Introduction

"DOOM: The Dark Ages" is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in a grim medieval-inspired world, the game serves as a prequel to 2016's DOOM and DOOM Eternal, reimagining the origins of the Doom Slayer. Players wield brutal weapons, both futuristic and archaic, to battle demonic hordes across sprawling gothic environments. The game emphasizes fast-paced combat, dynamic movement, and cinematic intensity within a darker narrative framework.



id Software, the legendary game studio behind the franchise, has been a pioneer in the FPS genre since the early '90s, known for its foundational work on titles such as Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, and Quake. Now operating under Bethesda and the Microsoft-owned ZeniMax Media umbrella, they continue work on their franchise. The PC version of DOOM: The Dark Ages is built using the latest iteration of the id Tech engine—id Tech 8, which is newer than what we've seen in Indiana Jones, which uses an updated id Tech 7 engine. Just like previous iterations of the engine, id Tech 8 uses the Vulkan API, not DirectX, unlike virtually all games on the market. Doom: The Dark Ages supports high framerates, ultrawide displays, and extensive graphical customization. Just like Indiana Jones, the game only runs with ray tracing capable hardware. Advanced upscaling options such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS are included, and there's support for frame generation from both vendors, too.

This review will evaluate the performance of DOOM: The Dark Ages across a wide range of contemporary graphics cards, compare image quality settings, and analyze the game's VRAM usage to provide insight into the hardware requirements needed for an optimal experience.