DOOM: The Dark Ages had a big launch in terms of player numbers compared to DOOM Eternal. The Dark Ages reached three million players in just five days, which was seven times faster than Eternal.
Three million players in five days is by no means a disappointment, though the majority of those players, as was expected, were Xbox players who either bought the game or were playing it through Xbox Game Pass on their Series X/S consoles or Game Pass PC. According to analytics firm Ampere Analysis (via The Game Business), more than two million of those three million launch players were playing on Xbox, while only 500K were playing on PS5. The Game Business also adds that per Ampere's data, player numbers on PC were, by their definition, "a bit on the low side."
Again, three million is not a bad result by any means, and with Game Pass being Xbox's main pitch to players, it's doubtful (to say the least) that Microsoft is upset at the fact that one game on its service had more than 2 million players on its platform.
We're also still waiting to hear what the initial sales reports are for DOOM: The Dark Ages from firms like Circana and Newzoo, but as The Game Business points out, this modern era of subscription services makes it worth asking if hitting three million players is even "good" in today's landscape. Because, as Raccoon Logic's creative director on Revenge of the Savage Planet recently lamented, high player counts at launch don't exactly translate to high sales when your game is part of a larger subscription service.
The Game Business also points to another recent Game Pass launch, Atomfall, which surpassed 1.5 million players in its opening weekend, and 2 million players in its opening month. In that case, The Game Business reports that most players played Atomfall on Xbox.
So, while 3 million players in just five days is undeniably a successful result, it can't help but feel like the real test for DOOM: The Dark Ages' success will be how many subscriptions it helps bring over to Xbox Game Pass, and how many units it can sell on non-Xbox platforms.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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