Launching on July 7th for $19.99 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, it’s absolutely massive in scope. Even if you’re not here for the story or how the once and future Slayer manages to escape this latest predicament, there’s no denying that a lot of work has gone into Revelations. Here are 15 new things we learned, starting with…

Playtime and Size

Remember the two DOOM Eternal DLCs? Two parts of a single cohesive story that you had to wait for? It was ultimately worth it, but Revelations is like both combined. Director Hugo Martin confirmed that it’s about 10 to 12 hours long depending on the difficulty. Considering that the base game’s story took about 14 hours to complete on average, this expansion is a pretty sizable addition, especially considering the price.

A Year’s Worth of Polish

Of course, the one question that’s bound to be on every player’s mind, sooner or later, is, “Why did it take so long?” Besides the free updates and improvements to the base game, id Software actually spent a year polishing Revelations. Everything you see – the encounters, bosses, secrets, and yes, even the new weapon – has been finely honed. Whether that’s up to everyone’s standards remains to be seen, but the development team clearly wanted to get it right, especially when it comes to…

Higher Difficulty

The Dark Ages wasn’t necessarily the most difficult experience in the Slayer trilogy, especially for those fresh off Eternal’s high-speed gauntlet of horrors. So you’ll be pleased to learn that Revelations’ difficulty is higher than the base game, even though id worked to ensure it remains balanced. If it still proves too easy, you can still play around with the difficulty sliders to tweak the challenge to your preference.

The Chain Spear

Without a doubt, the star of the show is the new Chain Spear. It packs a whole array of movement options, from dashing to grappling, and much of the expansion’s progression revolves around it. In fact, you’ll require the entire campaign to fully upgrade it and truly unlock some of the more “meta” tactics. The Shield Saw is still here, though, and quick-swapping between it and the Spear lends to some pretty combinations.

Slam, Stab, Throw, and Much More

Dashing, grappling, and stabbing are just a few of the Chain Spear’s unique properties. There are multiple abilities with dedicated upgrade trees, whether you want to hone in on the Sentinel Hammer-like ground slam, throw it like a projectile or play ring around the rosie with the grappling hook. It’s also aces for slashing through weaker enemies, breaking armor, and parrying melee strikes and projectiles. The goal of the Chain Spear is to elevate the amount of counters available, not unlike DOOM Eternal’s gameplay loop. Unfortunately, that does come at a cost…

Unchanged Guns and Repairing Your Armor

That’s right – no new guns (at least none that id is revealing at this time), and those from the base game remain largely the same. You’ll also need to upgrade the Slayer’s armor from scratch, increasing the max armor, health and ammo, one node at a time. It makes sense in the story, but if your skills are rusty, you might need to work that much harder to survive.

New, Returning and Upgraded Enemies

Thankfully, there are new enemies to tackle, like the Wizard, who buffs his allies and evades, which means using the Chain Spear’s enhanced mobility to catch up and put it down before things get out of hand. The Arch-Vile and Pain Elemental from Eternal also return, while the Whiplash Spectre has upgraded AI. The Hell Knights are also worth keeping an eye on, as they pack a purple glow and can detonate to deal massive damage. Managing all of these threats while staying on the move will be key, and the new bosses, including a dual-sword-wielding warrior, should prove a worthy challenge.

Maze-Like Levels That Are id’s “Best Work Yet”

In terms of level design, Revelations has a pretty impressive slate, from towering structures to desolate battlegrounds comprised of bones big and small. Id describes these as its “best work yet”, with every level offering maze-like layouts housing numerous secrets and upgrades. But don’t think you’ll just be going from one level to the next and then rolling credits.

A Brand New Structure

Revelations represents something new for the developer and Slayer trilogy as a whole. Instead of a simple campaign with optional side content and secrets, it’s divided into two separate overlays: Base Game and End Game. The former encompasses 60 percent of the total experience, including the story, but the latter makes up the rest and is where you go for a greater challenge.

End Game Activities and Challenges

And make no mistake – you’ll be challenged in all kinds of ways. When selecting the End Game overlay, levels offer new original paths, puzzles and end game resources. You’ll have to tackle challenges at Master difficulty, and new activities open up, like Praetor Suit Encounters, which involve competing in unique “extra-hard” arenas. If you’re looking for something more arcade-like, there are Slayer Trials, which have some scoring mechanics, thus challenging you to optimize your killing for the best result.

