All Doom games arranged by their release date and in chronological order.

      Bethesda Softworks

      As one of the earliest and greatest FPS games ever, you might assume there's nothing more to the Doom series than the premise of slaying demons. While it's undoubtedly fun to enjoy the thrill of battling monsters amidst a heavy metal soundtrack, there's actually a complex lore and timeline to uncover if you're willing to explore it. The timeline is not as straightforward as playing the Metal Gear series in sequence, and piecing together the continuity from the original Doom to the latest entry, Doom: The Dark Ages, requires some effort. Just like attempting to play the Borderlands games in order, you may find yourself quite confused if you try to figure it out on your own. We have delved into all the ancient texts and fought our way through each Doom title to provide you with a guide on how to experience the franchise either in release order or chronologically.

      All Doom games in release order

      Bethesda

      Doom debuted in 1993 and has spawned numerous sequels, spinoffs, and rereleases. Despite the original games being impressive for their time and still holding up well, they are the most challenging to revisit. We recommend experiencing the series in release order for anyone intending to tackle the full collection, as this allows you to appreciate the origins of the games before engaging with the more modern iterations that build upon that foundation. For this list, we will include every official Doom game released, excluding remakes, DLCs, and enhanced versions.

      - Doom (1993)

      - Doom II: Hell on Earth (1993)

      - Doom 64 (1997)

      - Doom 3 (2004)

      - Doom (2016)

      - Doom VFR (2017)

      - Doom Eternal (2020)

      - Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)

      All Doom games in chronological order

      Bethesda

      Doom originated in 1993, but the chronological timeline includes only 7 mainline games. Although you might think there would be minimal connection between the classic titles and the rebooted series—especially the unique Doom 64 and Doom 3—each entry occupies a place in a shared timeline. However, Doom 3 is an exception, which we will clarify later. The chronology largely mirrors the release order, which is helpful, but there are a few misplaced entries to be mindful of. The underlying lore doesn’t significantly impact the gameplay until the reboot games, yet there are numerous references and Easter eggs to discover if you play the series chronologically.

      To follow the Doom Slayer's journey against the demonic forces from beginning to end, here’s the recommended chronological order for the entire franchise:

      - Doom

      - Doom II: Hell on Earth

      - Doom 64

      - Doom: The Dark Ages

      - Doom (2016)

      - Doom Eternal

      - Doom 3

      The outlier in this sequence is Doom 3. There's some debate regarding where this title fits in the timeline, with some viewing it as a prequel to the original game, others placing it after Doom 64, and some suggesting it exists in its own separate timeline. This installment does not feature the same Doom Slayer as the other titles and has a tone that contrasts sharply with the rest of the series, so you may choose to omit it if you prefer to concentrate solely on the Doom Slayer's saga.