OpenCritic has DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations sitting at 89 from 30 listed critic reviews, with 97% of critics recommending it. That is a funny place for a DLC to land: high enough that the score looks simple, but strange enough in the details that it deserves a slower read.
This is not a new mainline Doom, and it should not be treated like one. Revelations is an expansion to DOOM: The Dark Ages, developed by id Software and released on July 7, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The critic conversation around it is less about whether id can still make a good shooter. Nobody serious seems confused about that. The more interesting question is whether Revelations fixes the exact thing that made The Dark Ages a little awkward for some players: the decision to make Doom heavier, more defensive, and more rooted to the floor.
The short version: critics mostly think it does. The longer version is better.
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations review scores: where critics landed
The visible OpenCritic range tells the story pretty cleanly. PC Gamer scored Revelations 90, IGN scored it 90, COGconnected scored it 90, Press Start scored it 90, GamingBolt scored it 90, Hobby Consolas scored it 85, Hardcore Gamer scored it 80, and 3DNews scored it 75. That puts the broad critic range at 75 to 90 from the named reviews I checked, with OpenCritic's aggregate at 89.
That spread is not really a fight over quality. It is a fight over appetite. The outlets at the top sound energized by an expansion that asks more from the player. The lower scores still like it, but are more cautious about story payoff, mechanical overload, and whether the DLC gives enough true revelation to justify its own name.
PC Gamer's Rory Norris is the most enthusiastic of the bunch. His verdict says, "Revelations isn't just The Dark Ages firing on all cylinders, it's modern Doom's magic in a single bottle." The review argues that this is "the best Doom has ever been," partly because it blends Doom Eternal's movement and level design with The Dark Ages' heavier, timing-based combat. That is a big claim, especially for an expansion, but the reasoning is clear: PC Gamer thought the base game's level design was uneven, then found the DLC tighter, faster, and more coherent.
IGN's Mitchell Saltzman lands in a similar place, though with a little more warning attached. IGN says The Dark Ages already had action "among the best in the genre," and that Revelations "elevates it even further by fusing it with just the right amount of Doom Eternal." The review also admits the DLC can be overwhelming. It throws the player into the deep end with the full late-game arsenal, then layers new systems on top. For Saltzman, that difficulty is part of the thrill. For some players, it will be the reason to hesitate.
Hardcore Gamer's Kevin Dunsmore is more measured at 80. His summary is generous: Revelations "does what any good DLC should do: give you more of what the base game did right, while also adding in new layers." The criticism sits mostly around narrative shape. Dunsmore argues that the story spends meaningful time on the Slayer's past, but gives too little space to the Khan Makyr's plan, Marok, the civil conflict on Argent D'nur, and the identity of the Architect. In other words, it has more lore than room.
That is the pattern across the reviews. Combat wins. Story negotiates.
The Chain Spear is the headline, not the score
Most reviews come back to the same new tool: the Chain Spear. It replaces the Shield Saw for a stretch of the campaign and changes how combat moves. Instead of leaning into the shield's defensive posture, the spear gives the Slayer a more active, risky kind of mobility. You still parry, but you do it through timed clashes. You still close distance, but now you throw the spear into an enemy and pull yourself through the fight with more directional control.
That sounds small until you remember how much modern Doom lives in the verbs. Shoot, swap, parry, stagger, close, escape, refill, repeat. Change one verb and the whole sentence changes.
PC Gamer calls it "one of the most rewarding, satisfying combat systems in the genre," while IGN says the spear feels designed to bring Doom Eternal's mobility back into the heavier design of The Dark Ages. GamingBolt says "The Chain Spear is the exception, and it's easily one of the most fun additions to the game." Press Start frames the entire DLC as a fusion of two Doom loops: the stand-and-fight identity of The Dark Ages, and the more demanding movement and resource pressure of Eternal.
That consensus matters because The Dark Ages was, by design, a little divisive. Doom 2016 made movement feel aggressive. Doom Eternal turned resource management into a frantic rhythm game with demons. The Dark Ages slowed the stance. It asked players to absorb, parry, and hold ground. Some loved the weight. Others missed the aerial pressure.
Revelations sounds like id Software listening without fully retreating. It does not simply become Eternal again. The reviews suggest something more interesting: it lets The Dark Ages keep its armor, then gives it sharper feet.
Where critics disagree: difficulty, density, and story payoff
The praise has a cost. Several reviews make it clear that Revelations is not gentle. IGN says the DLC starts hard, even for someone who had already beaten The Dark Ages on Nightmare. COGconnected's Alex Everatt describes the opening as a trial by fire, especially if you have not played the base game recently. That review still gives the expansion a 90, but it admits Doom has become "quite the complicated beast."
That phrase gets at the only real warning sign in the critical consensus. Modern Doom is amazing when its systems click. It can feel fussy when they do not. Revelations appears to assume you remember the base game's language and are ready to learn a new dialect immediately. For players who finished The Dark Ages and wanted a harder, faster coda, perfect. For players who rolled credits and exhaled, maybe less perfect.
The story is the other split. Press Start appreciates the attempt to make the DLC more personal, but says the Slayer material can feel surface-level and that some supporting threads are undercooked. Hardcore Gamer has a similar issue, arguing that Revelations sets up too many mysteries without enough payoff. GamingBolt is more forgiving, calling it a fitting send-off and noting that it provides useful clarity on the Slayer's past while still leaving some room for interpretation.
That is not a fatal flaw for Doom, because Doom has never asked story to carry the whole room. Still, it matters here because Revelations is titled like an answer. Some critics think it answers enough. Others think it gestures at answers while the combat does the real work.
Why this critic reaction matters
The most useful thing about the DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations reviews is that they clarify what kind of expansion this is. It is not filler. It is not just three maps and a shrug. Critics describe something closer to a design argument: a DLC that revisits the base game's most debated choices and tries to resolve them through play.
That is probably why the scores are so strong. An 89 OpenCritic average for DLC usually means one of two things. Either only the faithful showed up, or the expansion genuinely sharpens the base game. Here, it looks like both are true. The people reviewing Revelations are likely people who understand what modern Doom wants from them. But their praise is specific enough to matter. They are not just saying more demons are good. They are saying the Chain Spear changes the texture of fights, the levels are stronger, the pace is meaner, and the old Doom Eternal itch gets scratched without erasing The Dark Ages.
There is something quietly reassuring about that. Not every expansion needs to balloon into a forever-game season. Sometimes the best DLC is a late correction, a tighter pass, a few new verbs that make the old ones feel better.
For Perthro players tracking what to play next, this is the kind of review consensus worth saving with a note, not just a score. If The Dark Ages felt too heavy, Revelations may be the version that pulls you back in. If you loved the shield-first combat and do not want the pace turned up, the 75 to 90 spread is your warning. And if you are the kind of player who keeps a backlog for exactly these moments, when a good game gets the expansion that reframes it, this is one to put near the top.
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations critic verdict
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations is reviewing like a confident, unusually substantial expansion. The strongest praise comes from critics who wanted The Dark Ages to move faster and hit harder. The main criticism is that its story reaches for more emotional weight than it can fully hold, and that the combat density may be a lot if you are rusty.
The critic consensus is still clear. Revelations is not just more Doom. It is the version of The Dark Ages that seems to understand both its defenders and its doubters. That is rare. Usually DLC chooses one audience and annoys the other. This one appears to split the difference with a spear through the middle.