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Picture: Steam store page (Bethesda Softworks)

Doom (1993)

Released 10 December 1993 Developer id Software

A first-person shooter in which you play a lone space marine fighting through demon-infested bases on the moons of Mars and then Hell itself, hunting for coloured keys and using shotguns, a chainsaw and other weapons. It is fast and bloody, and it is made for teenagers and adults rather than young children.

Money health FairPay clearly, know the ceiling
Addictive design None0 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price A$17.98average of 3 store prices
Spending ceiling Has a ceilingEverything costs A$17.99
Australian rating ACBMMature themes, violence

How it makes money

Fair: pay clearly, know the ceiling

Doom was released as shareware on 10 December 1993: the first episode was free to copy and share, and id Software sold the full game directly to players (the planned price was US$40). Today the official version in Australia is DOOM + DOOM II (Bethesda, 2024) at A$17.99 on Steam and Switch (A$17.95 on Xbox). It includes both games, the extra official episodes and expansions (including the new Legacy of Rust) and online multiplayer, with no paid add-ons or in-game purchases listed; online play and mods need an account.

How you pay

  • Editions

    Sold again as The Ultimate Doom (1995, adding a fourth episode), as console and mobile ports in July 2019, and as the expanded DOOM + DOOM II in August 2024.

    minor part of the game
  • Pay once

    DOOM + DOOM II is a single purchase of A$17.99 on Steam and Nintendo Switch (A$17.95 on Xbox); it includes both games and all official expansions, and its ratings list no in-game purchases.

Used to, but no longer

  • Try then buyremoved

    In 1993 id Software gave away the first episode free as shareware and sold the full three-episode game directly (planned price US$40); the current official re-releases are sold as complete games, not as a free first episode.

What it costs

Price: A$17.98 · everything A$17.99

WhatWherePriceChecked
Registered (full) version
Planned price of the full game sold direct; the first episode was free shareware.		 Direct from id Software · DOS US$40 Dec 1993
DOOM + DOOM II Steam (AU) · PC A$17.99 Oct 2026
DOOM + DOOM II Nintendo eShop (AU) · Switch A$17.99 Oct 2026
DOOM + DOOM II Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series A$17.95 Oct 2026

Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.

Reviews from across the web

What the critics said

87OpenCritic
Mighty
Overwhelmingly PositiveSteam
player reviews
  • 8/ 10

    Nintendo Life

    Chris Scullion · 1 August 2019 · Switch

    Judged the Switch port the best version on any Nintendo system by a distance, but was put off by the account-linked DRM and some small technical problems.

  • 8/ 10

    Cubed3

    4 March 2020 · Switch

    Found the port fun and cheap, but thought it could have been much better, with some odd omissions and changes.

  • 9/ 10

    GamingBolt

    Ravi Sinha · 13 August 2024

    Called the 2024 DOOM + DOOM II pairing one of the best game compilations and an excellent tribute to id Software's shooter.

Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.

Age ratings & content

What's in it

Content labels

  • Blood & gorestrong

    Blood, injuries and body damage on screen.

    From ESRB descriptors
  • Violencemoderate

    Fighting, weapons, injury and death, from cartoon bonks to realistic killing.

    From ACB, ESRB and PEGI descriptors
  • Mature themesmoderate

    Crime, cruelty, death, suicide and self-harm, discrimination, and crude humour.

    From ACB descriptors

Classification

ACBM

Australian Classification · record

Mature themes, violence

Interactive elements: Online interactivity and chat

ESRBM

ESRB (North America) · record

Blood and Gore, Violence

Interactive elements: Users Interact

PEGI16

PEGI (Europe) · record

Violence

Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes), summed up in the content labels above. They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the money badges are for. About rating boards

Safety & parental controls

Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?

  • Voice chat
  • Players can interact with strangers
  • Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
  • Needs an online account

Graphic fantasy violence, blood and demonic imagery: rated M in Australia (mature themes, violence). The 2024 version has online cross-platform deathmatch and co-op for up to 16 players, and an in-game browser for community-made mods; both need an account (PlayFab) and an internet connection, and Bethesda's terms say the online service may be discontinued. The Australian rating notes "online interactivity and chat" and Bethesda lists speech-to-text for multiplayer chat, which implies voice chat; I could not confirm whether text chat exists, or whether online lobbies are public or friends-only, or whether Bethesda reviews each mod. Single-player and local split-screen (up to four players) do not involve other people online.

Who makes it

The company behind it, and its track record

id Software

Developer and publisher · Richardson, Texas, United States · founded 1991

  • Crunch

    Crunch reports

    Doom Eternal's executive producer said in January 2020 that the studio was 'crunching pretty hard most of last year'.
  • Large layoffs

    Large layoffs

    July 2026: about 136 jobs, roughly half the studio, cut in Xbox's restructuring.
  • Keeps games playable

    Keeps old games playable

    id has released the source code of its older engines, including Doom 3's in November 2011, letting fans keep the games running on new systems.

Latest on the record

  1. Labour

    About half of the studio was laid off in Xbox restructuring

    GamesIndustry.biz
  2. Labour

    Staff voted to unionise

    Kotaku
  3. Labour

    Studio said it crunched on Doom Eternal

    GamesIndustry.biz

id Software: full profile and track record →

A company's history doesn't change this game's money verdict, which rates only how the game itself makes money. About company track records

Platforms & release

Where you can play it

PlatformReleasedStore
Nintendo Switch
DOOM (1993) ports from July 2019; DOOM + DOOM II from August 2024.		 26 July 2019 Store page
PlayStation 5
DOOM + DOOM II.		 8 August 2024 —
PlayStation 4
DOOM (1993) from July 2019; DOOM + DOOM II from August 2024.		 26 July 2019 —
Xbox Series X|S
DOOM + DOOM II.		 8 August 2024 Store page
Xbox One
DOOM (1993) from July 2019; DOOM + DOOM II from August 2024.		 26 July 2019 —
Windows PC
DOOM + DOOM II on Steam.		 8 August 2024 Store page
MS-DOS PC
Original shareware release on MS-DOS PCs.		 10 December 1993 —

Further reading

Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, store.steampowered.com, www.nintendo.com, www.xbox.com, store.steampowered.com, api.ec.nintendo.com, displaycatalog.mp.microsoft.com, opencritic.com, www.nintendolife.com, www.cubed3.com, gamingbolt.com, www.museumofplay.org. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.