Earlier today at QuakeCon 2024, id Software announced a bunch of Doom-related news, including a brand new way to play the first two classic shooters, mod tools for Eternal, and more.
Id Software’s annual fan-focused convention, QuakeCon, kicked off today in Texas. The four-day event sees people come from around the world to hang out, play games, and see what news id Software has to share on Quake and Doom. To kick off the massive event, id Software dropped a Mancubus-sized amount of news about Doom.
Here’s the biggest and best Doom-related news to come out of QuakeCon day one:
A New, Enhanced Way To Play Doom, Doom 2, And More Is Out Now
Arguably the biggest and coolest news to come out of QuakeCon 2024 was the reveal of a new “enhanced” port of Doom and Doom 2. This new port combines the two popular and classic shooters into a single package.
This new port, which is available now on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Switch, is different than the previously released port from 2019. This time, Doom is running in Nightdive’s fantastic Kex Engine, the same retro-focused engine that powered the recent Dark Forces remaster. As a result, the game now supports 120 FPS on Series X/S, PS5, and PC. This new port is also playable on Steam Deck.
Doom + Doom 2 also includes the “id Vault” which features concept art from both games, as well as early versions of monsters, guns, items, props, and more.
Enhanced Port Inlucdes New Demons, Guns, And Crossplay
The new port also adds a brand new, official Doom episode: Legacy of Rust. This new 16-map campaign, split into two 8-map acts, was developed by Nightdive Studios, id Software, and MachineGames.
Legacy of Rust will include some new monsters and guns, too. Id Software says this is the first time since Doom 2‘s original release that the company has officially added new monsters and weapons to the classic FPS.
Oh, and this new port also supports full crossplay, letting you either play through the classic Doom games together regardless of platform, or letting you kill your friends even if they game on Xbox and you play on PC.
Doom + Doom 2 Enhanced Port Is Free For Previous Owners
Here’s the best news: If you already owned the previously released Bethesda ports of Doom or Doom 2, you get this new version of both classic games for free. Even if you just own Doom or Doom 2 on PS5, doesn’t matter, you get access to this new enhanced port, too.
Id Software says getting the free updated version of Doom and Doom 2 should happen automatically on consoles and PC. In fact, your copy of Doom might already be updated right now.
And yes, Doom and Doom 2‘s new port is free for Game Pass members on PC and Xbox.
The Old Ports Of Doom & Doom 2 Aren’t Going Away
But, if you are someone who doesn’t like any of the changes included in the new port or you just hate change, Bethesda and id Software confirmed that the previous ports aren’t going anywhere.
On consoles, you’ll still have access to those older versions and can download them and play them freely even after today’s big update. They’ll be treated as separate games within your console library. On PC, users will have to do a bit more fiddling to get access to the older ports, but they will still be there.
I appreciate id Software not removing the past ports and replacing them exclusively with the new ones. It’s a small thing, but it’s nice and something I want to see more of in the future from all devs and publishers.
SNES DOOM Receiving A New, Improved Physical Release
While it’s not the best version of the OG Doom, the SNES port from 1995 is still fondly remembered by many and seen as a technical marvel. It’s impressive that this game was even ported to such an underpowered console back in the day. And now that SNES port of Doom is getting a full and fancy re-release.
Limited Run Games and id Software announced at QuakeCon that a new physical port of Doom on the SNES is arriving in 2025. This version will include circle strafing, “Thy Flesh Consumed”, performance improvements, level codes, and monster respawning on Nightmare Difficulty. Fun stuff!
Id Software Is Adding Official Mod Support To Doom Eternal
It wasn’t just classic Doom getting some love during QuakeCon, as id Software also confirmed that Doom Eternal is getting official mod support.
“We are so impressed with the DOOM Eternal community mods created without any official tools. They inspired us to release a public beta of idStudio for creators and an opt-in PC mod preview for players to easily browse and play mods. We can’t wait to see what this community does next,” said id Software on its official website.
Mod tools and mods are only available to PC players and are currently still in a beta-like preview. But I’m excited to see what players can do with real mod tools in Doom Eternal.
Doom Anthology Collects All The Games, Includes A BFG Replica
Finally, id Software announced a massive Doom bundle that includes all the games as well as a BFG replica. The replica gun isn’t full-size, but it does look pretty cool. The Doom Anthology doesn’t have a release date yet and will cost $80.