id Software sets demanding hardware standards for Doom: The Dark Ages

The upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages will push PC gaming hardware to its limits, as id Software announces comprehensive system requirements that emphasize next-generation technology. Following the path set by Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the new Doom installment mandates both solid-state drive (SSD) storage and ray tracing capability.

Revealed during the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct showcase, Doom: The Dark Ages positions itself as a prequel to the 2016 Doom release. The game promises to honor its roots with classic strafe-focused combat while introducing new elements like a buzzsaw shield alongside the series’ signature arsenal. Players can experience this evolution of the franchise starting May 15, with simultaneous availability on Xbox Game Pass across console, PC, and cloud platforms.

The technical specifications for PC players are particularly demanding. Bethesda’s requirements start with baseline 1080p/60fps gameplay demanding an 8-core CPU (AMD Zen 2 or Intel 10th generation minimum), along with either an AMD Radeon RX 6000 or Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. Additional requirements include 16 GB of RAM and 100GB of NVME SSD storage space. For 1440p high settings, the specifications increase to an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X processor, RTX 3080 graphics card, and 32 GB of RAM.

Doom: The Dark Ages embraces cutting-edge graphics technologies

Ultra 4K settings raise the bar even higher, requiring either an RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card at minimum. The game will integrate Nvidia’s Multi-Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction technologies for enhanced performance, though these features will be exclusive to RTX 50 series cards.

While the game will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, these PC requirements reflect id Software’s commitment to pushing technical boundaries in this highly anticipated 2025 release, which aims to blend visceral combat with an intense musical score.