You Won't Believe the Perfect Order to Play All DOOM Games—Release vs Story Timeline Revealed!

Originating from id Software and released under the Bethesda label, the game Doom is renowned for its straightforward concept and exceptionally challenging game mechanics, which significantly altered the landscape of first-person shooting games.

In a storyline that’s morally questionable with the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) as its backdrop, along with a straightforward yet devious plot and plenty of firepower, Doom offers an ideal series for uncomplicated enjoyment.

As I, a lone warrior known only as “Doomslayer” among my comrades, I traverse treacherous terrains, unearth hidden mysteries, and leave naught but destruction in my wake.

Starting from the ’90s up until now, Doom has given rise to numerous sequels, imitations, and reimaginings. Among these are a 2005 movie version that wasn’t well-received, featuring Rosamund Pike, Karl Urban, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

But with the reboot returning in May 2025, which order should the games be played in?

Here is our guide to playing Doom.

How to play the DOOM games in release date order

Follow this sequence to experience the DOOM games based on their release dates. Each game has more information available through these links.

Play the DOOM series in chronological order by release dates. Here are the links for additional details about each individual game.

Or simply:
To play the games of DOOM in their release order, use the provided links to learn more about each one.

Doom (1993)
Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)
The Ultimate Doom (1995) (includes added level “Thy Flesh Consumed”)
Master Levels for Doom II (1995)
Final Doom (1996)
Doom 64 (1997)
Doom 3 (2004)
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (2005)
Doom Ressurection (2009)
No Rest for the Living (2010) (expansion pack)
Doom (2016)
Sigil (2019) (unofficial)
Doom Eternal (2020)
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part I (2020)
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part II (2021)
Sigil 2 (2023) (unofficial)
Mighty Doom (2023)
Legacy of Rust (2024) (expansion pack)
The Lost Levels: Doom 64 (2024)
Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)

How to play the DOOM games in chronological story order

As a gaming enthusiast diving into the DOOM universe, here’s a heads-up on the two primary storylines you should be aware of to play the games in chronological order. Here’s the lowdown:

1. The UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation) Timeline starts with “DOOM 3” and continues with “DOOM (2016)” and “DOOM Eternal”.

2. The Heretic/Hexen Timeline includes “DOOM II: Hell on Earth”, “Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders”, and “Hexen: Beyond Heretic”.

Following these timelines will help you piece together the DOOM saga in a way that makes sense, so you can fully immerse yourself in the universe’s rich lore. Happy gaming!

Original timeline:

Doom (1993)
The Ultimate Doom (1995) (includes added level Thy Flesh Consumed)
Sigil (2019) (unofficial)
Sigil 2 (2023) (unofficial)
Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)
No Rest for the Living (2010) (expansion pack)
Legacy of Rust (2024) (expansion pack)
Final Doom (1996)
Doom 64 (1997)
The Lost Levels: Doom 64 (2024)
Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)
Doom (2016)
Doom Eternal (2020)
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part I (2020)
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part II (2021)

Alternative timeline:

Doom 3 (2004)
Doom Ressurection (2009)
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (2005)

For those who enjoy completing everything, here’s nearly all the Doom releases spanning the last 32 years.

If you love finishing things off, here’s just about every game related to Doom over the past 32 years.

Or even more casually:

For the completionists among us, here’s almost everything that has been released in the Doom universe over the last 32 years.

All Doom games story explained

Doom (1993)

In simple terms, the classic Doom video game is known for its intense violence as a first-person shooter, with the narrative provided through brief text snippets rather than a complex plot.

As an anonymous space marine known later as the Doom Slayer, I stumbled upon a gateway leading straight to the heart of Hell, nestled on one of Mars’ moons. Battling through waves of demons and reanimated scientists, I fearlessly marched into the underworld, blasting my way back to Earth with every gunshot.

Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)

After returning to Earth, Doom Slayer discovers his planet has been invaded by Hell.

In a world where civilization has crumbled, Earth’s rulers aim to transport remaining survivors to safety in space. The catch? The Starport, their last viable exit, is swarming with demons. It falls upon the Doom Slayer to blast and slash his path through this starport, thus enabling humanity to evacuate.

However, while he’s biding time for his demise, those who remain unscathed unearth the origin of the incursion: The hometown of Doom Slayer. To rescue the world, Doom Slayer must journey back home, exterminate the minions of Hell, descend into the abyss, and barricade the gateway to banish the threat forever.

The Ultimate Doom (1995)

In other words, an updated version of the initial game, called “The Ultimate Doom,” introduces a new nine-level chapter that unfolds post-events from the original Doom. This additional chapter, named “Thy Flesh Consumed,” occurs between the time when Doom Slayer reappears on Earth and before the storyline of Doom II.

Finding his beloved rabbit deceased, and his town being overrun by demonic beings, the Doom Slayer is forced to fight off the grotesque creatures within a corrupted urban landscape.

Master Levels for Doom II (1995)

The Master Levels pack is an additional game set for Doom II that’s officially available. It’s a diverse assortment of stages with no overarching storyline, but if you’re looking for more of the original’s enjoyable gameplay, feel free to dive in!

Final Doom (1996)

Rather than being the final installment, Final Doom builds upon the initial duo and integrates additional chapters: TNT: Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment.

If people set up an experimental station on Io, one of Jupiter’s satellites, the realm of Hell seems to seep into ours once more, with demons launching attacks.

Guess what? Doom Slayer slays them.

Doom 64 (1997)

In the years following Hell’s failed incursion, another dreadful beast has broken free on Mars, reviving demons once more. They’ve pulled me, an old-school gamer with a knack for handling heavy firearms, out of my peaceful retirement. My mission? Eliminate this new menace and slay the Mother Demon before she wreaks havoc on our universe.

