DOOM: The Dark Ages just got its first major expansion, and the question for anyone who finished the base game last year is simple. Is Revelations worth coming back for? The short answer is yes, if you liked the shield-and-melee combat the first time. If you did not, this will not change your mind.
Revelations launched on July 7, 2026 as a paid add-on for owners of the base game. It costs $19.99 on its own, or $34.99 for a Premium Edition that folds in a skin pack, a digital artbook, and the soundtrack. Prices vary by region, and it arrived day one on Game Pass, which keeps the barrier low for players worldwide.
Who this is for
This is not a starting point. Revelations assumes you own DOOM: The Dark Ages and understand how its combat works, where you park an enemy in front of you, raise the shield, and trade blows at close range. Newcomers should buy the base game first. This expansion is aimed squarely at people who already put 20 hours into the main campaign and want a reason to return.
It is also for players who wanted more verticality. The base game grounded the Slayer after the aerial acrobatics of DOOM Eternal, and some players missed the air. Revelations answers that directly.
What works
The headline addition is the Chain Spear, a new weapon that can swap in for the shield. It uses a lock-on system to tether the Slayer to an enemy, letting you orbit around a target in the air while firing other weapons. It doubles as a grappling hook for vertical traversal, sweeps groups of enemies off their feet, and pulls distant demons toward you. In practice it reintroduces the mobility the base game deliberately stripped out, without abandoning the weighty, grounded feel that defined The Dark Ages.
The campaign runs roughly 10 to 12 hours across six new levels, which is substantial for the price. The setting is a frozen-over Hell, with the Slayer confronting a demon from his own past to restore balance to the realm of Argent D’nur. There is a Metroidvania-style hub called Purgatory that ties the levels together, so the structure rewards a second look rather than a single straight run.
There is endgame content too. Finishing the story unlocks three extra maps, new demons, and fully upgraded weapons for the Ripatorium, the game’s arena challenge mode. Alongside the paid expansion, id Software shipped a free Ripatorium 3.0 update for all owners, adding deeper customization and preset options. That the studio gave something to non-buyers is a decent gesture.
What does not
The core caveat is unavoidable. This is more DOOM: The Dark Ages, not a reinvention of it. If the base game’s slower, defensive rhythm left you cold, six more levels of it will not win you over, however clever the Chain Spear is.
Twenty dollars for 10 to 12 hours is fair rather than generous, and the Premium Edition’s extras are cosmetic. Buy the base tier unless you specifically want the artbook and soundtrack.
Honesty on scores: because the expansion is only a day old at the time of writing, there is no settled critic aggregate for it yet, and hands-off previews are not the same as full reviews. Treat this as an early verdict. For context, the base game holds an 86 on Metacritic, and IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, strong but a step below DOOM Eternal in the series ranking.
The verdict
Revelations is a confident, well-built expansion that gives returning players a genuinely new tool and enough content to justify the price. It does not rethink DOOM: The Dark Ages, and it does not need to. If you enjoyed the base game and want more, this is an easy recommendation. If you were lukewarm on it, keep your money.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S (base game required)
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Expansion release date: July 7, 2026
Base game release date: May 15, 2025
Metacritic: Base game 86; Revelations aggregate not yet available as of July 2026