id Software and Bethesda Softworks have removed the Denuvo anti-tamper DRM from their 2025 prequel, Doom: The Dark Ages. The latest update was pushed out on July 7, coinciding with the release of the campaign add-on, Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations.
Digital footprint of the removal
Changes to the game’s state were first noted by the X account Pirat_Nation and subsequently logged on PCGamingWiki. Both sources indicate the executable has been stripped of the protection layer. Data from SteamDB corroborates this, showing that the size of the executable has been reduced by 259.12 MiB.
Mixed reports on frame rates
The removal of Denuvo often raises expectations of smoother performance, but early technical analysis suggests a more complicated picture. A benchmark report published by Game GPU compared the refreshed build against earlier data and found that average engine performance remained steady at 30 fps. In demanding scenes, however, minimum frame rates reportedly declined from 27 fps to 24 fps.
Offline play and storefront availability
Beyond performance considerations, the DRM-free status enables fully offline play without periodic online checks. This has prompted speculation that the title could eventually appear on GOG, a storefront dedicated to DRM-free releases that already carries earlier Doom series entries. No official announcement has been made regarding a GOG launch.
Doom: The Dark Ages is currently available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. While unconfirmed, a Nintendo Switch version is widely anticipated: both 2016’s Doom and its sequel, Doom Eternal, were successfully ported and are sold through the Nintendo eShop.
Sources: x.com, www.pcgamingwiki.com, steamdb.info, en.gamegpu.com