Scarred by his past traumas, Doom Slayer chooses to stay in Hell with the purpose of preventing any more demons from escaping, thereby concluding the initial series.

Doom 3 (2004)

In a more leisurely style and with a chilling theme, Doom 3 represents a fresh take on the original game, deepening the storyline.

The game delves into the scientific investigation that resulted in a Martian portal connecting to Hell, where once more, you play as an unnamed marine soldier. This time, you’ve been dispatched to Mars due to your past actions such as attacking an officer and your unwillingness to fire upon civilians. This game, which is somewhat of a follow-up yet not quite a remake, emphasizes the cosmic terror that defines the Doom universe.

Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (2005)

The Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil expansion offers eight multiplayer scenarios and twelve fresh single-player stages, effectively serving as a continuation to Doom 3’s storyline.

In the span of two years following the events depicted in Doom 3, an exploratory squad is dispatched to probe a puzzling transmission originating from one of Mars’ moons. An unidentified marine engineer encounters a peculiar Artifact during their exploration and is assigned the mission of retrieving it for transport back to Hell.

Doom Resurrection (2009)

This IOS mobile first-person shooter is a parallel story to Doom 3.

As a Martian explorer myself, I find myself stranded and alone after a catastrophic event. But fate has a way of intervening, as I’m suddenly joined by Sam, an extraordinary flying robot. Together, we embark on a journey towards the spaceport, our shared goal being to link up with the UAC facility crew who are planning their escape from this red planet.

As he travels, a marine encounters other survivors, uncovers UAC’s deceit, gets whisked off to Hell where he seals the demonic gates. He fights off demons, Sam makes a self-sacrificing move, and the marine returns to Earth carrying evidence against UAC.

No Rest for the Living (2010)

Created by Nerve Software specifically for the Xbox version of Doom II, No Rest for the Living serves as an expansive nine-level addition to the original game.

In this brief installment, I find myself embarking on a journey straight into the heart of Hell, on a mission to thwart the plans of a menacing Cyberdemon who’s been amassing an army.

Doom (2016)

On Mars, UAC is harnessing Hell’s ressources to solve Earth’s energy crisis.

Leading the establishment is scientist Samuel Hayden, who, upon receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, transferred his mind into a robot.

When demonic forces assault the compound, Samuel stirs the Doom Slayer from his centuries-long slumber confined within a crypt, to confront and vanquish the danger.

A VR version was released the following year.

Sigil (2019)

Originally designed by John Romero, the creator behind Doom, Sigil represents an unofficial extension to the game’s storyline. This takes place subsequent to Thy Soul Consumed and preceding Doom II. The set comprises a total of nine individual player levels.

As Doom Slayer walks through the portal that leads him back to Earth, he is unexpectedly taken by Baphomet to the “deepest and gloomier realms of Hell.

The Doom Slayer battles his path through a warped, demon-filled underworld to vanquish evil beings and eventually make it back to our planet.

Doom Eternal (2020)

In the year 2016, the Doom Slayer was banished to a realm known as Doom. Now, he’s back, ready for battle against Khan Maykr – a celestial being who aims to sacrifice humanity so that his own kind may continue living.

In the grip of a devastating catastrophe on Earth, it falls upon our marine hero to locate and confront the guardians of angels, in an attempt to rescue our world from its current state.

The Lost Levels – Doom 64 (2020)

In Doom 64 (2020), The Lost Levels can be accessed once you either finish the main story or conquer the hidden level called Heretic. This additional campaign bridges the events of Doom 64 with that of Doom (2016).

In The Lost Levels, the Doom Slayer is dispatched back to Earth following his victory over the Mother Demon, this time at the behest of her sister, the Resurrector. He bravely battles his way through, annihilates the Resurrector, and chooses once more to remain in the underworld of Hell.

Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part I & II (2020 and 2021)

Taking place immediately after Doom Eternal, this two-part campaign DLC has Doom Slayer travel into hell to collect the Father Life Spheres.

Instead, he resuscitates the Dark Lord in order to destroy demonkind once and for all. When he defeats the Dark Lord, the hellspawn die off and Doom Slayer is sealed into his Sarcophagus by the Makyrs.

Mighty Doom (2023)

The mobile game Mighty Doom, which was created by Alpha Dog Games and published by Bethesda Softworks, falls under the category of roguelike apps.

The game, featuring exaggerated graphics and heavy metal music, received moderate feedback, both from players and experts.

Sigil 2 (2023)

In a non-canonical continuation, the narrative of Sigil 2 unfolds subsequent to the occurrences depicted in Sigil, but prior to Doom II.

In a tougher form than its earlier version, the nine-stage adventure finds Doom Slayer thrust into increasingly treacherous regions of Hell, as he battles his way back home.

Legacy of Rust (2024)

In the remastered versions of Doom and Doom II, Legacy of Rust serves as an expansion pack. This story unfolds when the UAC’s base in Hell becomes infested with evil; it’s then that the Doom Slayer is dispatched to reclaim the land and safeguard the UAC’s heritage.

The Doom Slayer clears the region of demons, seals off the gateway connecting Earth and the corporation’s stronghold, thereby allowing the UAC’s remnants to decay with time.

Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)

In the tradition of the 2016 game “Doom,” we have “Doom: The Dark Ages.” This spinoff chronicles the ascension of the Doom Slayer, where he confronts a technologically advanced, medieval-style citadel in the depths of Hell.

Highlighting its focus on robust weaponry, realistic battle tactics, and gradual progression, the game positions our marine as a “relentless tank”, bulldozing through demons during his climb to victory.

Doom: The Dark Ages will be released on 15th May 2025.

2025-04-22 19:07

You Won’t Believe the Perfect Order to Play All DOOM Games—Release vs Story Timeline Revealed!