All DOOM Games Ranked From Worst to Best

There’s not a lot I can say about this game that is in last place, other than it doesn’t feel like a Doom game, at least not to me. From the looks to the controls, even the story, to some extent, it feels like a Resident Evil arcade game. It forces you on rails, the aiming is clunky, and this is one of the games that I didn’t want to know about. I won’t recommend playing it, and frankly, I didn’t want to know about it, yet here I suffer for you.

13. Doom VFR

Yet still, Doom VFR is a game that is slightly better than Resurrection for one reason only: modding. Before you mod it, it’s not a fun VR game, let alone a fun Doom game. Controls are clunky, the teleportation-based movement system isn’t something you want for the series, and the gunplay leaves a lot to be desired. The redemption comes from the modding community, replacing the teleportation system with a smooth joystick-controlled movement, refining the gunplay, even allowing a dual-wielding system that is a blast to play with. Pun intended.

12. Final Doom

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to include this, but this is where you start to have fun. Away from the ‘Worst’ and into ‘Not that bad’. I can’t really call it anything more than a sponsored mod pack, though, because the team of modders that worked on it sold the map packs to Id for official release. It’s more of the Original Doom, but the objective worst of the bunch. Fun, if you just want more of the original, but not one I recommend.

11. Sigil 2 

This is another Doom game I didn’t know about, mostly because it’s not called Doom. The addition of ‘hidden’ eye switches to shoot is interesting, the soundtrack is banging, but not a lot can be said about the enemies, the levels, or the gunplay that is better or worse than the OG Doom. If you’re looking for fun and have a couple of extra bucks after your paycheck is mysteriously evaporated, check it out.

10. Sigil

But not before you check out this bad boy. It’s…honestly still just another sequel to OG, but I think the level design is just a little better than Sigil 2. Better is a tricky word, though, because it’s challenging, much like the franchise is meant to be. The enemies are more or less the same, but the gunplay, much like most of the Doom games, stands the test of time. Though it does feel more like an expansion of Doom 2, it’s still a game worth playing.

9. Doom RPG 2 

Doom had a mobile game? And it had a sequel? And it was an RPG?! Yes, I answer my own confused query, and it’s good. Who knew a rogue-like Doom game could be fun? Originally meant for your phone, but possible to port to PC with some fiddling, this game is a multi-hours long adventure, where you play not as the Doom Marine, but one of three main characters with their own strengths and weaknesses, though early access to stat-training machines makes it kind of pointless, what really stands out are the mechanics behind it.

Because yes. Stats matter. Choosing your character, training their stats, and fighting in a turn-based map-wide combat system makes this entry surprisingly fun. With consumables to increase stats further, becoming a badass is as important as being a badass, and it certainly feels like it when you literally rip out toilets and sinks to chuck at the wide variety of demons on display. Also, you get a water pistol that shoots holy water, and that’s hilarious.

8. Doom RPG

Honestly, I would have put the first game below the sequel. This was designed for the Nokia, which, considering this is a Doom game, is honestly fitting. The sequel has better graphics, a wider variety of demons, and a more refined stat system. So, why is this one ahead of the pack? Because that was a pun, and you get a dog in this game. Multiple, even. You have access to a collar, and when you use it on a demon dog of any kind, you tame it, and use it like a weapon, and a secondary health pool.

Dogs are a Marine’s best friend, and it’s oh so satisfying to take these demons for a walk through shredded demon guts.

7. Doom 64 

Though not developed by Id Software, Midway created a great Doom game, much like Obsidian did with Fallout. Doom 64 is not a port of the OG, but a full game on its own. The level design can be a bit tedious at times, but most of the time it’s engaging, rewarding even…though not all the time. The demons are varied, the gunplay is still fun, and it’s the origin of the Unmaker in Eternal, which I didn’t know going in! Honestly, the level design, the backtracking for secrets, the flowing combat, it really feels like you’re playing Doom 2016 just…a little downscaled.

