Doom’s 8 Best Games, Ranked from Classic to Carnage

If your keyboard once wore a coat of Cheeto dust and you’ve lurched through pixelated hellmouths under midnight glare, you get it: Doom is more than a shooter—it’s a rite of passage. I stumbled onto the shareware floppies on a family PC that wheezed through E1M1, and I’ve chased that shotgun-thumping rush through every chapter: from blocky imps to dragon-riding madness. Strap in, space marine—it’s time to rank the 8 definitive Doom games.

1. Doom (1993)

The granddaddy of modern shooters, Doom (1993) is the Rosetta Stone of first-person firepower. Loading those shareware floppies gave me a sense of speed, power and dread I’d never known. The shotgun smacked demons like a sledgehammer, the MIDI soundtrack pumped adrenaline through pixelated halls, and deathmatch was born here. Secrets behind illusory walls and vertical level design proved creativity trumped horsepower. Sure, no aim assist or tutorials feels rough today—but raw, distilled violence with zero hand-holding is its charm.

Platform(s)	PC, Jaguar, SNES, PlayStation, 3DO, Saturn, GBA, Xbox 360, iOS, Switch, Xbox One, PS4, Android, PS5, Series X|S
Release Year	1993
Genre	First-person shooter
Developer	id Software
Drawbacks	Clunky by modern standards; limited saves; no aim assist

2. Doom Eternal (2020)

Doom Eternal cranked everything up to eleven. Its breakneck combat loop—grappling onto Cacodemons, aerial glory-kills to refill ammo—demands you dance across devilish arenas. The lore-heavy codex can feel like dead weight and Archvile ambushes will humble the unprepared, but nailing the flow delivers pure euphoria. Just be ready for fatigued fingers and occasional difficulty spikes.

Platform(s)	PC, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One, Switch
Release Year	2020
Genre	First-person shooter
Developer	id Software
Drawbacks	Steep learning curve; lore-heavy cutscenes; sudden difficulty spikes

3. Doom II (1994)

As if the original recipe needed chili flakes, Doom II delivered with the Super Shotgun, expansive arenas and the fiendish Arch-Vile. The challenge ramps up mercilessly, and the community still churns out WADs decades later. Some may balk at limited enemy variety and cryptic switch puzzles, but this expansion perfected the formula.

Platform(s)	PC, GBA, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Release Year	1994
Genre	First-person shooter
Developer	id Software
Drawbacks	Steeper difficulty curve; occasional padding; limited soundtrack variety

4. Doom The Dark Ages (2025)

Swapping sci-fi for dragons, mechs and gothic castles, The Dark Ages is the freshest spark in the lineage. Riding hellfire wyverns and deploying arcane shields feels novel—until mid-game pacing stumbles and some encounters verge on gimmick. Still, if you crave new ways to rip and tear, it’s a wild detour.

Platform(s)	PC, PS5, Series X|S
Release Year	2025
Genre	FPS, Dark Fantasy
Developer	id Software
Drawbacks	Tonal swings; uneven pacing; camera quirks

5. Doom (2016)

This reboot was a love letter to purists wary of nostalgia traps. It reembraced speed, gore and “push-forward” combat with shame-inducing glory kills and a cannon-like shotgun. Yet by act two the campaign loops repeat, and the multiplayer never quite ignited. Still, its opening salvo remains one of modern gaming’s most cathartic experiences.

Platform(s)	PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release Year	2016
Genre	First-person shooter
Developer	id Software
Drawbacks	Short campaign; weak story; underwhelming multiplayer

6. Doom 3 (2004)

Part horror, part classic Doom, this entry’s torchlit corridors and jump scares are atmospheric thrills. Dismemberment effects still impress, but juggling flashlight and gun feels more frustrating than frightening. If claustrophobic horror isn’t your vibe, you might skip ahead.

Platform(s)	PC, Xbox
Release Year	2004
Genre	FPS, Survival Horror
Developer	id Software
Drawbacks	Repetitive corridors; flashlight mechanics; slower pacing

7. Doom 64 (1997)

Far from a simple port, this N64 exclusive introduced new monsters, arenas and a haunting soundtrack. Its oppressive atmosphere and final boss remain standout. Today the controls float a bit, and the loose story can catch you off-guard, but its unique design earned cult status.

Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Release Year	1997 (remastered 2020)
Genre	First-person shooter, Horror
Developer	Midway Studios
Drawbacks	Sparse arsenal; dated controls; minimal narrative

8. Final Doom (1996)

This double-dose of TNT Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment is legendary for fan-made ferocity. Expect dizzying ambushes, puzzle traps and one-hit kills. It’s a speedrunner’s dream and a beginner’s nightmare, with challenge dialed to eleven.

Platform(s)	PC, PS1, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release Year	1996
Genre	First-person shooter
Developer	Epic MegaGames, TeamTNT
Drawbacks	Unforgiving difficulty; uneven maps; steep entry barrier

Conclusion

From shareware floppies to wyvern flights, Doom’s evolution is a testament to innovation, community passion and pure carnage. Whether you live for the minimalist perfection of the original, grind out Eternal’s ballet of violence or explore odd detours like 3 and 64, there’s a brand of ultra-violence for every marine. My ranking might spark debate—that’s half the fun. Pick your poison and dive back into Hell.