Doom The Dark Ages crashing on Xbox Series X|S: possible reasons and fixes

Doom: The Dark Ages has landed on Xbox Series X|S, throwing players into a wild, brutal world as you step into the boots of the legendary Doom Slayer. Players can carve their way through demonic hordes in a dark, medieval setting as visually intense as stunning. But for some players, that adrenaline rush is being cut short— Xbox Series X|S crashes are putting the brakes on the action. If you've run into this issue, don’t worry.

In this article, we’ll analyze the possible reasons causing the crashes and walk you through some fixes to get you back into the fight.

Note: The fixes mentioned here are workarounds and are not guaranteed to work in every case.

---

Potential fixes for Doom The Dark Ages crashing on Xbox Series X|S

1) Restart the game

Sometimes, a fresh start is all it takes. To properly restart Doom: The Dark Ages:

• Press the Xbox button on your controller to head back to the Home screen.
• Highlight the game, press the Menu button (the one with the three lines), and select Quit.
• Then, re-select the game from your home screen and hit A to launch it.

---

2) Power cycle your console

This step helps clear out any background issues that could be interfering with your game:

• Press and hold the Xbox power button on the console for roughly 10 seconds until it powers down.
• Remove the power cord, wait 10 seconds, and reattach it.
• Turn the console back on using the power button.

Power cycling your console can help fix performance dips (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

---

3) Sign out and sign back in

Logging in and out of your profile can reset certain settings that might be causing the crash:

• Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
• Navigate to your profile icon and choose Profile & System.
• Select Sign out, confirm, then sign back in by selecting your profile again.

---

4) Check your console’s ventilation

Overheating can certainly cause crashes, particularly during high-strung gameplay. Ensure your Xbox has space to breathe:

• Leave at least 4–6 inches of space around the console on all sides.
• Avoid placing it in a closed cabinet or near a heat source (like a heater or speaker amp).
• Don’t stack things on top of or under the console.
• Leave it off soft surfaces, such as beds or rugs, that could restrict airflow.
• Remove any dust, pet fur, or dirt from the areas around the vents that can limit cooling.

---

5) Uninstall and reinstall the game

If corrupted files are the problem, a clean reinstall might help:

• From the Home screen, go to My games & apps, highlight Doom: The Dark Ages, press the Menu button, and select Uninstall. Be careful not to delete your save data from the cloud!
• Once uninstalled, reinstall it from your library or disc, and make sure your internet connection is stable during the download.

---

6) Try launching the game offline

If none of the above works, try launching the game with your Xbox disconnected from the internet. Sometimes going offline helps bypass connectivity-related crashes.

---

7) Use Cloud Gaming as an alternative

As a backup, you can try playing Doom: The Dark Ages via Cloud Gaming, which streams the game rather than running it from your console:

• First, uninstall the downloaded version if needed.
• Look for Doom: The Dark Ages in your Xbox game library and find the tile with the Cloud icon.
• Launch it directly from there — just make sure you have a solid internet connection.

---

If none of these solutions work, it's worth reaching out to Bethesda Support or checking community forums where others might have run into (and solved) the same issue.

With a few of these tweaks, you’ll hopefully be back to slicing demons and saving kingdoms in no time on your Xbox Series X|S.

---

Check out other articles from Sportskeeda:

• How to get Shield Saw Decoration for free
• DOOM: The Dark Ages DLSS 4 tested
• DOOM: The Dark Ages RTX 5080 GPU benchmarks
• DOOM: The Dark Ages RTX 5060 Ti GPU
• DOOM The Dark Ages early access release countdown
• Can you play Doom The Dark Ages early?