chainsaw.

In addition to that, there’s also a gun that grinds up and fires skulls as ammo, what looks to be a ridable mechanized dragon, mech on kaiju-sized-demon action, and more. Yeah, we’re gonna give all that a big ‘hell yes’.

id Software revealed the latest entry into their critically acclaimed DOOM franchise – DOOM®: The Dark Ages. This single-player, action first-person shooter and prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal will see players step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, the ultimate super weapon of Gods and Kings, in a medieval war against Hell. 

Bethesda press release

You could probably tell in that first-look, but Bethesda is promising battlefield-based action for DOOM: The Dark Ages. Going even further, the publisher says that the title will have a combat theme that’s “inspired by the original DOOM”. Might that mean a more straightforward approach to sending the game’s demons back to hell? Right now, we don’t know, but we’re going to be glued to any further releases.

DOOM: The Dark Ages looks like it could easily be one of the biggest games of 2025, and is on the way for the Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.