6. Doom 3

I wasn’t really sure where to put this. It’s a decent game, but it’s not a good Doom game. It’s a fantastic horror game, but is Doom really about horror? If you aren’t the Doom Slayer, the Doom Marine, the Doom Guy, then yes. Which is what this game is about. A soldier, in a world that, according to the developers, is not a sequel to the first or second, but a world without our heavy metal hero.

The demons are…well, they’re fine. Not the most impressive of the list, but still pretty good. The AI is a little dumber, but considering you have a limited sprint and ammo count and have to reload, it’s understandable why they need to be. Doom 3 is fun, but obviously, not the best on the list. It’s more of a horror game, but if you are just a soldier, Doom is horror.

5. Doom The Dark Ages

I reviewed the Dark Ages previously, and I stand by it. It’s fun…just not the most fun you can have in a Doom game. It’s meant to be badass, and it’s focused around the shield and the different ways you can kill a demon. You don’t have Glory Kills, and the soundtrack is sub-par compared to the top of the list, but in my opinion, that doesn’t disqualify it from being fun. I enjoy seeing all the interesting ways I can flow through demons, using the shield to stunlock a Stalker, using the Shredder to spread the damage, rip my shield out, and demolish a demonic shield formation.

Doom the Dark Ages is not peak Doom, but it’s still damn close. When you get into the flow, using your favorite weapons to kill hundreds of demons, you are not the vaunted Slayer; you are a one-man army, and the breakaway levels of flying on Serrat and in the Atlan keep it fresh.

4. Doom 2

A sequel should improve on the original, and Doom 2 does. More enemy variations, a linear map design as opposed to a mission select, and the introduction to the super shotgun, what more can be said about this game? The music is amazing, the gunplay is fun, the levels are challenging yet interesting, and the Icon of Sin was secretly the severed head of John Romero the whole time!

3. Doom 2016

Doom 2016 is fun. Honestly, what more needs to be said? It’s badass, you get to play as the Doom Guy again, the weapons are varied, the enemies are both old and new, the maps are wide, and secrets abound. 2016 is a love letter to the franchise, an amazing game, and a service to the players all in one. You can feel the love Id Software has for the series, and the replay value is abundant.

2. Doom

If I really thought Doom 2 was better than the predecessor, why is it ranked above it? Because it’s the first. It’s still fun to play, as evidenced by the fact that you can play Doom inside of Doom Eternal. You can play Doom on a calculator. You can play Doom on crabs. Doom is a masterpiece, it’s an important part of gaming history, and it deserves this spot. Is it the most fun you can have? No, that spot belongs to…

1. Doom Eternal

Is it really any surprise that the top of my list is Eternal? Considering that it takes the best parts of pretty much all of the Doom games and either references or incorporates them, while still managing to be its own flavor of fun? Good lord, whatever possessed Id Software in making this game needs to be bottled up and distributed, because how can one game be this fun? Enemies and guns, both old and new, with a system that encourages experimentation. The game doesn’t hold your hand, it guides you into not only the most fun ways to kill demons, but also the most efficient ways.

Swapping weapons is faster than reloading. Certain weapons and mods are more efficient than others. Some tactics are superior to others. The game doesn’t tell you this. It teaches you through trials. Cacodemons can be killed with a single grenade and Glory Kills. Marauders have an optimal distance and quick-swap strategy. Secret encounters are used to refine your abilities.

But you know where I had the most fun? The Dark Lord. The last boss. I had to use every weapon in my arsenal, every trick I’ve learned over the course of the game, every bullet, every grenade; it felt like I was fighting against myself. I was in the zone for the entire game, but this fight? I was locked in for every second.

Final Thoughts

There are probably more Doom games out there that I didn’t cover. Doom 3 had a remaster that I chose not to include over the original, but for pretty much all of these games? I had fun. For my top entries, I still do. When I’m feeling down, or angry, or upset, I boot up one of the newest to the franchise to experience some good old violent meditation. When I’m feeling nostalgic, I load up the older entries to go room-to-room demon killing. Or I go out and buy a pregnancy test and play Doom.