The release of Doom: The Dark Ages has sparked players to take a deep dive into the game’s lore and discover who Doomguy or Doom Slayer is. With a franchise rich in lore, it may confuse those who are just getting into the games. To help you out, here’s a guide on all Doom games and how to play them in order.
All Doom Games in Chronological Order
Be warned, this guide may contain spoilers, especially for the 2016 reboot.
Original Doom Continuity
The original Doom started the franchise, and the story starts with Doomguy fighting hordes of demons that invaded Mars in Doom (1993). The demons then go to Earth in Doom II: Hell on Earth. The timeline continues with Final Doom, a continuation of Doom II. The story ends with Doom 64, where Doomguy stays in hell to fight the hordes and prevent them from invading.
Here’s the chronological order of the original Doom games.
- Doom (1993)
- Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)
- Final Doom (1996)
- Doom 64 (1997
Doom (2016) Reboot
The Doom (2016) reboot seems like a fresh start and was considered a new continuity, but it was later revealed that the Doom Slayer is Doomguy from the original Doom Games. After spending years in hell, Doomguy was transported to Argent D’nur through a portal. He was trained by the people of Argent D’nur, who also dealt with the hordes of hell. With his hatred for hell, he decided to help them in their crusade. And, with credit to the king of Argent D’nur, Doomguy was made immortal thanks to the Divinity Machine.
Through his actions and helping defeat the demons of hell, he became known as the Doom Slayer. In Doom: The Dark Ages, known as a prequel to Doom (2016), players get to see his time with the Argent D’nur. Then, in Doom (2016), thousands of years have passed, and the people of Mars have discovered a sarcophagus where the Doom Slayer rests. Due to an invasion caused by the hordes of hell, the Doom Slayer is awoken from his slumber to fight. His story ends in Doom Eternal and its DLCs, where he finally faces off against the Dark Lord to end all invasions from hell.
Here’s the chronological order of the reboot Doom games.
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Doom (2016)
- Doom Eternal
- Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part One
- Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part Two
By the end of Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part Two, after defeating the Dark Lord, the Doom Slayer is put back in a sarcophagus where he rests until he is again needed to fight.