Classic Doom games are getting better! Bethesda recently shared some awesome news about their steps towards making Doom and Doom II more accessible in the current age of gaming. Apparently, the game got new widescreen support and various performance optimization updates that will allow new machines and monitors to bring the Hell of Earth in its full glory.

Additionally, the game will receive a new Steam version. According to Bethesda, Anyone who already owns either The Ultimate DOOM or DOOM II: Hell On Earth on Steam will automatically receive the new re-releases in their libraries. There’s also a bunch of news about bug fixes, UI, Deathmatch, split-screen multiplayer, touch controls on mobile, and so on… If you’re interested, we suggest reading through all the updates below:

PC: Added Steam Support

Anyone who already owns either The Ultimate DOOM or DOOM II: Hell On Earth on Steam will automatically receive the new re-releases in their libraries. The original DOS versions are still available as a separate launch option from within Steam, and the original DOS IWAD files are in their original location on disk. Please note: if you have modified the files in the Steam install folder directly, some files may be overwritten. You should not modify files in the Steam folder directly, as this may cause issues. Anyone who purchases Steam copies of DOOM or DOOM II: Hell On Earth in the future; it will default to the re-releases but can access the original DOS versions as a separate launch option from within Steam.

Added widescreen rendering support

For the first time in an official port, the original DOOM renderer has been modified to natively render 16:9 without any letterboxing. The FOV has been increased to reveal more image on the side instead of chopping off the top and bottom. All new 16:9 versions of the titlescreen, intermission, and ending screens have been added. Many of our Add-Ons have also had widescreen support added, so download the latest version from the Add-Ons listing to check it out!

DeHackEd support

The engine now can load DeHackEd patches, a popular tool for the original release that modified the game in order to support more advanced behavior. Add-Ons can now use new weapons, change enemy behavior, and more!

Deathmatch 3.0 in split-screen multiplayer

Split screen deathmatch has been changed to what is commonly known in the community as “Deathmatch 3.0.” Weapons will stay in the world after being picked up in order to account for the extreme lethality of DOOM’s weapons, and the weakness of the starting pistol, while all items and ammo respawn on a 30 second timer. Invulnerability and Invisibility will never respawn after being picked up for the first time.

Added optional crosshair

A crosshair, which can be disabled in Gameplay Options, will also change colors when targeting an enemy. This means less guessing if firing a rocket is going to aim at the enemy above you, or fire directly into your face, bringing about an untimely death. Enabling the crosshair may also help reduce motion sickness by giving you a fixed point to focus on.

PC/Switch/PS4: Added Gyro Aim

Gyro Aim, enabled by default, allows you to look left and right by either turning the controller, or rolling the controller left or right. This allows for an additional amount of precision by enabling fine corrections to turning in order to track moving enemies, while still using the right analog stick for large turning movements. Gyro Aim can be set to either use the controller’s yaw, or pitch, or disabled entirely, along with a separate sensitivity slider. Please note: On the PC version, Gyro Aiming is only supported when using a DualShock 4 controller.

iOS: New touch controls

A new, more precise touch control scheme has been implemented. The previous system that required gestures and double tapping has been changed in favor of onscreen buttons. Looking around while holding down the fire button lets you track enemies and fire during protracted encounters, while momentum on turning has been disabled for better precision and more predictable turns. A fire button has been added to both sides of the screen allowing you to better react to being unexpectedly hit from behind.

iOS: Added controller support

If touch controls aren’t your thing, we now support MFi controllers fully. PS4 and Xbox One controllers that are supported by iOS 13 will also now work for input and have the same controller mappings as all the other platforms.

Android/iOS/PC: Added FPS Limiter

On iOS, 30, 60, and 120FPS has been added for devices that have 120hz refresh rate screens. On Android, 30, 60, 90 and 120FPS are available. Finally on PC, you can set it to 30, 60, 120, 144, 165, 240, and unlimited FPS.

Added millisecond accurate timer

A millisecond accurate timer has been added to the minimap, and to the end of level intermission, for anyone looking to speedrun levels.

PC: Keyboard entry of cheat codes

iddqd, idkfa, idclip, and all of their friends can now be entered from the keyboard, in addition to the Cheats menu, as in the original 1993 release.

Added secret area notification

A message and notification is now displayed when you enter into a secret area for the first time.

Added Ultra-Violence+ Skill Level

Ultra-Violence+ is a twist on our existing Ultra-Violence skill level. Deathmatch/Co-op only weapons will spawn in, and enemies are fast like in Nightmare mode. In DOOM II, this means you get the BFG and Rocket Launcher right from the start, but in Final DOOM: Plutonia you’ll have a Spider Mastermind staring you down as soon as you spawn in on the first level. It cuts both ways.

BTSX Episode 1 and Episode 2 are now available in both games

Previously available for DOOM II, both parts of this amazing community Add-On set are now available for owners of either title.

In addition to all of these new features, there’s plenty of fixes and changes coming with this new update too. Having in mind that both games haven’t got any attention since 1993, it feels weird. Weird, but awesome!

If you’re interested in learning how Bethesda plans to revitalize these classic games and what bugs are in fact features, be sure to read through the notes of this update here.

And to celebrate this awesome day, we have prepared a special deal for all the Doom games currently released. Be sure to check out our Doom Collection and indulge in some nostalgia. It will be a great way to kill some time while we wait for the next Doom Eternal update The Ancient Ones, which is scheduled to be released in October.