Doom: The Dark Ages is finally here, and as expected, id Software has delivered another brutal, high-octane first-person shooter experience. This eighth installment in the iconic Doom franchise builds upon the success of Doom Eternal with upgraded visuals, enhanced gameplay mechanics, and a significantly more demanding graphics engine.
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For PC gamers and performance enthusiasts, Doom: The Dark Ages isn’t just a game—it’s a GPU stress test. In this article, we benchmark 36 modern graphics cards to see how they perform in one of 2025’s most visually intense titles.
Game Engine and System Requirements
Powered by the new idTech 8 engine, Doom: The Dark Ages features full dynamic lighting, ray-traced global illumination, and ray-traced reflections—making it one of the most graphically advanced titles to date.
⚠️ Important: A GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing is required. There is no fallback rasterization mode, and path tracing support is expected in a future post-launch update.
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This means GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX will finally get a proper workout, while older cards might be doomed in more ways than one.
Benchmark Methodology
✅Benchmark Scene: Siege Part 1, Chapter 6 – Aspiring Slayer
✅Scenario: Heavy combat sequence after a checkpoint, designed to push GPUs to their limits
✅Resolution Settings: 1080p, 1440p, and 4K (Ultra Nightmare Preset with RT enabled)
✅Driver Versions:
- Nvidia: Game Ready Driver 576.31
- AMD: Adrenalin Edition 25.5.1
This benchmarking segment was selected due to its intense particle effects, multiple lighting sources, and sheer enemy density, which are far more demanding than average in-game traversal.
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Doom: The Dark Ages GPU Performance Results
1080p Benchmark (Ray Tracing On)
✅ Recommendation: For 1080p RT gaming, the RTX 4070 or RX 7800 XT offer an optimal balance of performance and price.
1440p Benchmark (Ray Tracing On)
⚠️ Mid-range GPUs like the RTX 3070 and RX 6700 XT remain playable at 1440p, though some settings tuning may be required.
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4K Benchmark (Ray Tracing On)
🔥 Only the flagship GPUs are capable of delivering over 100 FPS at 4K with ray tracing enabled. Anything less may struggle, especially with future path tracing updates.
Analysis: Is Doom: The Dark Ages GPU-Crushing?
Absolutely. With ray tracing as a baseline requirement and future updates promising full path tracing, Doom: The Dark Ages will remain a staple for GPU testing in 2025. It’s well-optimized, but unrelenting when it comes to hardware demands.
Best GPUs for Doom: The Dark Ages in 2025
What’s Next? Path Tracing Update
Once the path tracing update lands, expect performance to take a significant hit—even on the fastest GPUs. NVIDIA RTX 5000-series cards and AMD's RDNA 4 offerings will be key players in sustaining playable frame rates with the new lighting model.
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Stay tuned for updated benchmarks once the patch drops.
Final Thoughts
Doom: The Dark Ages isn’t just a next-gen shooter—it’s a technical marvel. Whether you're a die-hard demon slayer or a hardware enthusiast, this game delivers both intense gameplay and top-tier visual fidelity.
If you're planning to dive in, make sure your rig is ready—because hell waits for no one.
Keywords:
Doom The Dark Ages Benchmark, RTX 4090 Doom Performance, Best GPU for Doom 2025, idTech 8 Engine, Ray Tracing Games 2025, GPU Comparison Doom, Doom RTX ON FPS