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The main DOOM story is best understood as a chronology of the classic Marine becoming the Doom Slayer—not as a perfectly dated history. The order is DOOM, DOOM II, Final DOOM, DOOM 64, DOOM 64: The Lost Levels, DOOM: The Dark Ages, DOOM (2016), DOOM VFR (concurrent with DOOM 2016), DOOM Eternal, The Ancient Gods – Part One, and The Ancient Gods – Part Two.
Only a few entries have dependable calendar dates. DOOM 3 is set in 2145, DOOM (2016) is associated with 2149, and DOOM Eternal contains conflicting date clues, including records associated with 2163. This guide separates confirmed sequence from uncertain dating and keeps DOOM 3 in its own continuity.
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![DOOM Anthology – Nintendo Switch [Code in Box]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bCDWP6Y1L._SL160_.jpg)
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DOOM Anthology – Nintendo Switch [Code in Box] | $80.27 | Buy on Amazon |
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Limited Run #395: DOOM: The Classics Collection Collector's Edition (PS4) | Buy on Amazon | |
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Doom 3 | $40.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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DOOM: The Dark Ages – PlayStation 5 | Buy on Amazon |
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The main DOOM timeline in story order
- DOOM
- The Ultimate DOOM — an expanded version of DOOM, with “Thy Flesh Consumed” as its concluding episode
- DOOM II: Hell on Earth
- Final DOOM
- DOOM 64
- DOOM 64: The Lost Levels
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- DOOM (2016)
- DOOM VFR — a concurrent side story during the Mars invasion
- DOOM Eternal
- DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part One
- DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part Two
This is a story order, not a reliable year-by-year chronology. The classic games do not establish a firm calendar year, and DOOM Eternal’s dated material is inconsistent.
1. DOOM: the beginning of the classic Marine’s story
The original DOOM comes first. A disgraced Marine is sent to Mars after assaulting a commanding officer who ordered an attack on civilians. When the UAC’s experiments on Phobos and Deimos open gateways to Hell, he becomes the only surviving member of his unit.
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- The DOOM Anthology includes an exclusive SteelBook game case and a 5-inch replica of the BFG with LED lights and a stand. The DOOM Anthology takes players through more than three decades of demon slaying. Wield an arsenal of powerful weapons as you battle demon hordes in six critically acclaimed games: DOOM, DOOM II, DOOM 64, DOOM 3, DOOM (2016), and DOOM Eternal Deluxe Edition.
- DOOM: You are one of Earth's toughest marines stationed on Mars when a military experiment opens the gates to hell. The game that pioneered the first-person shooter genre and changed video games forever.
- DOOM II: Sends you to Earth, gives players the brutal Super Shotgun to bear against deadlier demons, and makes you face an iconic boss, the Icon of Sin.
- DOOM 64: Sends you on a lone crusade to hunt down the Mother of all Demons and stop a renewed demonic invasion. DOOM 64 was enhanced in 2020 with upgraded visuals, native 60 FPS, and additional "Lost Levels" which continue the story.
- DOOM 3: In this critically acclaimed action-horror re-telling of the original DOOM, players battle their way through a dimly-lit and terrifying, demon-infested UAC facility on Mars before entering the abyss to battle Hell's mightiest warrior.
The campaign takes him through the Phobos and Deimos incidents and ultimately into Hell. Its 1993 release date is not an in-universe date; the game does not provide a definitive calendar year. The Ultimate DOOM’s fourth episode, “Thy Flesh Consumed,” is generally treated as the final chapter of this first adventure, before DOOM II.
The DOOM II manual recaps the Marine’s return from the Mars and Hell campaigns and establishes the direct setup for the sequel.
2. DOOM II: Hell on Earth follows immediately
DOOM II: Hell on Earth begins after the Marine has stopped the Mars invasion and returned home. Earth, however, is already under attack. The demons have invaded in force, turning the sequel into a planetary-scale continuation of the original incident.
The campaign moves from Earth to Hell and ends with the defeat of the Icon of Sin. Like DOOM, it has no dependable explicit calendar year.
Where the official DOOM II expansions fit
- Master Levels for DOOM II is an official collection of levels rather than a substantial independent story.
- No Rest for the Living is an additional DOOM II episode, but its exact position within the post-DOOM II sequence is not specified.
- SIGIL and SIGIL II are additional classic-era episodes. Their precise canonical dates are not established.
- Legacy of Rust, added to the 2024 DOOM + DOOM II release, is a new official episode with new demons and weapons. Its exact position in the wider timeline is also unstated.
