id Software's fantasy-tinged first-person shooter DOOM: The Dark Ages is now available, at least for those that are paying more for the Premium Edition of the game.
Many publishers have jumped on board the trend of providing "early access" for some games, allowing players that buy a higher-priced version to start playing a couple of days before the standard launch.
The Xbox first-party publishers have experimented with the system for some time — Playground Games' Forza Horizon 5 supported paid early access in 2021 — but the various options have really ramped up over the last couple of years, with games that don't have an option to pay extra and play early quickly becoming the exception rather than the rule.
Players subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass can also simply choose to pay for the Premium Upgrade, getting early access while still avoiding paying for the full game.
In the case of DOOM: The Dark Ages, the Premium Edition also bundles in a couple of unique skins, a digital artbook and soundtrack, and access to future campaign DLC.
It's not clear when this DLC will launch or what form it will take, but it's possible that it could look something like the expansions for its 2020 predecessor DOOM Eternal, which were released as The Ancient Gods Part 1 and Part 2.
In my review of DOOM: The Dark Ages, I wrote that "DOOM: The Dark Ages is pure fun, even if it's a bit silly at times, and I'm seriously looking forward to what the team at id Software cooks up for the promised campaign DLC. Hitting a demon with a flail or watching as a dragon rips apart a Titan doesn't get old."
For anyone that is not hopping in with early access, DOOM: The Dark Ages is slated to launch on May 15, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.
