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DOOM 3 key art: an armoured marine fighting a huge horned demon lit by orange fire

Horror shooters and action horror

DOOM 3

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A dark Mars base, a demonic invasion and a long road through hell.

Platforms
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Price
Paid
Rated
Very Positive on Steam (86% of 12,578 reviews)
Players
1
Made by
id Software
Released
2004

What frightens A demonic invasion has overrun the Union Aerospace Corporation's research base on Mars. You fight through dark, half-lit corridors where the staff have become possessed and demons step out of the shadows, until the path leads into hell itself.

Content: blood and gore, violence, strong language.

DOOM 3 is id Software's 2004 horror retelling of the original DOOM. A demonic invasion has overwhelmed the UAC's research facility on Mars, and as one of a few survivors you fight through its dark corridors and on into hell. The Steam release includes the original game, its Resurrection of Evil expansion and the 2012 BFG Edition.

About DOOM 3

DOOM 3 is a first-person horror shooter from id Software, first released in 2004 and published by Bethesda Softworks. It reimagines the original DOOM as a slower, darker game: the Union Aerospace Corporation's research facility on Mars has been overwhelmed by a demonic invasion, and you are one of the few left alive.

The base is the horror. Corridors are dim or dark, lights flicker, and the people who worked there have turned into possessed things that wait around corners. Demons come at you from the shadows, and the deeper you go the more the base gives way to something from hell. You fight back with a growing arsenal, from pistol and shotgun to heavier weapons.

The Steam release holds both versions. The original 2004 game comes with the Resurrection of Evil expansion, set two years later, which adds new demons, a double-barrelled shotgun and demonic powers to slow time and move objects. The 2012 BFG Edition adds better lighting, checkpoint saves, controller support, a flashlight mounted on your armour so you can see and shoot at once, The Lost Mission expansion, and the original DOOM and DOOM II.

The 2019 console version of DOOM 3, sold on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, also includes Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission. It suits players who want a shooter that leans into dark corridors and ambushes more than the fast arena fights of the later DOOM games.

How to play DOOM 3

  1. Choose the original 2004 version or the BFG Edition from the Steam library; the BFG Edition is the easier start, with checkpoint saves and the armour-mounted flashlight.
  2. Move through the Mars base with the flashlight ready, opening the way ahead one section at a time.
  3. Fight the possessed staff and demons with the weapons you pick up, switching to the shotgun for close fights.
  4. Pick up ammunition, armour and health as you go and save often in the original version.
  5. When the campaign is done, play Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission.

Screenshots

A grey-skinned demon stalks toward the player through a blood-stained corridor of the Mars base
A possessed base worker in an orange jumpsuit lurches out of the dark toward the player's gun
A hulking pale demon walks through a dark, organic-looking passage

Tips

  • In the original version you must switch between the flashlight and your gun; the BFG Edition lets you use both at once.
  • Listen before you enter a dark room; demons often wait out of sight.
  • Keep shotgun ammunition for tight corridors where enemies reach you quickly.
  • Save before opening a door into a large, dark area.

Questions

Is DOOM 3 a horror game?

Yes. It is a first-person shooter built around fear: dark corridors, possessed staff and demons appearing out of the shadows on a Mars base. The store calls it a horror/action FPS.

What platforms is DOOM 3 on?

PC on Steam, and a 2019 version on PlayStation 4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, each with its own store page.

What is included in DOOM 3 on Steam?

The original 2004 game with the Resurrection of Evil expansion, and the 2012 BFG Edition with The Lost Mission expansion and the original DOOM and DOOM II.

What is the difference between DOOM 3 and the BFG Edition?

The BFG Edition is the 2012 remaster: improved lighting, checkpoint saves, controller support and a flashlight mounted on your armour so you can see and shoot at the same time.

  • first person
  • shooter
  • fps
  • mars
  • demons
  • hell
  • research base
  • flashlight
  • id software
  • classic
  • expansions
  • bfg edition

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DOOM 3 is played on store.steampowered.com and its makers' stores; this page links to them and is not part of it. Pictures are from the game's own pages and remain its owner's. Terms and pictures.

Sources: store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, store.playstation.com, xbox.com, nintendo.com