We're fast approaching five years since the launch of Doom Eternal, and while Doom: The Dark Ages is shaping up to be a more stripped-back attempt at the Doom formula with its medieval aesthetic, the Doom: The Dark Ages system requirements feel straight out of the future.
If you want to run this pulpy shooter on minimum settings, you need a ray-tracing-capable graphics card at the very minimum. This is the second game using id Tech 7 to do so in the last two months (though Indiana Jones and the Great Circle proved to be worth the upgrade).
Interestingly, Doom Eternal also used id Tech 7 yet the minimum specs had the very reasonable suggestion of using an Nvidia GeForce 1050 Ti. Admittedly that was five years ago. Alas, the passage of time will one day come for us all, and it's time to put that 1050 Ti out in the sun for one last frolic. I mean, recycle it responsibly and get that upgrade you've been eyeing over.
Doom: The Dark Ages system requirements
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Minimum | Recommended | Ultra 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settings | 1080p / 60 fps / low settings | 1440 p / 60 fps / high settings | 2160 p / 60 fps / ultra settings |
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) / Windows 11 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) / Windows 11 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) / Windows 11 (64-bit) |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, Intel Core i7 10700K or better | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, Intel Core I7 12700K or better | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, Intel Core i7 12700K or better |
| GPU | Nvidia RTX 2060 Super, AMD RX 6600 or better (ray tracing capable) | Nvidia RTX 3080, AMD RX 6800 or better | Nvidia RTX 4080, AMD RX 7900 XT or better |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Storage | 512 GB or higher NVMe SSD (100 GB available) | 512 GB or higher NVME SSD (100 GB available) | 512 GB or higher NVME SSD (100 GB available) |
Enough pondering about the meaning of time, and more video games. You need (at the very least) an Nvidia RTX 2060 Super or AMD RX 6600 to run Doom: The Dark Ages on low at 60 fps. It is a good bit easier to get your hands on an RTX card than a few years ago, so its recommended card can be bought for relatively cheap (especially as the new line of Nvidia RTX 50 series launches and users sell off their old cards). This is also the same card requirement as Indiana Jones.
However, if you're making an upgrade, I'd recommend going up to the RTX 40 series instead, or maybe even waiting for the RTX 50 line, if you plan on paying close to full price. Older cards like those from the RTX 20 line are only really worth it at this point if you manage to snag a steal from a previous owner in the second-hand market. Otherwise, the quality, performance, and assurance from buying from a dedicated reseller tends to be a tad safer.
On to the CPUs, the AMD and Intel choices for minimum are both mid-range CPUs, with the former coming out in 2019 and the latter launching in 2020. Once again, these are beefy choices for minimum system requirements. The 100 GB available line in storage stats implies the game will sit around there, likely a little below 100 GB exactly.
The recommended choices of a Ryzen 7 5700X or Intel Core i7 12700K, paired with either an Nvidia RTX 4080 or AMD RX 7900 XT aren't totally surprising, given what it takes to run 4K ultra at 60 fps. Interestingly, the suggested CPU and RAM are the same for both recommended and Ultra 4K settings, which would make sense given the GPU-intensive nature of that upscaling.
Id Tech 7 games aren't the only ones to have forced ray tracing, with even the Assassin's Creed Shadows PC requirements having a degree of ray tracing in them. However, how difficult Indiana Jones and Doom: The Dark Ages are to run could mean we're moving into a forced ray tracing future. Not all games are quite as beefy, and the Civilization 7 requirements could run on a budget rig from half a decade ago but Civilization has never been a game to test the limits of your rig.
Big-budget games often try and look their absolute best and tougher minimum requirements may make that upgrade you've pining for a little more justifiable.
