If you’re a Switch owner who lives for fast, brutal, demon-slaying action, you’ve probably been waiting for doom the dark ages on switch ever since it was first teased. I was skeptical when the port was announced, honestly. Previous Doom entries ran well on Nintendo’s hybrid console, but this installment has far more detailed dark age-themed environments, hordes of on-screen demons, and flashy ability effects that I assumed would be too much for the Switch’s hardware. It turns out id Software’s port team knocked it out of the park, and the Switch version holds its own against far more powerful consoles, with a few exclusive perks you won’t find anywhere else. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to get the most out of your playthrough, from performance tweaks to hidden secrets you might miss on your first run.
How Doom: The Dark Ages on Switch Stacks Up to PS5 and Xbox Series X Versions
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: the Switch version doesn’t have the 4K resolution or ray tracing features of next-gen consoles. Docked, it runs at a dynamic 1080p, dropping to 720p when you’re playing handheld, and for the most part, it holds a steady 60fps in docked mode and 30fps in handheld. You won’t notice the resolution drop as much as you’d think, either. The game’s gritty, dark age art style hides most of the texture downgrades, and particle effects like hellfire and demon blood look almost identical to what you’ll see on more expensive consoles.
Load times are almost identical across all platforms, which is a huge win for Switch players. You’ll wait less than 10 seconds to boot into a level, even when playing from a physical cartridge, and fast travel between checkpoints is instant. The Switch version also has exclusive gyro aiming support, which you won’t find on PS5 or Xbox. It’s a small feature, but it makes precision aiming way easier, especially when you’re playing handheld and don’t have a pro controller to rely on.
The only real downside is that the Switch version doesn’t support the game’s 4-player co-op mode at launch. The dev team has said it’s coming in a free patch a few months after release, so if you were planning to play with friends, you’ll have to stick to single-player for the first little while. That’s a minor annoyance, but it doesn’t take away from how solid the core single-player experience is on Switch.
Must-Know Gameplay Tips for Your First Playthrough
Doom: The Dark Ages sticks to the franchise’s core loop of run, gun, and rip and tear, but the dark age setting adds a bunch of new weapons and mechanics that change how you approach fights, especially on the Switch’s smaller screen. These tips will help you avoid frustration and get the most out of your first run:
- Prioritize upgrading the hellfire crossbow first. It’s perfect for crowd control on the smaller Switch display, letting you take out groups of imps and possessed knights from a distance without wasting valuable shotgun ammo. Its charged shot also one-shots most mid-tier demons, so you can save your heavy weapons for boss fights.
- Turn on gyro aiming in the settings, even if you usually only use stick aiming. The subtle adjustments you can make with gyro make fast demon takedowns way easier, especially when you’re playing handheld on a bumpy commute or couch. You can adjust the sensitivity separately for handheld and docked play to get it just right.
- Don’t skip the hidden rune challenges scattered around each level. The perks you unlock (like faster reload when you’re at low health, or extra armor for every demon you glory kill) make late-game boss fights way less frustrating. They’re easier to spot if you turn the in-game brightness up 10% from default, since most are tucked into dark, out-of-the-way corners.
One thing a lot of players miss is that the Switch version has exactly the same level design and content as other consoles. No levels are cut, no secrets are removed, and you get the full 15-hour campaign plus all post-launch single-player DLC for the same price as other versions. If you’re struggling with occasional framerate drops in big arena fights, try turning off dynamic camera shake in the settings. It’s a quick fix that frees up just enough processing power to smooth out most stutters, and you won’t notice the difference in gameplay.
Best Character Builds for Handheld and Docked Play
One of the best new features in The Dark Ages is the customizable character build system, which lets you tweak your playstyle to fit how you’re playing. You can respec your build for free at any checkpoint, so you don’t have to stick to one playstyle for the whole game.
If you mostly play handheld, go for the berserker build first. It boosts your melee damage, movement speed, and glory kill health regen, so you don’t have to worry about precise long-range aiming on the small screen. You can run straight into hordes of demons, chainsaw through them for extra ammo, and get out before they can surround you. Pair it with the upgraded super shotgun and you’ll be able to clear most arenas in under a minute, even on higher difficulty levels.
If you mostly play docked with a pro controller and a big screen, the ranged mage build is your best bet. It boosts the damage of the dark magic staff and rocket launcher, and adds a perk that lets you mark demon weak points from far away. The higher resolution when docked makes it easy to spot those weak points before demons get close, so you can take them out without risking getting hit. This build is especially good for the late-game open world areas, where you’ll run into far more distant enemies hiding in castle ruins and dark forests.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match perks, either. I usually run a hybrid build with a couple of berserker perks for close combat and a couple of ranged perks for picking off distant snipers, and it works perfectly for both handheld and docked play when I switch between the two on the same day.
Common Issues and Fixes for the Switch Port
For the most part, the Switch port is incredibly polished, but there are a few small issues that players have reported since launch. None of them are game-breaking, and most have easy fixes you can do in a couple of seconds.
The most common issue is occasional framerate drops in the final boss arena, where dozens of demons spawn on screen at the same time. The fix for this is simple: fully close any other software running in the background on your Switch, even if you think it’s suspended. Most people leave games or streaming apps open in the background, and that takes up RAM that the game needs to run smoothly. Closing those apps will almost always fix the stutters, even in the busiest fights.
Another issue a small number of players have run into is save file corruption if you turn your Switch off mid-save. The fix for this is just to wait for the small save icon in the top right corner of the screen to disappear completely before you close the game or put your Switch to sleep. It only takes a couple of seconds, and it will save you from losing hours of progress. The dev team has already released a patch that reduces the risk of this happening, but it’s still a good habit to get into.
If you’re using older Joy-Cons, you might notice gyro drift when you turn on gyro aiming. The fix for this is to calibrate your gyro in the Switch system settings before you launch the game. It only takes 10 seconds, and it makes the gyro aiming feel just as precise as it does on a new controller. If you still have drift after calibrating, you can always use a pro controller for docked play, which doesn’t have the same issue.
At the end of the day, doom the dark ages on switch is one of the best AAA ports we’ve gotten on the console in years. It’s perfectly optimized for both handheld and docked play, it has all the same content as other versions, and the exclusive gyro controls make it feel like a custom experience made just for Switch owners. Even if you already own the game on PS5 or Xbox, the portability alone makes it worth picking up again for Switch. I’ve already put 30 hours into my playthrough on my morning commute, and I still haven’t found all the hidden runes or secret levels. If you love fast, unapologetically violent shooters, you won’t regret picking this one up.
