DOOM 3

DOOM 3 is a horror first-person shooter from id Software. As a Marine, you fight for survival in a research facility on Mars overrun by demons. The third main entry reinterprets the series' core idea as a claustrophobic single-player campaign with a much stronger focus on darkness, ambient sound and tension.

The story stands on its own. You don't need to know the earlier DOOM games.

DOOM 3 first came out on PC on Aug 3, 2004. The original Xbox version followed on Apr 4, 2005. Since Jul 26, 2019, technically adapted versions have been available for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The German PlayStation Store version for PS4 came out on Aug 6, 2019.

The 2012 BFG Edition is a revised edition and should not be equated with the original PC release.

DOOM 3 originally came out for PC and the original Xbox. The 2019 re-release is available natively for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. A PS4 version can be played on PS5 via backward compatibility without becoming a separate PS5 version. The same principle applies to the Xbox One version on Xbox Series X|S.

On PC, today's Steam bundle offers the original version alongside the BFG Edition and the Resurrection of Evil expansion.

You explore the Mars station from a first-person perspective, open sealed sections and fend off zombies and demons with firearms. The pace is usually more deliberate than in newer DOOM games. Attacks from dark corners, limited visibility and finding your way around the facility define many fights.

Between fights, you find messages, recordings and clues that explain the incident on Mars.

Resurrection of Evil picks up after the main campaign and tells of a new incident on Mars. The expansion adds, among other things, a double-barreled shotgun, more demons and an artifact that lets you manipulate time.

The BFG Edition additionally includes The Lost Mission. Today's Steam edition provides the original version, Resurrection of Evil and the BFG Edition together. The 2019 console re-release also includes Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission.

For today's Steam edition, Bethesda lists a minimum of a dual-core processor at 2.0 GHz, 3 GB RAM, a GeForce 9800 GT or Radeon HD 5750 with 512 MB video memory, and 11 GB storage. The recommended specs are a 2.4 GHz dual-core and a GeForce GTX 260 or Radeon HD 5850.

These details refer to the edition currently on offer, not the original 2004 hardware requirements.

Union Aerospace Corporation is researching teleportation on Mars, among other things. When an experiment gets out of control, demons break into the facility. You take on the role of a Marine, look for a way through the destroyed research areas, and learn more about the events through conversations and recordings.

The story leads from the Mars station all the way to hell.

With pistol, shotgun, machine guns and heavier cannons, you defend yourself against various demons. Enemies attack from range or up close, so distance and cover matter. New equipment is unlocked as the campaign progresses.

Resurrection of Evil adds, among other things, the double-barreled shotgun.

DOOM 3 relies on narrow corridors, little light and sounds behind doors. Many rooms can only be lit section by section. This slows exploration and makes encounters with demons feel more surprising.

The light and shadow effects were a central feature of the original id Tech 4 technology.

The original 2004 version does not allow the flashlight and weapon to be used at the same time. In the 2012 BFG Edition, the light source is instead on the armor. Added are adjusted graphics, controller support, save points and additional content.

The 2019 re-release supports, among other things, widescreen display and 60 frames per second on modern consoles. On Steam, the original and the revised version can be launched separately.

The original PC version includes a competitive multiplayer mode. The first Xbox version from 2005 additionally received a cooperative campaign for two players and Xbox Live multiplayer.

The 2019 console re-releases, by contrast, are designed for single player.

On PC, DOOM 3 is played classically with mouse and keyboard. The revised editions support controllers and modern widescreen resolutions. In particular, the changing lighting and the audio cues affect how you move through the Mars station.

The PlayStation 4 version offers, among others, German, English, French, Italian and Spanish voice audio as well as matching on-screen text. Xbox also lists several supported languages. Which language versions are available depends on platform and edition.

id Software developed the original PC version of DOOM 3. Vicarious Visions worked on the first Xbox port. Panic Button was also involved in the later console versions.

The original release was published by Activision, while current retail versions are released under Bethesda Softworks.