Doom: The Dark Ages Shares a May 15 Release Date With 4…

The third game in the modern Doom trilogy has finally been released, with players already settling into their first playthroughs of Doom: The Dark Ages. Released for Two-Day Advanced Access owners on May 13 and for everyone else on May 15, this entry brings Doom’s demon-stomping action to a distant, yet futuristic past, chronicling the Doom Slayer’s earliest exploits against the forces of Hell. It isn't the brand-new chapter in Doom’s story that Doom Eternal’s DLC teased, but Doom: The Dark Ages still promises to be another worthy addition to the legendary first-person shooter franchise.

Depending on how successful it is, Doom: The Dark Ages may have also just added another major release to the typically-humble mid-May time slot. Only time will tell how this entry stacks up against Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, but Doom: The Dark Ages’ more deliberate, grounded combat seems to be a hit with reviewers so far. With industry showcase season coming up, late Spring is usually slower than the end-of-fiscal year rush a couple of months beforehand, but May 15 has picked up several major releases over the years that Doom: The Dark Ages should feel honored to stand beside.

Why Doom: The Dark Ages is Igniting Debate Over a Missing Feature

Doom: The Dark Ages makes some changes to a staple of modern Doom, which has stirred up a bit of discord within the franchise's fanbase.

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By Nick Rodriguez

Enter The Matrix (2003)

May 15 has recorded game releases dating back to the 80s, but the first truly significant game launched on that day has to be 2003’s Enter The Matrix. Serving as a midquel to The Matrix Reloaded, which it was made alongside, Enter The Matrix is similar to The Animatrix in being a significant entry in The Matrix franchise without being one of the primary movies. The jury is out on whether it’s as good of a game as the later The Matrix: Path of Neo, but it was directed by the Wachowskis and developed by Shiny Entertainment all the same, and entrenched itself in gaming history by selling over 5 million copies.

New Super Mario Bros. (2006)

Back into the realm of video games being iconic for their own sake, the 2006 Nintendo DS exclusive New Super Mario Bros. Also shares Doom: The Dark Ages’ release date. This 2D platformer is the soft reboot of Nintendo’s classic 2D Super Mario Bros. Games, and would remain the template for 2D Mario titles until Super Mario Bros. Wonder released in 2023. Nowadays, it's hard to point to any one aspect of NSMB as especially revolutionary, but it helped keep Mario’s 2D roots alive during a time of uncertainty, so it’s earned the right to be called a classic.

Max Payne 3 (2012)

Jumping ahead, the last two especially iconic games to release on May 15 both came out in 2012, and one is Max Payne 3. While series fans are split on whether this entry stands as tall as the first two, the only Max Payne game published and developed by GTA and Red Dead studio Rockstar Games did Remedy Entertainment’s breakout franchise justice. Earning over 4 million sales and many award nominations, Max Payne’s time in Brazil proved to be another thrilling narrative-driven third-person shooter experience. The series is fortunately in Remedy’s hands again, but Rockstar’s efforts didn't go to waste.

Diablo 3 (2012)

Doom: The Dark Ages’ final significant May 15 counterpart is, fittingly, its fellow demon-blasting adventure Diablo 3. This action-RPG is iconic to some for the wrong reasons, largely owing to Blizzard’s disastrous implementation of the auction house and a myriad of technical and balance problems at launch, but it has largely turned itself around. Years of support have made Diablo 3 into an action-RPG powerhouse that remains some players’ Diablo-like choice, and hopefully Doom: The Dark Ages can carve out its own niche in the active and multifaceted Doom fandom.