Players who have purchased physical copies of Doom: The Dark Ages have discovered that the game discs include only a tiny portion of the entire game. This means an internet connection is necessary to download the rest before playing.
The first-person shooter sequel is physically and digitally available, but the physical version acts more like a launcher, requiring a large download to access the full content.
According to DoesItPlay?, a site focused on video game preservation, the disc contains only about 85 MB of data. Players are prompted to connect online and download the entire build when launching the game.
On X/Twitter, screenshots shared by the site show the tiny file size on disc and a message stating, “You must connect to the internet to update Doom: The Dark Ages.”
One of our lovely Patreon Supporters got their hands on a copy of DOOM: The Dark Ages PS5 early.
Just a 85 MB stub and a blocker to go online and update.
(deleted the previous tweet about this due to hope getting in the way of our basic reading ability ;-)) pic.twitter.com/nMq5VwsR8Y
— Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) May 9, 2025
On Steam, the game requires about 100GB of storage space, with roughly 67GB available for preload before the May 15 release date. Physical copies for Xbox Series X reportedly contain around 300MB of data on disc, prompting players to select from three download options once online. This approach isn’t distinct to Doom: The Dark Ages. Bethesda’s Indiana Jones and The Great Circle also required an internet connection to download the full game after inserting the disc.
Similarly, many upcoming third-party titles for the Switch 2 will come with a Game Key Card instead of the full game, unlocking the download from the Nintendo eShop.
Doom: The Dark Ages officially launches on May 15.
If you have thoughts on this trend of physical copies requiring large downloads, please share your opinion in the comments below. I’m curious to hear what you think about this shift in how games are delivered.
