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- Doom: The Dark Ages features industry-leading load times across the board.
- The game frequently loads levels in less than one second, immediately putting players back into the action after a death or a restarted checkpoint.
- Despite the instant loading, the game also avoids the typical trend of stutters and hitches in modern AAA releases.
Following solid reviews, Doom: The Dark Ages is now available in early access. The game has impressed in practically every department so far, making it one of 2025’s biggest hits already.
In addition to making use of modern technology like ray-traced global illumination and ray-traced reflections, the game also delivers incredibly fast loading, which puts it among the fastest games this generation.
Why it matters: Previously, games like Spider-Man 2 boasted instant loading when switching characters. This was done through the PS5’s proprietary SSD technology, but id Software has achieved similar results across the board.
Digital Foundry’s latest analysis of Doom: The Dark Ages focuses on the game’s engine and core strengths. The team previously analyzed the console ports, highlighting how id Software optimized the experience for the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X.
As per the latest video, Doom: The Dark Ages is incredibly fast to load in assets and new levels. The video highlights that levels can often load in less than one full second, practically eliminating the need for loading screens.
According to the analysis, id Software’s efforts have led to the team achieving some of the fastest load times this generation. This comes in handy when restarting levels after an unexpected death.
Moreover, the game achieves this milestone without putting gamers through the frame-time spikes and stutters commonly found in modern AAA titles.
This testing highlights how Doom: The Dark Ages performs on a top-of-the-line PC, but results should be fairly similar for different types of SSDs on both PCs and consoles. For reference, id Software recommends the use of an NVME SSD, and the game certainly makes good use of this technology.
What are your thoughts on the game’s load times, or lack thereof? Let’s discuss in the comments and the Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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