If you’ve just grabbed the latest fast-paced retro FPS set in a gritty medieval hellscape, you’re probably wondering how much time you’ll set aside to get through its chaotic, demon-filled levels. Doom the Dark Ages HLTB data gives you a clear baseline for playtime, but your actual run can vary wildly based on your playstyle, difficulty choice, and how much hidden content you hunt down. I’ve put in three full runs of the game across different difficulty levels, plus a co-op run with a friend, so I’m breaking down exactly what you can expect, plus tips to adjust your playtime to fit your schedule.
What the Official Doom the Dark Ages HLTB Data Says
HLTB (How Long to Beat) aggregates anonymous playtime submissions from thousands of players to create reliable average run times for all types of playstyles. If you look at Doom the Dark Ages HLTB user submissions, you’ll see three core averages that cover most player experiences. The first is main story only, which counts players who focused solely on beating the core campaign, skipping all optional content and collectibles.
Average main story playtime for casual players sits at 7 to 10 hours, with a median of 8.5 hours across all submissions. The second category is main + extras, which includes players who complete the core story plus a handful of optional content, like a few secret levels or extra boss fights. That average sits at 11 to 13 hours, with a median of 12 hours. The third category is 100% completion, which counts players who unlock every achievement, find every collectible, beat every secret level, and complete all optional challenges. That average runs from 16 to 20 hours, with a median of 18 hours.
The data is updated monthly as more players submit their run times, so the numbers are always as accurate as possible. My own runs line up almost exactly with these averages: my casual main story run on Hurt Me Plenty difficulty was 9 hours, my main + extras run was 12.5 hours, and my full 100% run was 17.75 hours, which is almost spot on with the published medians.
Factors That Change Your Total Playtime
The HLTB averages are just a baseline, and your actual run could be much shorter or longer depending on a handful of key choices you make before you even start playing. The biggest variable is difficulty, of course. If you pick Ultra Nightmare mode, where you lose all progress if you die once, you can expect to add 3 to 4 hours to your run from repeated restarts and more careful, methodical play.
Collectible hunting is another big factor. The game has 72 runes, 36 hidden chests, 12 secret levels, and 24 optional demon hunting challenges scattered across its 18 main levels. If you try to find every last one on your first playthrough, you can easily add 6 or more hours to your total run time. Playstyle also matters: if you rush through levels ignoring non-essential demon packs, you can cut 2 to 3 hours off the main story average, but if you stop to fight every enemy and explore every crevice, you’ll add time quickly.
- Difficulty setting: Ultra Nightmare runs typically take 40% longer than casual runs due to repeated restarts and more careful play to avoid permadeath
- Secret hunting: Tracking down all hidden levels and collectibles adds an average of 6 hours to a standard main story run, even if you use a guide to find tricky spots
- Multiplayer co-op: Playing with 1-3 friends can cut playtime by 20% if you coordinate and focus on objectives, or add 2+ hours if you mess around and explore together
I noticed this first-hand on my co-op run with my roommate last month. We planned to blast through the main story in a weekend, but we ended up taking 11 hours total because we kept stopping to race each other through levels, tease each other when we died to trap floors, and test silly weapon combos on random demon packs. So if you’re playing with friends, don’t be surprised if your run takes way longer than the average if you spend half your time messing around instead of pushing through the story.
Tips to Adjust Your Playtime to Fit Your Schedule
Not everyone has 18 hours to sink into a full 100% run, and that’s totally fine. There are easy ways to adjust your playthrough to fit the time you have available, without missing out on the best parts of the game. If you only have a few hours a week and want to finish the main story in a couple of weeks, stick to the “I’m Too Young to Die” or “Hurt Me Plenty” difficulty to avoid unnecessary restarts. Skip collectibles unless you stumble on them by accident, use fast travel whenever it’s available, and don’t waste time fighting every optional demon pack you pass.
If you have more time and want to stretch out the game to get the most value for your money, turn up the difficulty to Ultra-Violence, turn off quest markers, and set a personal goal to find at least 2 secrets per level. Secret levels add some of the most fun gameplay in the entire game, including throwbacks to classic Doom levels and unique boss fights you won’t see in the main story, so you don’t want to skip them if you have the time to hunt them down.
If you’re trying to hit a specific playtime goal, use the Doom the Dark Ages HLTB averages as a starting point, then adjust based on the factors we covered earlier. If you’re doing a 100% run, take screenshots of areas you think might have hidden doors or collectibles so you don’t have to backtrack later. I made that mistake on my first 100% run and spent 2 hours going back through the first 3 levels looking for a single rune I missed, which added unnecessary time to my total.
How HLTB Data Compares to Other Modern Retro FPS Games
If you’re a fan of boomer shooters, you’ll probably notice that the Doom the Dark Ages HLTB averages are right in line with other popular games in the genre. Ion Fury has a main story average of 10 hours, Dusk has a main story average of 7 hours, and Prodeus has a main story average of 8 hours, so Doom the Dark Ages fits perfectly into that range. It’s much shorter than the last mainline Doom game, Doom Eternal, which has a main story average of 14 hours, but that’s an intentional design choice from the dev team.
The shorter runtime is intentional, as the devs wanted to create a game that’s easy to replay multiple times with different builds. The game has 4 distinct character classes, each with unique abilities and weapon proficiencies, so you can do a melee-focused run, a magic-focused run, a guns-only run, or a support-focused co-op run, each of which will feel completely different. I’m currently doing a melee-only run on Ultra-Violence and I’m already 6 hours in and only halfway through the main story, so it’s a totally new experience even though I’ve already beaten the game three times.
The devs have also confirmed that free DLC is coming later this year, which will add 3 new secret levels and a new side story arc, so that will add another 2 to 3 hours of playtime for players who want more content. Paid DLC is also in the works, which will add a full 6-level campaign, so the total playtime for the game will only go up over time.
At the end of the day, Doom the Dark Ages HLTB data is just a baseline, and your actual playtime is entirely up to how you want to experience the game. Whether you’re rushing through the main story in a weekend or taking your time to hunt every last secret and beat the hardest difficulty, there’s no wrong way to play. If you’re just starting out, use the average times as a rough guide, but don’t be afraid to go at your own pace and enjoy the chaotic, demon-slaying fun as long as you want.
