TheDoomfranchise started something of a movement in the gaming industry. Improving upon what madeWolfenstein 3Dpopular,Doomtook things to a whole new level. Quick sequels further cemented its place as the best FPS shooter of the time.
More than 21 years later, we’ve seen a franchise that had its ups and downs but always seems to find a new gear and improve upon old formulas. At this point, we don’t know exactly what we’ll be getting inDoom: The Dark Ages, but we’ll sure be there to find out.
Without further ado, here’s our ultimate list of the bestDoomgames, ranked from worst to best.
The top Doom games ranked from worst to best
If you’d like to read a little more about each game, the full, descriptive list of topDoomgames follows.
The bestDoomgames of all time, ranked
10.Sigil (2019)
Sigilis an unofficial expansion containing nine new single-player levels and nine new multiplayer maps. It doesn’t count as canon because it’s not owned by Bethesda, but it was made by John Romero, the brain behind the originalDoomlevels, so it counts as canon in our hearts.
WhileSigilintroduced new weapons, a new story, and even had the guts to incorporate a Baphomet glitch into its plot, it loses points for not being canon (even though it feels like it is). Therefore, we can’t reasonably place it higher than number 10.
Another really cool thing aboutSigilis that you can either get it for free or in aluxuriously cool physical format.
9.Doom(1993)
The game that started it all, and a massive nostalgic kick for anyone who was around to witness it. Despite the technical prowess behind it,Doomwas simple and efficient. No big plot, just a bunch of beautiful levels where a man faces insurmountable odds while armed solely with an insurmountability-proof arsenal. On top of its single-player campaign, the originalDoomalsointroduced the concept of theDeathmatch, paving the way for online gaming.
Thoughnot technically 3D,Doomdeserves credit for one of the most important moments in gaming history, the eventual shifting of most of the industry away from 2D. Did we mention that it was and still is a lot of fun?
Please don’t feel bad that we’re putting it this low. It’s just a statement regarding the series’ continuous evolution.
8.Doom II(1994)
Gaming was very different in the ’90s. You could get away with simply giving the same game new levels and calling it a sequel — and that’s exactly whatDoom IIis. Why fix what isn’t broken, right?
This simplicity allowed theDoomfranchise to stamp its authority on the genre and start to set the pace. While everyone speculated about a sequel toWolfenstein 3D, the folks at id Software were rolling up their sleeves and getting things done.
Doom IIdidn’t really revolutionize the world as the first one did, but it sure keptDoomat the top of everyone’s minds.
7.Final Doom (1996)
Despite its confusing name,Final Doomisn’t the definitive version of the originalDoom.It’s an expansion forDoom IIthat serves as the culmination of the classicDoomgames and feels like a massive treat for fans.
Final Doomadds two new episodes that amount to 32 new levels. It’s great, but remember, this isn’t your classic stroll through Hell.Final Doomis forDoomveterans, so expect difficulty that comes not just from combat but also from more complex levels.
6.Doom 64(1997/2020)
Those who made the strange jump from the PC to the Nintendo 64 back in 1997 found inDoom 64the graphical improvements thatDoom IIlacked.
Despite not being an id Software product,Doom 64is a more than worthy successor toDoom II, a completely new game with a fresh campaign filled with amazing new levels. Anyone interested in this peculiar title will probably enjoy learning that we can finally experience it on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
And if learning about the re-release gets you excited, we have even better news. Players who beat the campaign will gain access to something called “Lost Levels,” an awesome new campaign hidden behind the old one. The new campaign rocks on its own but earns extra points by connecting the events of the olderDoomgamesto the reboot from 2016.
Weirdly enough, though,Doom 64doesn’t feature any multiplayer options.
5.Doom 3(2004)
There was some serious hype surroundingDoom 3back then. It had been a while since we got a brand-newDoomgame, and it was well-received, if just a little bit disappointing. Instead of feeling like you, the player, were driving the story forward (as in older Doom titles), it felt more like we were being pulled along the story instead.
Still, we get the sense thatDoom 3gave us exactly what the developers wanted to create, and that was a slower and more intimate descent into Hell. Most don’t give it enough credit in that regard, butDoom 3not only mastered dark and creepy sci-fi environments. It also mastered the art of jump scares. Nobody ever putsDoom 3in a “best of” horror games list, but it packed some serious scares back in the day—and it still does.
4.Doom 3: Resurrection Of Evil(2005)
Doom 3’ssole expansion successfully dealt with some of the main game’s weakest aspects.Resurrection Of Eviladded a few new weapons and special abilities that spiced up the otherwise conservative original.
The most interesting addition is the grabber, a weapon that allows players to levitate and throw objects at enemies—or to simply fling their projectiles back at them. While these new additions were cool, they didn’t affect the gameplay much.
More cynical minds could accuseResurrection Of Evilof being no more than an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the gravity gun, but it’s more than that.Resurrection Of Eviloffers neat gameplay improvements that result in a nice mini-campaign. Also,ROEhad to exist because it provides the closure to the story thatDoom 3lacked.
3.BrutalDoom(2010)
Disclaimer: We knowBrutal Doomisn’t an official entry in the series. We also know we would be doing such a mod-friendly series a disservice if we were to ignore its greatest mod. Putting the wordBrutalin front ofDoommight seem unnecessary, but this mod by Marcos “Sargeant Mark IV” Abenante isn’t kidding around.
Brutal Doomdoesn’t just greatly increase the amount of blood and guts seen in the originalDoom.It modernizes its entire gunplay without messing up its beautiful surface. It also adds melee combat, glory-kill animations, stealth elements, and headshots. Don’t think this will be a walk in the park, though, asBrutal Doomalso makes enemies much faster and more capable.
2.Doom(2016)
ThoughDoom 3hit many of the right beats, it failed to reach the series’ full potential in the eyes of fans. TheDoomreboot had a long and arduous development cycle, one that nearly ended with it becoming aCall Of Dutyclone. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and we ended up getting one of the best reboots of all time.
The reboot did away with the slow pace ofDoom 3,and with that alone, created a completely new thing.Doomwas no longer about scaring the player. It was now about the player making Hell itself feel afraid. How did the devs do that? By empowering the Doom Slayer in all sorts of marvelous ways, the newDoomis turnedinto one of the most fast-paced and brutal shooters ever made.
1.Doom Eternal(2020)
We’re not going to hold it against anyone who puts theDoomreboot aboveDoom Eternal.It comes down to a matter of preference. Gameplay or plot? The reboot features a better plot in the sense the developers understood nobody cares about the plot in these games,so there mostly isn’t one. In the reboot, the Doom Slayer actively disregards learning about important story elements, whereasDoom Eternalmakes him fully invested in what’s happening, down to giving him a backstory. We’re not thrilled about that, especially afterDoomnailed the character so well.
Despite the shortcomings of the fairly bland plot, the gameplay was brilliant. We got a hook, a shoulder cannon, a dash, an insta-kill sword, and a new replenishment system that made the game feel more hectic than ever before.
Also, who could forget the Marauder, an enemy in aDoomgame that requires players to actually think? The Marauder rocks, not just because it’s the most interesting enemy in the history ofDoombut because it might pave the way for sequels filled with way more challenging enemies.Doommight never beat theHalf-Lifeseries in terms of level design or puzzle ingenuity, but it could further surpass its rivals in its approach to combat.
Finally, we also got two expansions that gave us more enemies, more story, but most importantly, more reason to keep playing one of the most funDoomgames ever made.