Classic Levels

You may have spotted this briefly in the reveal trailer, but progress enough through the end-game, and you’ll discover Classic levels. These are revamped versions of levels from classic titles, with vastly upgraded visuals. Not quite the retro aesthetic that such levels offered from DOOM (2016), but it’s a welcome twist all the same.

Uber Boss and Master Arenas

Once you’ve cleared the other end-game activities, you’ll receive the Astral Key, which allows you to face an Uber Boss, one of the greatest challenges in the game yet. We say “one of” because defeating it grants the Master Arena Key. This will unlock four “super-intense” Master Arenas that serve as the pinnacle of the game’s combat challenge. Complete these, and you’ll have well and truly mastered Revelations.

New Ripatorium Arenas, Enemies and More

But don’t worry – there’s still more, because finishing the Master Arenas will unlock three new arenas (including one that calls back to the classic Doom aesthetic) in the Ripatorium. All the enemies also carry over alongside the fully upgraded Chain Spear. Considering how much id Software has updated and built upon it over the past year and change, we’re excited to see how these options will change up the community-made presets.

Slayer Hub

Last but certainly not least is the new Slayer Hub. If you’re reminded of the Fortress of Doom from Eternal, id actually describe that as a “stepping stone” for this new hub. Packed with puzzles, hidden corridors, and of course, new lore, it’s a great way to decompress and explore. The campaign also offers plenty of lore and collectibles that shine more light on what’s going on, providing even more incentive to revisit levels.

Not only is it larger than DOOM Eternal’s The Ancient Gods 1 and 2 combined, but it also offers a brand new structure for the series. Besides the campaign (which makes up 60 percent of the package), you can also indulge in dedicated end-game content.

These include several new challenges, from Master difficulty for levels to new routes and puzzles. You’ll indulge in uniquely difficult challenge arenas with Praetor Suit Encounters and Slayer Trials, the latter featuring arcade-like scoring. Classic levels, based on levels from the older Doom games, are also included.

Progress enough, and you can challenge an Uber Boss before diving into four Master Arenas. It’s a lot of content, and that’s before unlocking everything from the expansion for use in the Ripatorium, or exploring the new Slayer Hub for lore and other secrets.

DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on July 7th for $19.99. PS5 Pro players can also look forward to free Upgraded PSSR support.

That means sharper visuals, a cleaner image, and a whole new level of detail in a game that doesn’t shy away from showing you just how brutal your kills are as you tear through demonic hordes. Of course, we’re guessing that the Chain Spear is going to take all of that up a notch, and the new visuals are sure to make it look and feel a whole lot more authentic as your PS5 Pro works behind the scenes to ensure that every little bit of gore is showcased in all its glory.

It’s definitely a welcome addition to a shooter that we absolutely loved when it was first released, and the new graphical upgrade is more than enough reason for a new playthrough if you’re looking to brush up on the story ahead of whatever the DLC has in store for us all. As always, we’re going to be wading through those demons right alongside you, and you can bet that we’ll be giving it a spin on our PS5 Pro in the process.

More details on everything the update is bringing to the table can be found here.

While neither Zenimax nor Microsoft have made any official announcement regarding the matter, Broussard cites unnamed sources, saying that the job cuts and studio closures might go much deeper than many had previously believed.

“Getting word that layoffs at Zenimax has begun. Heard rumblings recently that the cuts may be much deeper than you expect. Buckle up!”

This means that studios like id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, and id Software are likely going to be hit by a round of layoffs as well. Whether or not there are plans for studio closures across Zenimax, however, remains unknown.

Responding to another post indicating that anyone who isn’t actively working on Elder Scrolls and Fallout projects was being cut from the company, Broussar said, “Oh, is that public now? That’s exactly what I heard a few days ago. Guess we’re about to see.”

If these layoffs have already started, employees are likely just being notified about whether or not they are being cut for the time being. Microsoft will likely continue to wait until after its current fiscal year ends on June 30th before the planned layoffs and studio closures start kicking in.

Among the studios seemingly being targeted for closure is Hellblade franchise developer Ninja Theory. A recent report indicated that Microsoft had planned to shutter the studio even before its newest project – Senua – was showcased during Xbox’s recent event. The report noted that the trailer was shown in an attempt to attract investors that might help Ninja Theory spin off into an independent studio.

