The DOOM series: Every core game ranked (2025)

There is no other game series in the first-person shooter genre that is praised more than Doom. It is the gold standard against which all other FPS titles are compared, and the benchmark by which gaming setups are judged. When it comes to pure mayhem and adrenaline-pumping action, Doom is arguably one of the greatest video game series ever developed. Nobody can truly experience the fun of playing a first-person shooter without playing a Doom game. It's just that good and enticing to come back to many times over.

But what are the best of the core Doom games released over the years? While there have been multiple releases for different entries in the series, you can narrow everything down to six games that everybody needs to play. When it's time to satisfy a growing urge to rip and tear through hordes of demons, these are the games to boot up. Here are the best games of the Doom series ranked.

6 Doom 3

Survival horror reimagined

Most of the Doom games have a heavy emphasis on frantic shooting, but Doom 3 takes things in a different direction. Taking place in an alternate universe that reboots the series, Doom 3 adds an element of survival horror to the action. The story is set on Mars in the year 2145, where a military installation is experimenting with new teleportation technology. The experiments go wrong when the facility accidentally opens up a gateway to hell, allowing hordes of demons to cause havoc. Players take control of a space marine stationed on Mars as the chaos unfolds, forcing them to survive and prevent the demons from reaching Earth.

A big part of the experience in Doom 3 is the dynamic lighting. Previous Doom games were bright and colorful, allowing you to see everything you're shooting at. Doom 3 is the first in the series to allow the lighting to play a dramatic part in encounters, where the fear of something lurking in the dark adds to the tension. A lot of the staple weapons and demonic enemies return in this game, but the designs are updated to fit the new visual presentation. An expanded and remastered version of Doom 3 was released in 2012, titled Doom 3: BFG Edition. This new version of the game adds better graphics, new quality-of-life changes, and expansions that open up new story content.

5 Doom 64

Feels a little different

Doom 64 was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. While there are many similarities between this game and the first two Doom titles, Doom 64 is considered a spin-off in the series. The story takes place years after the events of Doom and Doom II, where a mysterious message is sent to Earth about a growing threat. A demonic entity is resurrecting demons in the abandoned research facilities on Mars, threatening Earth again with the forces of Hell. The unnamed space marine is sent back to fight the demons and ensure none of them reach Earth.

Much of the gameplay in Doom 64 is similar to previous Doom games, with little to no changes to the majority of weapons and enemies. However, a new weapon in the game is called the Unmaker. This weapon uses energy ammo, the same ammo as the BFG 9000 and Plasma Rifle, and causes instant damage to targets. The weapon can also be upgraded after finding three secret artifacts hidden throughout Doom 64's 28 levels. The Unmaker was originally going to be included in the first game in 1993, but was cut before development concluded. For many fans, Doom 64 feels like a classic entry, but it does not offer enough to push the series forward in interesting ways.

4 Doom (1993)

Respect the classic

The original Doom for MS-DOS is as classic as it gets for the first-person shooter genre. Most first-person shooters can trace their inspirations back to this game, which, to many, helped popularize the genre among video game players in the early 90s. The plot of the game is simple, since most of the focus is on gameplay more than anything else. An unnamed space marine is forced to battle through the rising forces of hell in a military base on Mars when teleportation experiments by the Union Aerospace Corporation go horribly wrong. A portal to Hell opens during one of these experiments, and demons begin to appear all over the facility, killing every scientist in the area. Doom has three episodes that break up the story, which consist of nine levels.

Over the years, the original Doom has been ported to multiple platforms and expanded upon in different ways. An enhanced edition of the game titled The Ultimate Doom includes a fourth episode with eight new levels and one additional secret level. The new episode adds some extra plot to the game, but development was focused on the design of the maps rather than building upon the story. Today, you can find the original Doom playable on all kinds of devices, which is an ongoing joke among PC gamers and tech aficionados. The first question that everyone asks themselves when they get a new system set up: Can it play Doom?

3 Doom Eternal

The Slayer gets stronger

Doom Eternal was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2020. The game was later brought to the Nintendo Switch that same year, and eventually ported to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2021. The sequel to the 2016 reboot of the series goes bigger and badder with both story and gameplay. The legend of the Doom Slayer has grown over the years after the events of the previous game. Earth has become overrun by demons as the UAC forms an alliance with the invaders from Hell. The Doom Slayer finds himself fighting through demons as he makes his way to put a stop to a plan set forward by the alien Khan Maykr, the total invasion of Earth, and the genocide of humanity.