The 2024 collection should not be described as only a graphical remaster. It also includes additional official and formerly separate episodes.
3. Final DOOM is a post-DOOM II set of campaigns
Final DOOM is normally placed after DOOM II. Its two campaigns are TNT: Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment.
Both were presented as follow-ups to DOOM II, but they operate more like separate campaigns than tightly connected chapters. The games do not establish their exact relationship to each other or provide a detailed bridge into DOOM 64. The safest conclusion is that Final DOOM belongs to the post-DOOM II period, while its campaigns are not essential to understanding the later Doom Slayer storyline.
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4. DOOM 64 bridges the classic games and the Slayer saga
DOOM 64 follows the earlier Marine’s campaigns. Its manual recaps the previous operations and explains that the demons have returned. That makes it a continuation of the classic Marine’s story—not a remake of the original DOOM.
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- Premium die-cut windowed box
- Detailed shadow box featuring activated LED lights and sound. When activated the shadow box plays the iconic E1M1 music!
- Official G2 Blu-ray sized SteelBook
- Marine helmet PVC keychain
At the end of DOOM 64, the Marine chooses to remain in Hell so the demons cannot return to his world. This is the crucial transition into the modern lore. Later games identify this classic Marine, or Doomguy, as the same character who becomes the Doom Slayer.
The 2020 release added DOOM 64: The Lost Levels. Bethesda’s support documentation says the extra campaign unlocks after completing DOOM 64 or the secret level “Hectic.” It follows the Marine after the original campaign and provides a clearer transition toward his continued existence in Hell.
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5. DOOM: The Dark Ages happens before DOOM (2016)
DOOM: The Dark Ages is officially a prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal. It follows the Slayer during his earlier Sentinel-era history, including the war involving the Night Sentinels, Argent D’Nur, and Hell. Bethesda’s official description places it in that prequel role.
The title does not mean that the game takes place in medieval Earth history. Its setting is primarily an alien and extradimensional civilization, and no official source gives it a normal Earth calendar year.
The confirmed high-level placement is:
DOOM 64 → DOOM: The Dark Ages → DOOM (2016)It is therefore incorrect to place The Dark Ages before DOOM 1 simply because its name sounds historical. It is a prequel to the modern Slayer games, while the modern lore also connects the Slayer to the classic Marine. The overall history is cross-dimensional and non-linear rather than a simple sequence of Earth events.
Bethesda describes The Dark Ages as a prequel; neither the gap after DOOM 64 nor the gap before DOOM (2016) has a verified number of years.
6. DOOM (2016) takes place during the 2149 Mars incident
DOOM (2016) follows the Slayer’s earlier Sentinel-era history. Its opening computer material identifies the Mars operation with the date October 2149. The UAC facility is exploiting Argent Energy drawn from Hell when the invasion begins.
The Slayer awakens in his sarcophagus, fights through the UAC’s Mars facility, defeats the Spider Mastermind, and is removed from the immediate conflict by Samuel Hayden. Hayden’s intervention leads into the unexplained gap before DOOM Eternal; the game does not show exactly how the Slayer obtains the Fortress of Doom or returns to the war.
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- First-person shooter
- Fight back against a demonic invasion of a Mars research facility
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- Single-player and online
The 2149 date is the safest date associated with DOOM (2016), but it should still be understood as dated UAC material rather than a complete, conventional historical record.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match7. DOOM VFR runs alongside DOOM (2016)
DOOM VFR is not a sequel to DOOM (2016), and it does not retell the campaign as the Slayer. It follows a cybernetic survivor activated by the UAC after demons overrun the Martian facility.
The official premise places the game inside the same Mars disaster. Its most accurate position is concurrent with the 2016 invasion:
DOOM (2016) Mars invasion
├── Doom Slayer’s campaign
└── DOOM VFR’s survivor campaignThat means VFR should not automatically be placed after the complete DOOM (2016) campaign. PlayStation’s description and Bethesda’s contemporary announcement both frame it as another perspective on the UAC catastrophe.
8. DOOM Eternal follows DOOM (2016)
DOOM Eternal begins after DOOM (2016), with Earth already being consumed by a massive demonic invasion. The Slayer now operates from the Fortress of Doom and has equipment and infrastructure not shown at the end of the previous game.
The transition is intentionally unexplained. The games establish that time has passed, but they do not provide a consistently stated interval explaining how the Slayer escaped Hayden’s control, acquired the Fortress, and reached the next phase of the war. The often-repeated claim that Eternal occurs “a few months” later should therefore not be treated as definitive.