Double Fine – the studio behind Kiln and Keeper – and Compulsion Games – known for South of Midnight – are also believed to be targeted for closure. However, reports have indicated that both studios, along with Ninja Theory, have begun negotiations with Microsoft to go independent rather than just being shut down.

According to recent reports, these decisions are being made according to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s plans to mitigate the revenue losses that have been faced by the entire division. In a recent post on Xbox Wire, Sharma, along with CCO Matt Booty, discussed the falling revenue coming in despite $20 billion being spent on investments in content, platform, and hardware subsidies. “Going forward, this cannot continue,” they wrote.

Xbox is also facing major troubles on the hardware side of things, since the recent shortages in memory and storage modules have led to the company’s expenses in making Xbox Series X/S consoles to skyrocket. While it has tried to mitigate this by raising the console’s price, the company has also notably been unable to keep store shelves stocked despite there already being a demand for the consoles.

Leading up to these layoffs, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has said that Xbox shows a “basic misunderstanding” of how the gaming industry works.

In a series of social media posts, Trinel has described the coming layoffs as “just the beginning of a massive bloodbath” for studios owned by publishers.

Along with game development companies under Microsoft, like id Software and Bethesda, Trinel has also pointed to other major developers, like DON’T NOD and Quantic Dream. He said that there are “a lot of layoffs expected in many very well-known studios. It’s going to be a catastrophe.”

Along with these companies, Trinel has also indicated that BioWare might be in trouble as well, which is likely, considering Electronic Arts’ current need to make more revenue thanks to its structured buyout.

“The echoes I’ve been able to pick up tonight are far from encouraging,” wrote Trinel. “This is really just the beginning.”

The Xbox division is noted as being under some heavy scrutiny under the leadership of its new CEO, Asha Sharma, who had spoken about the company ending the fiscal year with an accountability margin of 3 percent lower than the previous year. As part of this, a report has indicated that there will be plenty of other budget cuts throughout Xbox as well, including spending in marketing and “some other areas of the business.”

“We will end this fiscal year at about a 3 percent accountability margin, down year-over-year,” wrote Sharma and Xbox CCO Matt Booty in a recent blog post. “Excluding Activision Blizzard King, over the past five years, we have spent over $20 billion on ongoing investments in our content, platform, and hardware subsidy, but our annual revenue has declined nearly half a billion during that time. Going forward, this cannot continue.”

As for BioWare owner EA, the company is currently in the process of being sold to an investor consortium made up of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Affinity Partners, and Sliver Lake Partners. The deal, valued at around $55 billion, was approved by EA’s shareholders back in December. The next step in the acquisition process is for the company to get approval from government regulators.

BioWare developers had reportedly started becoming concerned about this acquisition quickly after the deal was first announced. Speaking to various outlets, developers had already spoken about being prepared for the worst, with many of them noting that they were making sure that their portfolios were up to date.

“I’ve been doing it since last year, but I’m making sure I have a portfolio ready and feelers out for other jobs,” said a developer. “Kind of feels like a matter of time.”

Others had spoken about continuing to work until the studio is explicitly told to stop. “We’re going to keep working until they tell us we’re done,” they said. “It’s not the healthiest way to live, but as long as the paychecks keep coming, we’re not going to just walk away.”

The story follows the Slayer after he’s “wounded and betrayed”, forced to deal with “haunting truths.” Fortunately, a “mysterious ally” comes to his aid as he navigates new levels and even utilizes the new Chain Spear for ripping through the new demons. Interestingly, it seems the Slayer will have to navigate his own mind to progress, which makes you wonder how this all ties into DOOM (2016).

Alongside Revelations, id Software will also add Ripatorium 3.0, including the ability to save and load personal presets, more customization, three new maps and enemies, and new weapons that have been fully upgraded.

For more on DOOM: The Dark Ages, check out our review. We gave it a nine out of ten, praising the excellent combat and implementation of the Shield Saw, though the story could have used some more work. Perhaps Revelations will address that, but as long as there are new threats to annihilate with bloody style, we’ll be more than happy.

Of course, one reason we haven’t heard anything is perhaps due to its sheer scale. Creative director Hugo Martin said in a recent Slayers Club livestream that it’s “massive. It’s so big. Look, guys, I know that it’s been ultimately a while since we shipped the main game and you’re waiting for the DLC, but just know that it’s freaking huge. It’s basically like a sequel. I mean, that’s what it feels like, it’s just ginormous.”

