DOOM: The Dark Ages is the newest installment in the legendary franchise and is available now on all major platforms. The position of The Dark Ages in the larger DOOM timeline is interesting, particularly because we're seeing a part of the lore that has been speculated about for some time. The Dark Ages explores the period after the early DOOM installments — DOOM (1993), DOOM II: Hell on Earth, and DOOM 64 — when Doomguy has descended into Hell and is imprisoned, eventually becoming the Doom Slayer we know and love in DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal.

Ultimately, DOOM: The Dark Ages serves as a bridge between the classic and modern DOOM entries, and it provides context about Doom Slayer's experience in Argent D'Nur against the forces of Hell. Further, The Dark Ages gives us a better understanding of just how Doomguy from DOOM 64 rose through the ranks of the Sentinels and became the brutal warrior known as Doom Slayer in the reboots.

When DOOM: The Dark Ages Takes Place

Dark Ages Fills In The Missing Pieces Of Doomguy's Descent Into Hell

The Dark Ages picks up where DOOM 64 left off, and provides a bit of backstory for the modern games, particularly regarding how Doomguy evolved into the warrior known as Doom Slayer. The game takes place on Argent D'Nur, where Doomguy is bestowed unique powers by the Sentinels because he is such a formidable fighter, proving himself in the gladiator arena.

With his new powers and an entire legion of Sentinels and Maykrs on his side, Doom Slayer fights off an onslaught of demons from Hell and defends Argent D'Nur from the evil forces. This is a war referred to as The Holy Crusade, which is mentioned in DOOM (2016) and in Eternal. How long this holy war rages on is ambiguous, as time operates differently in this particular realm. Ultimately, Doom Slayer is trapped in a sarcophagus for an unknown amount of time until he's finally released in the DOOM (2016) reboot.

The Best Order To Play DOOM

There's No Bad Place To Start With DOOM

There is obviously a chronological order to play the DOOM games, but I would recommend starting with the modern games if you have no experience with the franchise at all. There's no doubt the DOOM reboot and Eternal will get you hooked, and you'll be able to enjoy the full story more if you aren't having to adjust to the dated graphics and controls of the originals when you're starting out. That said, if you're a veteran Doom Slayer, I'd highly recommend playing in chronological order after you finish The Dark Ages just to experience it all consecutively for once.

Regardless of how you choose to approach the series, it makes sense to start with either the original DOOM, DOOM: The Dark Ages, or DOOM (2016) to avoid jumping around the story too much. That being said, since the focus tends to be more on the action than the lore, it should be relatively easy to get your bearings with any title. Here's the chronological story order of all the main DOOM games, though it's worth noting that DOOM 3 is an outlier and takes place in a separate timeline altogether:

• DOOM (1993)
• DOOM 2
• DOOM 3
• DOOM 64
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• DOOM (2016)
• DOOM Eternal
• DOOM: The Ancient Gods (Parts 1 & 2)

Overall, DOOM: The Dark Ages promises to give players a better sense of what happened in a previously unknown part of the larger timeline, and it serves to bridge the classic and modern games. While you can still expect to spend more time slaying than watching cutscenes, players finally have some information about how the Doomguy transformed into the Doom Slayer of the modern era games, and they'll also get to see a new dimension of the DOOM universe.