Doom: The Dark Ages is a 2025 dark fantasy first-person shooter where you play as the Doom Slayer and get to unleash your wrath upon your enemies with guns and melee weapons. The game has the best graphics in the Doom franchise so far, but how do players with GTX or non-RTX GPUs play the game? Is it even possible?
If you have a slowly aging potato of a PC like mine, then you'll face issues like not having a GPU capable of raytracing. This was the case with Doom: The Dark Ages, and I got very disheartened.
Then, I found a workaround that let me swing my medieval weaponry at the hordes of hell along with everyone else. Read on to find out exactly how.
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+ 3How to Play Doom: The Dark Ages on Older GPUs (GTX, Non-RTX)
When you try launching Doom: The Dark Ages in the standard way, such as on the Xbox application, it will show up with an error if you don't have an RTX GPU. It states, "Raytracing Incompatible GPU. A GPU with hardware raytracing capabilities and at least 8GB of dedicated VRAM is required to launch the game."
System requirements
Here are the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for Doom: The Dark Ages, which should give you a better idea of its graphics requirements.
Minimum requirements:
- CPU: AMD Zen 2 or Intel 10th Generation 3.2GHz with 8 Cores / 16 threads or better (Example: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or better, Intel Core i7 10700K or better)
- GPU: NVIDIA or AMD Hardware Raytracing-capable GPU with 8GB dedicated VRAM or better (Example: NVIDIA RTX 2060 SUPER or better, AMD RX 6600 or better)
- System RAM: 16GB
Recommended requirements:
- CPU: AMD Zen 3 or Intel 12th Generation 3.2GHz with 8 Cores / 16 threads or better (Example: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X or better, Intel Core i7 12700K or better)
- GPU: NVIDIA or AMD Hardware Raytracing-capable GPU with 10GB dedicated VRAM or better (Example: NVIDIA RTX 3080 or better, AMD RX 6800 or better)
- System RAM: 32GB
How do you play Doom: The Dark Ages with a GTX or non-RTX GPU?
As you can see from the system requirements, you'll need a GPU that is capable of ray tracing. You may feel defeated and want to refund the game. However, if you're like me, who has an old GTX GPU and can't afford to upgrade yet, and really want to try the new Doom game, then you're in luck since there's a workaround.
click to enlarge + 3Xbox
- Open the Xbox Application.
- Right-click on Doom: The Dark Ages, found in the instant game library on the left or through "My Library."
- A window will pop up. Click on "Files" and you'll see the installation info.
- Click on "Browse" to head to Doom: The Dark Ages' installation folder.
- Open the "DOOM- The Dark Ages" folder.
- Click on "Content" to see the installed files.
- Find the "DOOMTheDarkAges" application from the list, right-click on it, and press "Run as Administrator."
Steam
- Open Steam and go to your Library.
- Find Doom: The Dark Ages and click on it.
- Once on the game's Library page, click on the cog wheel or the Settings, then press on "Properties."
- Click on "Installed Files," then press "Browse" to head to the game's installation folder (as detailed in the Xbox guide).
- Find the "DOOMTheDarkAges" application and run it as an administrator.
Will there be issues when playing Doom: The Dark Ages?
For reference, I have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. I've been playing Doom: The Dark Ages without any significant issues. Thankfully, there haven't been any game crashes since I started. Given the graphics requirements, the game is running quite well and not laggy, which I expected, and my CPU is a Ryzen 5.
However, there are hiccups, as I did notice visual glitches, such as the characters' eyes being white during cutscenes and very dark areas that appear black. The shadows and other visuals are affected and a bit wonky since we are bypassing the game's graphics requirements.
Another one that I noticed was when I turned on the World Desaturation setting to around 20% to 30% to help with navigating through dark areas, as there may be items or things that can be picked up or interacted with that the color highlights on these sometimes glitch out, but not to an extent that it makes me want to quit the game.
click to enlarge + 3Should you play it with a GTX or non-RTX GPU?
If you're stubborn like me and want to play Doom: The Dark Ages, I'd say go for it. So far, I've enjoyed playing through the chapters, fighting the enemies with various guns, bashing their skulls with my melee, and throwing around my shield. Plowing through waves of enemies can be stressful, but it's a lot of fun.
I'd recommend setting the gamma or brightness to its maximum, as Doom: The Dark Ages can appear too dark without it (although this is a personal preference, so adjust to what works for you). The brightness will help reduce shadows and allow you to see the details more clearly. Doing this doesn't completely blind you or wash out the details.
Don't let system requirements stop you from playing despite being on a budget. Stick with Gfinity Esports, the best site for Doom: The Dark Ages guides.