In terms of what it has to offer, it seems that players can look forward to a new spear which is capable of dashing. Furthermore, Martin said the DLC is “nothing like” the base game, implying a much higher skill ceiling. And those who hated the removal of quickswapping from Eternal should take note – it apparently returns, but as an unlockable. “It’s done in a way that you aren’t anticipating.”

The only downside is that it’s a “little way out” for the teaser trailer. Does that mean we’ll see it at Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase or perhaps during QuakeCon in August? Either way, it wouldn’t be surprising if it arrived in early 2027, given how much id Software is hyping up its size.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC – check out our review here. It reached three million players shortly after launch, becoming id Software’s biggest in history. However, it’s also available on Game Pass, so actual sales figures remain a mystery.

The post is a the latest iteration of the Xbox Excellence Awards, which was created last year to celebrate how players engaged with various releases on Xbox. The Store Rating category lists 2025 games with the best ratings on the Microsoft Store, with an added requirement of the title having at least 500 ratings. Player Engagements is about the average number of hours spent on a game by each player within the first six weeks of a game’s release. Daily Active Users celebrates titles, expansions or updates with the highest single-day active users throughout the year. And finally Units Sold is fairly self-explanatory.

Going down the lists, you’ll find many of the biggest releases of the year, from ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6, as well as award-winning RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Indie titles have also been well-represented, with games like Crime Scene Cleaner and Satisfactory making it into the lists. There also doesn’t seem to have been a singular genre to dominate the lists, since everything from sports games like EA Sports Madden NFL 26, to fantasy adventure life sims like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and even fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics are well represented.

Curiously, none of the games was present in all four of the categories. At most, we got to see titles like Borderlands 4 being able to make it on to three of them: Player Engagement, Daily Active Users and Units Sold. Even ARC Raiders, which has seen quite a bit of success, is only on the Units Sold and Daily Active Users lists.

Microsoft has also emphasized that the lists represent a diverse collection of games developed by studios of varying sizes. All in all, it represents 48 unique developers based out of 13 countries, with 24 publishers having had a hand in their release. 19 of the games were self-published. “Taken as a whole, it’s an encapsulation of development on Xbox – we want gaming to reach you wherever you are, and for the teams making those games to find you from wherever they are,” wrote the company.

Full list of games:

Store Rating:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Crime Scene Cleaner
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dreamcore
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P: Overture
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• Little Nightmares III
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• Minami Lane
• Mullet MadJack
• Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
• Satisfactory
• Silent Hill 2
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Player Engagement:

• Borderlands 4
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Farm Together 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Helldivers 2
• Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• NHL 26
• Rust
• Satisfactory
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Daily Active Users:

• Arc Raiders
• Avowed
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grounded 2
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• Minecraft
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch
• Roblox
• Rocket League
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Units Sold:

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• EA Sports Madden NFL 26
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Helldivers 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• PGA Tour 2K25
• Ready or Not
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• WWE 2K25

The event is taking things closer to home for Texas-based id Software, with its venue fixed at Grapevine, Texas. While it’s more community-focused than some of the other big gaming events of the year, there is scope for potential announcements from either id Software or Bethesda.

For starters, we could see id dropping some details on its story DLC to DOOM: The Dark Ages, a prequel that’s been quite well-received by fans and critics alike, and a game that we hold in high regard as a fine addition to the franchise.

There’s a very low chance that Bethesda could appear and maybe finally address rumors about Fallout 5, Fallout 3 Remaster, and maybe even Fallout: New Vegas Remaster. Unlikely? Sure, but that’s the beauty of QuakeCon – you never really know what to expect.

We might even get news of a new Quake title given the occasion. Fingers crossed on that one!

https://x.com/QuakeCon/status/2019203067980263785

As a re-release of Raven Software’s acclaimed fantasy first-person shooters, Heretic + Hexen includes the base games and their expansions, Shadow of the Serpent Riders and Deathkings of the Dark Citadel. However, Nightdive included two new episodes – Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur – for a total of 117 campaign maps.

All 120 Deathmatch maps are included as well, with cross-platform co-op and PvP for up to 16 players. You can also play split-screen co-op and deathmatch with up to eight players. Fans can also look forward to 4K support and up to 120 frames per second on current-gen and PC, new accessibility options, widescreen support, a Vault showcasing concept art and other development material, and modern controller support.

Of course, there’s also an in-game mod browser with support for community-made mods, just like DOOM + DOOM 2. Head here for an FAQ with more details.