Every Doom Eternal launch detail to know, from preload to download size

Bethesda and id Software's Doom Eternal will be launching for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on March 20, and Bethesda has shared every piece of information that players might need to know about the launch. Here's everything you might want to know about the game's file size, technical specifications, and pre-order bonuses.

Doom Eternal release date and start times

The PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia versions of Doom Eternal are poised to launch in most regions on March 20, with a Japanese release coming on March 26. A Nintendo Switch version has been announced but won't be released until later this year on an unspecified date.

The game was originally supposed to come out in November 2019, but id Software and Bethesda delayed it to ensure the game will "live up to our standards of speed and polish."

The official launch times for each platform do vary slightly.

In North America, the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Doom Eternal can be played as of 12 a.m. Eastern on March 20. For people outside of North America, the game will unlock at midnight in your respective region. The only exception to that is Mexican players on Xbox One, who won't be able to access Doom Eternal until 1 a.m. Eastern that day. The game unlock for American PC and Stadia players at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on March 20.

When is the Doom Eternal preload available?

Bethesda confirmed that pre-loading for Doom Eternal will be available 48 hours before launch in each respective region. In North America, that means PS4 and Xbox One pre-loads will be available at 12 a.m. Eastern on March 18, while PC players will have to wait an extra minute before they start preloading. The Google Stadia version of the game does not require any preload whatsoever as it's played over the cloud.

What is Doom Eternal's file size?

While its size pales in comparison to the likes of Call of Duty: Warzone or the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake, Doom Eternal will still take up a decent chunk of your hard drive.

The Microsoft Store listing for the game claims that Doom Eternal will have a file size of 40.02 GB on Xbox One. Meanwhile, Bethesda's post recommends that players have 50 GB of space for the game on their PC. But there's a separate multiplayer element that supposedly takes up another 38 GB on top of that. That essentially means regardless of the platform, players will probably need around 80 GB of free space in total.

The PS4 and Nintendo Switch file sizes have not been revealed yet. Doom Eternal will reportedly have a 5 GB day one patch as well, though that probably isn't required if you aren't interested in its online features.

How will Doom Eternal run on my platform?

Doom Eternal is a very fast-paced game, so it's critical for players to know how well it can potentially run on the platform they are interested in. Thankfully, the new Slayers Club post highlights how well the game will run on every platform. Standard PS4 players will be able to play Doom Eternal at 1080p and 60 FPS with HDR support. PS4 Pro players will be able to up-sample the game to 4K and still have the game run at 60 FPS.

If you play Doom Eternal on an Xbox One or Xbox Series X, the game will still run at 60 FPS but will be up-sampled to 1080p from 900p, giving it the lowest quality resolution of any version. That being said, playing on an Xbox One X will up-sample the game from 1800p to 4K, which is the best the game will look on any console. It will support HDR on both Xbox One S and Xbox One X.

PC players will see more variation in the resolution and framerate depending on their build, but playing at 4K and 60 FPS certainly is in the realm of possibility. Finally, Google Stadia players will also have HDR support and will play at 1080p and 60 PFS on an HD display and will be upsampled to 4K on screens that support that.

Doom Eternal Pre-Order Bonuses

If you want to preload the game and play it right at midnight digitally, you'll need to pre-order the game. Thankfully, that comes with some nice bonuses. Pre-orders come with the Rip and Tear Pack that consists of a Throwback Shotgun Weapon Skin and a DOOT Revenant Skinga, and a bonus campaign level. Most notably though, all pre-orders come with a free copy of Doom 64, which is being re-released on March 20 as well.