Doom sees 101% Xbox player increase following Doom: The Dark Ages reveal

Following last week's Doom: The Dark Ages Xbox release date reveal, both Doom and Doom Eternal have seen a huge increase in Xbox players.

Tom West

Published 28 Jan 2025

The Doom and Doom Eternal Xbox player counts have spiked since id Software announced the Doom: The Dark Ages release date during the Xbox Developer Direct. It seems many players on Xbox want to prepare for their fight through the Doom: The Dark Ages achievements by diving into two of the best Game Pass games for a war with Hell.

Xbox players flock to Doom and Doom Eternal ahead of Doom: The Dark Ages

Doom (2016) has seen a 101% increase in Xbox players following the recent Xbox Developer Direct
Doom Eternal has seen a 75% increase in Xbox players following the Xbox Developer Direct
Doom: The Dark Ages launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 15, 2025

According to our Gameplay Chart data, which uses a sample size of over 2.4 million Xbox accounts courtesy of our partnership with GameInsights, Doom 2016's Xbox player count has jumped by 101% since Microsoft showed off the next entry into the franchise at last week's Xbox Developer Direct. As for its sequel, Doom Eternal, it too has seen a decent rise, with its Xbox player count climbing by 75% since The Dark Ages deep dive.

Looking at the data, Doom Eternal was the 214th most popular Xbox game in our Gameplay Chart on Monday, January 13, but by this week, it had jumped up to 134th. As for Doom 2016, it managed to climb from 405th to 251st in the same length of time, which is just incredible.

Microsoft and id Software gave us a closer look at Doom: The Dark Ages during the Xbox Developer Direct on January 23, revealing that the upcoming shooter launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 15, 2025. It looks like many players have decided to blast through the fantastic

Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom (2016), taking us to a medieval world to smash the forces of Hell to a pulp once again. Unlike its predecessors, there won't be any multiplayer elements in the upcoming game, but we'll instead have fresh toys to play with, such as the massive Atlans, a rideable Cyberdragon, melee weapons, and more.

If you're yet to check it out, take a look at our Doom: The Dark Ages hands-off preview for even more details about the upcoming game. We also had a chance to attend a Q+A with id Software studio head Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin to learn a few more tidbits — such as that Dark Ages' Doom Slayer is inspired by Frank Miller's Dark Knight.

Have you been slaying demons in Doom and Doom Eternal? Drop down below and let us know!

Xbox Gameplay Chart data is compiled using data from over 2.4 million active Xbox accounts (not just TrueAchievements accounts). Chart information is copyright Game Insights. Regarding this data:

When an account opens a game, this is registered as a game being played. Accounts can only register a game once per week.
Our data is good for suggesting general trends — we represent this using percentages, not numbers.

Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.