The franchise has evolved greatly over the years. Moreover, the industry owes developer iD Software the existence of the modern FPS genre. If you can’t have enough of its campaigns and multiplayer modes, we’re looking for Doom alternatives if you can’t have enough.
Selecting Games Like Doom
We believe you’d like games featuring a mix or a twist of the elements that make up Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal:
Genre: Doom is an FPS saga with fast-paced action, linear story and levels, and character progression. Setting: You play as the “Doom Slayer” against Hell’s armies on Earth, Hell, and other planets or realms.Main Mode: These games offer story-driven single-player campaigns. The story goes across various episodes until reaching the final boss. Evolution: Each episode introduces new scenarios, lore information, and sometimes mechanics, weapons, and enemies.Action: Combat revolves around multiple weapons, high-speed traversal, and suit gadgets (a flamethrower, grenades, a sword, etc.)Weapons: You find and upgrade weapons as you play. Each has its uses, as enemies are weak to particular guns.Ammo: On Doom Eternal, specific actions will re-supply your different types of ammo. For example, Glory Kills (killing a staggered enemy) re-supplies health.Fast-paced Traversal: Your traversal arsenal grows in-game, and it’s key for combat. It relies on dashes, double jumps, swings, and teleportation pads.Arenas: The levels are mostly linear and take you from one area to the next. Going forward requires defeating all enemies.Enemies: There’s a wide range of enemies, each one with different behaviors, skills, and weaknesses. Enemies Decay: As you shoot at enemies, you’ll see how the damage affects them as their skin, bones, and armor falls and breaks. Combat Challenge: You must manage ammo, skills, grenades, and weapons as all of your arsenal is situational. On top of that, enemies are tough.Arena Design: Combat areas are not very wide. Instead, it’s about vertical regions so you can jump, dash, teleport, swing, and run. Exploration: Levels include areas you can explore for secrets. These include cheats, collectibles, easter eggs, and power-ups.Character Progression: You can collect upgrade points for weapons, your suit, and passives. Then, you expend these points on limited skill trees. Lore: Doom titles don’t rely on lore or story. However, there’s still a demon-hunter story you’ll discover through the Codex and cinematic cuts.Extra Content: You can find “cheat codes” to re-play older levels. You can also collect pieces of the original Doom game to play. Or you can jump into a PvP.Hub: Doom Eternal has a hub, the first in the series. It’s a floating fortress where you can listen to music, check the levels, and unlock skins. Music: Last but not the least, the gameplay goes along with a superb heavy metal soundtrack.
All in all, old and new Doom games allow you to play as a God-like monster killer. The latest entries, and especially Doom: Eternal, are hardcore FPS games offering fast-paced action, gore, violence, and increasingly insane battle arenas. And, because of the ammo management, combat is strategic but also fun and bloody explosive. Adrenaline, it seems, it’s the main feeling you get while playing Doom. Can we find a similar experience in other action games like Doom?
Games Like Doom
Halo: The Masterchief Collection
Halo would probably not exist like Doom. And perhaps Doom 2016 wouldn’t be the same without the influence of the Xbox’s behemoth FPS. The core difference relies on the music: Doom is as heavy, and Halo is epic. The Masterchief Collection is a remaster of the first six Halo games -up until Halo 4. Like Doom, it features a no-nonsense super-soldier who never takes the helmet off. But whereas Doom excels as an ultimate power fantasy, Halo excels in its storytelling and characters. The campaign follows Master Chief, a Spartan soldier for the human alliance. He’s part of a war against the Covenant, a zealot coalition of alien races who declared humanity their enemy. The story includes 65 linear campaign missions. The missions are linear, but you can explore for extra secrets, weapons, and ammo on foot or vehicle. Then, combat revolves around attacking or defending positions or bases. You don’t have traversal moves or upgrades. Still, you use special suit skills, many weapons, gadgets, and vehicles. Lastly, the six games include multiplayer maps, an in-game editor (Forge), and various game modes. The community also keeps the game and multiplayer maps alive. Moreover, the bundle supports full crossplay between all platforms, even if you play on Steam.
Serious Sam 4
Serious Sam 4 is the latest main entry in the demon-hunting FPS. It shares many elements with Doom. However, it’s less strategic, as it trades micro-management for massive enemy hordes, battles, and areas. Serious Sam 4 feels less perfected than the latest Doom. However, it still offers the high-powered action and a kicking heavy metal soundtrack. But, in comparison, the Serious Sam franchise offers wide and open arenas rather than multi-layered locations. The series has always been a 3D shooter with situational guns. You go through a series of levels, advancing from one arena to the next. You still need to swap your weapons and skills on the fly to exploit the enemy’s weakness, and if you drag your feet, the game will punish you. You can have unlimited weapons and ammo, plus a knife for close encounters. On top of that, you can explore to find collectibles and unlock skills and gadgets. There are also side objectives for extra rewards and vehicles and mechs you can pilot. Lastly, you play as Sam Stone, an intergalactic hunter on a quest for carnage against aliens. The protagonist speaks tough one-liners, and the story relies on simple lore information. The story continues on 2022’s Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, which most fans consider the best entry in the series.
