Shooters · 1990s
DOOM
The game that made first-person shooting a mass medium, distributed as shareware that spread faster than any software before it. Fast movement, keycard mazes, and a heavy-metal soundtrack defined its unmistakable feel.
| First released | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Developer | id Software |
| Original platform | DOS |
Why it matters
It created the modding and deathmatch cultures that grew into most of multiplayer gaming, and its engine licensing seeded a generation of studios. 'Doom clone' was the shooter genre's name for years.
Play it today
Sold on every major digital storefront and console; the 2024 re-release keeps modern platforms current.
Start here
The original campaign is still superb — keyboard-and-mouse on PC is the canonical way. Play a few levels without a guide and enjoy getting lost; the maps were built for it.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(1993_video_game) — release date, developer, shareware history
Sources for this page were checked 2026-09-21.