Why DOOM Eternal’s year is disputed
Some in-game logs and story records use dates associated with 2163, while promotional material and other references have been linked to different years. The most accurate wording is:
DOOM Eternal takes place after DOOM (2016), during the full-scale invasion of Earth. Its records include dates associated with 2163, but the calendar evidence is not perfectly consistent across all material.
Do not present 2151, 2154, or 2163 as an uncontested date for the entire campaign. The sequence is certain; the exact year is not.
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- Developed by id Software, DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells the epic cinematic origin story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage.
- In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.
- A dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine. With a customizable difficulty system, it’s the perfect entry point whether you’re new to the franchise or a long time fan.
- As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw.
- Experience the origin story of the DOOM Slayer’s rage in this epic, cinematic, and action-packed story.
9. The Ancient Gods – Part One continues directly from Eternal
DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part One begins after the base game. Defeating the Khan Maykr does not end the wider conflict, and the Slayer’s next campaign takes him through Urdak and Hell while involving the Father and the Dark Lord.
Part One is a direct continuation, not a prequel or unrelated side story. Bethesda described the two Ancient Gods expansions together as the concluding campaign arc of the Slayer story begun in DOOM (2016).
10. The Ancient Gods – Part Two concludes the modern Slayer arc
The Ancient Gods – Part Two follows Part One immediately. It completes the conflict begun in that expansion and concludes the modern Slayer saga.
The final state of the Slayer is a dormant one, but that ending applies to this particular story arc—not necessarily to every future DOOM project. Bethesda described Part Two as the final campaign expansion and the conclusion of the Slayer’s saga.
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DOOM Eternal
→ The Ancient Gods – Part One
→ The Ancient Gods – Part TwoDOOM 3 belongs to a separate continuity
DOOM 3 is a reimagining of the original Mars-and-Hell premise, not a straightforward chapter between DOOM 64 and DOOM (2016). It is set in 2145, two years before the 2149 date associated with DOOM (2016), but the shared ideas—UAC, Mars, Hell, and Argent-related concepts—do not prove that both games occupy one linear universe.
Its separate sequence is:
DOOM 3 (2145)
→ DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil
→ DOOM 3: The Lost MissionResurrection of Evil follows another Marine after DOOM 3. The Lost Mission, included in DOOM 3: BFG Edition, is an additional campaign set during the Mars incident. Its precise position inside the DOOM 3 campaign is not needed to place the main franchise timeline, and it should not be used as evidence that DOOM 3 belongs in the modern Slayer sequence.
Sources for this branch include the DOOM 3: BFG Edition manual and the documented DOOM 3 overview.
Where the DOOM RPG games fit
DOOM RPG, DOOM II RPG, and Wolfenstein RPG form a related mobile-game branch most closely tied to the DOOM 3-era setting and concepts. They are generally associated with the same broad 22nd-century period, with DOOM RPG commonly linked to 2145, but their exact dates and connections are not clean enough to merge into the classic-to-Slayer chronology.
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Games without a firm place in the main timeline
- Mighty DOOM: its miniature Mini Slayer and stylized roguelite format do not establish a reliable place in the main chronology.
- DOOM pinball and board games: these are licensed spin-offs, not chapters in the video-game story.
- The DOOM novels: they are adaptations and should not be used to date the game campaigns.
- The 2005 DOOM film: it is a separate continuity, not a game-canon entry.
The dates you can safely use
| Game | Safest dating | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| DOOM 3 | 2145 | Separate reimagined continuity |
| DOOM (2016) | 2149 | Based on dated UAC material |
| DOOM Eternal | After DOOM (2016) | Records associated with 2163 exist, but the date evidence conflicts |
For the classic games, use relative placement rather than invented years. For The Dark Ages, describe its Sentinel-era setting and its position before DOOM (2016), not a fictional Earth date.
Complete chronology at a glance
Main Slayer continuity
DOOM
→ The Ultimate DOOM
→ DOOM II: Hell on Earth
→ Final DOOM
→ DOOM 64
→ DOOM 64: The Lost Levels
→ DOOM: The Dark Ages
→ DOOM (2016)
→ DOOM VFR [concurrent side story]
→ DOOM Eternal
→ The Ancient Gods – Part One
→ The Ancient Gods – Part TwoSeparate DOOM 3 continuity
DOOM 3 — 2145
→ Resurrection of Evil
→ The Lost MissionThe most important corrections are simple: The Dark Ages is not before DOOM 1 merely because it sounds medieval; DOOM Eternal does not have one uncontested calendar year; and DOOM 3 should not be inserted into the main Slayer chronology as an ordinary prequel.
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