While the presentation of Doom Eternal goes back to the basics of the Doom series, reusing classic enemy designs from the 1993 original, the game also pushes the series forward with a few modern FPS gameplay choices. In the middle of the chaotic firefights are platforming sections with large environments to explore. Some stages require climbing large structures and getting over giant gaps to reach new areas filled with hordes of demons. Many of the secrets within Doom Eternal require going off the most obvious path. The use of a new grapple hook attached to the Super Shotgun opens up higher and farther areas that players can explore, as well as more creative ways to kill demons.

This doesn't mean Doom Eternal forgets to showcase the gory and horrific visuals that the series is known for. Glory kills and ridiculous weapons are still at the forefront of the experience, showcasing every detail of the Doom Slayer ripping and tearing demons to shreds. The game also features a Horde Mode and an online Battlemode, allowing players to take control of demons and fight others in asymmetrical death matches.

2 Doom II

Bringing all of Hell to Earth

It's never easy to improve upon greatness, but somehow this follow-up manages to do so. Doom II, also known as Doom II: Hell on Earth, is the sequel to the original game on MS-DOS released in 1994. The game improves upon its predecessor by having larger levels, a new weapon and power-up, and new enemies to fight. One of the most famous additions to the game is the Super Shotgun, a very powerful shotgun that has since become a staple of nearly every Doom release.

The new power-up is called the Megasphere, which grants 200% health and armor when picked up. The plot of the game is set right after the first, with the space marine returning to Earth after fighting off the demons on Mars. However, Earth has also been invaded by demons that have killed many millions of people. After evacuating the last remaining humans alive off-world, the space marine is left alone to fight off the invasion and enter Hell to destroy the demons.

Although much of Doom II is nearly identical to the first game, there are a few small changes that differentiate it from the original. Instead of a set number of episodes breaking up levels, the game has 32 levels to play straight through, two of which are secret stages. Maps are bigger and more intricate in how they are traversed, along with more enemies placed throughout. It's possible to go off the main path and explore for extra secrets before going to the exit, which offers a sense of nonlinearity to the experience. Doom II was also ported to many devices with the original Doom, and received expansions like Master Levels for Doom II, which offered new stages to play. There was a spin-off released in 1996 for the PlayStation and MS-DOS titled The Final Doom, which featured the same gameplay elements of Doom II with new episodes set after the story of Doom II.

1 Doom (2016)

Getting back to basics

After a long hiatus from the spotlight, the Doom series made a big return with a reboot in 2016. For a long time, fans believed the next game would be a numbered sequel and direct follow-up. However, things changed heavily during development before an entirely new identity for the game was chosen. This new version was simply titled Doom, but is often referred to as Doom 2016 by most fans.

The story of Doom 2016 completely ignores all the continuity from previous games and begins a new story about the Doom Slayer. The UAC builds a facility on Mars to help solve an energy crisis developing on Earth, which involves harvesting energy from an alternate dimension. In doing so, a portal is opened in the facility, and demons begin appearing throughout the area, killing everyone they find. At the same time, the appearance of the demons awakens a being known as The Doom Slayer, whose sole purpose is to eradicate all demons from Hell.

Instead of following up on what was done in Doom 3, the developers decided to go back to what made Doom so appealing. Gone were the survival horror elements; instead, there was a greater emphasis on running and gunning through levels. Along with a variety of weapons to destroy demons, the Doom Slayer can execute glory kills that rip enemies to pieces, rewarding players with extra ammo and health. This was a major part of the experience because it reinforced being aggressive against enemies to stay alive. The main campaign of Doom 2016 had 13 levels to play through, but it also included online multiplayer with modes like Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill. The massive success of Doom 2016 enabled id Software to make a sequel, Doom Eternal, and a third game that is a prequel to the reboot of the series, Doom: The Dark Ages.

Still ripping and tearing

Since the franchise began in 1993, Doom has maintained a very positive reception from everyone who has played through the games. As more new entries are added to the ongoing legacy of Doom, you can count on the series continuing to raise the bar of quality for the first-person shooter genre. Whether it's finding new and creative ideas for weapons to wield or trying out new approaches to classic game design concepts, Doom will be at the forefront of the conversation. It was, and still is, one of the greatest first-person shooter series ever released.