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 is the definitive linear shooter experience. The 2004 title is one of the most influential games for multiple reasons. Even to this day, it’s still an impressive showcase of mechanics, storytelling, and level design. You play as Gordon Freeman, a silent protagonist doing whatever others say he must do. Your job is fighting against a coalition of alien invaders on City 17. The story goes across 13 dynamic levels, plus two expansions (Episodes 1 and 2). The game’s most impressive factor is how every level is different from the last. You’ll fight across an abandoned town in the night against zombie-like aliens. Then, you’ll take hold of prison by luring giant ants to attack the hostiles. And then, you’ll fight against giant machines with a group of allied NPCs. Other than keeping you on your toes, the combat is fast-paced, frantic, and relies on micromanaging weapons and scarce ammo. Moreover, there’s a gravity gun that pushes and pulls in-game objects. It can interact with almost anything, which is another impressive feature. Lastly, growing mechanics, atmosphere, sound design, NPCs, action, and dynamic settings deliver perfect pacing. You learn subtly about the world as settings, challenges, and enemies become increasingly complex.
Black Mesa
Black Mesa is a fan-made remake of the original Half-Life. Valve’s older title showcased how to do a story-driven shooter with a linear design, puzzles, and arena combat. The story follows Gordon Freeman, a scientist in the underground Black Mesa research facility. He participates in an experiment that goes wrong and opens a portal to another dimension. Aliens enter the facility, and now your job is going back to the surface. Aliens, as well as militaries killing all survivors, will be the enemies. So, your mission goes through a series of highly distinct levels on a horror shooter experience. Ammo is scarce, new weapons are far and in-between, and enemies are plentiful. Then, the gameplay combines puzzle-solving, exploration, atmospheric storytelling, and combat. It’s, of course, a sci-fi FPS experience that happens across 17 linear levels. Lastly, as a fan-made remake, it has some negatives. The voice-over, music, and performance quality are not as high as in the original entry. Similarly, jumping feels clunky, which makes some encounters more difficult than they should.
Rage 2
Bethesda’s Rage 2 offers Doom’s iconic BFG weapon as part of its Deluxe Edition. That’s a blatant way of addressing the second saga entry to Doom fans. But on top of monsters and devils, you’ll also fight against crazy humans. You’ll notice the similarities easily. The FPS combat is frantic, fast, and gory, and the enemies are violent and demonic. And gunplay is smooth and relies on micro-managing multiple weapons, ammo types, skills, and gadgets. There’re key differences, though. Rage 2 is an open-world game where you follow main quests and side quests in different parts of the world. Also, to travel across the land, you can drive vehicles akin to games like GTA. Then, combat relies on big and bold weapons, skills, and combat abilities. For example, there’s the Overdrive ability, which pushes weapons beyond their mechanical limit. Moreover, action set pieces rely on a crazy assortment of enemies, terrain layouts, and vehicles. Lastly, the game introduces a dystopian world after an asteroid destroyed most of civilization. What’0s left is ruthless gangs and tyrannical authorities. You’re Walker, the last Ranger on the wasteland in a quest for vengeance, justice, and freedom.
Prey
Rather than fast and explosive action, Prey offers a slow-paced tactical experience. It belongs in the horror survival FPS genre and is an immersive game with sim elements. You awaken on the Talos; the year is 2032. The experiments aboard the space station stopped when aliens invaded the base. Your goal is to find other survivors and learn about these experiments. The setting delivers atmospheric first-person shooter on an open-world map with Metroidvania elements. You can learn abilities from the aliens and find items to unlock areas. As the story flows, you’ll unravel the sci-fi thriller plot. It’s about discovering the truth of your past and your role on the station as the experiment subject. Then, the game uses minimal game interfaces plus atmospheric music to deliver its immersive retro-futuristic experience. More importantly, combat is creative and relies on your ability to combine a large arsenal of sci-fi weapons, alien skills, and tools. It leans heavily into its RPG elements by allowing you to combine powers freely, craft powerful items, and explore any path you like.
Quake 4
Quake 4 is the latest entry of the Quake series, also by iD Software. The developer abandoned the franchise to bring back Doom to its full glory. Even so, Quake is equally important for the industry. More importantly, it offers a very similar experience. It’s a fast-paced FPS with linear design, multiplayer game modes, and arena progress. You would say it’s an “arena shooter,” a genre Quake 2 and Quake Live helped invent. Using Doom 3’s engine, you fight indoors and outdoors against aliens. You’re a soldier, fighting for Earth’s survival versus an unrelenting enemy. Harnessing the arsenal and powers of the enemy is the only way to achieve victory. The story takes you to the heart of the aliens’ home planet, Strogg. It’s a short experience, as you can finish in less than 10 hours. Still, it’s a high-octane experience full of gore and violence. On top of that, it relies on fast movement by using ramps, double jumps, slides, dashes, and similar. Lastly, the game has a multiplayer mode featuring Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and other modes. Sadly, it’s no longer alive, as its player base is too low.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Like Doom, the original Wolfenstein games pioneered the FPS genre. Between 1992 and 2009, iD Software created or produced these titles and helped popularize the genre. The New Order is the first game under Bethesda Softworks. It’s a soft reboot that proved itself popular and capable of getting both new and old fans. Moreover, it uses iD Software’s game engine, present in older Doom games. There’re four games after New World Order if you like it. The title offers a deep narrative, fast-paced action, and linear levels. You play as B.J. Blazkowicz in a story about shooting Nazi robots in the face. It’s an alternative story where Nazis conquered Earth in WWII, and you’re one of the last people fighting against them. The story takes you across 16 chapters, and these vary in complexity and layouts. Most importantly, they deliver creative and over-the-top action set pieces. And because the combat is fast and violent, the experience becomes exhilarating. Lastly, the overall setting is secret research facilities. You’re to infiltrate these bases to find and destroy weapon stashes. As the story goes on, you’ll have the opportunity to improve your weapons.
Devil May Cry V
Do you want to play as an ultimate Devil Hunter? Do you want less story and more violence? Do you want to forget all about exploring to focus on the action? Your game is Devil May Cry 5, a linear third-person hack & slash title with an outstanding soundtrack. You play as Dante, Neto, and Vergil. Each character has unique skills and weapons. Regardless, the gameplay is fast-paced and easy to learn at first. However, the mechanics evolve over time as you level up and unlock more offensive and defensive skills. You go through 21 straightforward story missions, but you can explore for extra secrets and power-ups. You go from one battle arena to the next, using increasingly complex, fast, and acrobatic skills to defeat enemies and bosses. Combat depends on how well you learn and execute its mechanics. As for the story, you’re a group of characters facing a demonic invasion. You’ll learn what’s happening in the game’s over-the-top dialogue and cinematic cuts. In that regard, it’s like watching an anime show. Lastly, the series debuted as a Castlevania spin-off, and it uses the RE Engine from Resident Evil 7. If you’re a fan of these Capcom properties, you’ll find something to like here.
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is a beloved co-op, gory, and violent first-person zombie shooter. Since its debut, it has been a top 10 co-op game, even though there’s currently no more support from Valve. You play as a group of zombie survivors across USA Deep South linear maps. The scenarios include cemeteries, swamps, abandoned buildings, cities, and darkened streets. You choose one of the four survivors, each one featuring perks and weapons. Then, you play as part of a 4-player team across 5 expansive campaigns. You can jump into versus and survival game modes outside of the campaign. First, there’s the AI Director 2.0. It’s a system that generates procedural changes (map layout, enemy spawn, enemy behavior, items, sounds, effects, etc.) to give you a consistent challenge. Then, there’s a fair variety of zombie enemies and bosses. Lastly, the arsenal includes melee weapons, firearms, and grenades. Each gun feels heavy on your hand and packs a punch. Even without character progression, the level, enemy, and weapon design are enough to deliver a fast-paced shooter experience.
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op FPS where you play as a badass space Dwarves. You can go alone or on a party with up to 4 players on randomized missions and procedurally generated caves. See, there’s no deeper story here. It’s all about the action and the replayability factor. You explore and fight your way through massive caves for resources. Then, you use these resources to improve your character. Exploring allows you to dig anywhere in a cave to create whatever path you wish. The environment is entirely destructible. However, you don’t know where your digging will take you or when the enemies will appear. That said, the enemy and weapon variety is limited at the moment. Most of your gameplay revolves around exploring and mining resources. Then, about 30% of playtime is FPS combat. For combat, you can pick one of the 4 classes with unique skills to support a solo or a party playthrough. Lastly, both the game’s community and the developers are a highlight of the game. Moreover, the title usually sells for a low price and features a very attractive 3GB storage mark. These elements make it casual, affordable, but still adrenaline-inducing.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a co-op game that blends dungeon-crawling, FPS, RPG, and fantasy. You can play solo or be part of a 4-player team. Regardless, combat is fast, gory, and against hordes of demons and monsters. You play as a hero on a quest to defeat the Chaos army and the Skaven horde. The story follows the deep and complex Warhammer lore. If you’re not familiar with the franchise, you can still follow the story as a newcomer. The story goes across three acts, and each act features a final boss. You travel through maze-like scenarios and dungeons as you fight against monsters for loot, XP, and fun. As you’d expect, level progression is linear, but you can explore further for loot, secret enemies, and lore. You can choose between 5 different classes as you are behind the game. Each class has three branching careers as well. On top of the number of weapons available, you have plenty of freedom to develop your character. In particular, the game has 15 talent trees plus 50 weapon types. It’s a staggering amount, and the result is superb combat gameplay and a character progression system. Also, if you play with your friends, you’ll see how skills combine together for amazing results.
