DOOM: The Dark Ages RTX 5080 GPU benchmarks – 4K Ultra performance review

DOOM: The Dark Ages runs well on high-end GPUs like the Nvidia RTX 5080. The game can be quite demanding to play at native resolution. While the high-end card can max out the game, don't expect sky-high framerates, which is what the 5080 is known for in most other titles. To cover for this, Bethesda has bundled support for DLSS 4 Super Resolution, upscaling, and Frame Generation.

We got to test the new Bethesda title on a few GPUs, and have tested all the settings combinations. Read on to find out how the RTX 5080 fared in our tests.

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How does DOOM: The Dark Ages perform on the Nvidia RTX 5080?

At native resolution, DOOM: The Dark Ages looks fantastic at 4K (Image via Bethesda)

DOOM: The Dark Ages pushes graphics fidelity further — unlike Eternal, the game is designed to utilize the most out of modern PC hardware and ninth-generation consoles. At native resolution, the game looks particularly good. With DLAA turned on (which improves graphics quality even further with deep learning frameworks), the title is a feast for the eyes. The environments, enemies, and combat have all been reworked with 16K textures, making the 4K gaming experience particularly graphic.

With frame generation, DOOM: The Dark Ages runs at over 150 FPS with some added latency (Image via Bethesda)

With DLSS and frame generation turned on, the framerate jumps to over 200 FPS, with a slight hit to the picture quality. In the screenshot above, I was playing The Dark Ages with DLSS set to the Performance preset (which renders at 1280 x 720 and then upscales the footage) with Multi-frame Generation set to 3x. The picture quality is nearly indistinguishable from native, which shows how far Nvidia's upscaling tech has come.

Here are detailed benchmarks of the new DOOM game on the RTX 5080:

DOOM: The Dark Ages settings combination	Performance (FPS) at UHD
	0.1% low	1% low	Average FPS	% Uplift from Native Avg
Ultra Nightmare @ native resolution	56	70	76	–
Ultra Nightmare w/ DLSS 4 Quality	69	72	87	+14.5%
Ultra Nightmare w/ DLSS 4 Performance	91	96	111	+46.1%
Ultra Nightmare w/ DLSS 4 Performance + Frame Generation 2x	70	73	159	+109.2%
Ultra Nightmare w/ DLSS 4 Performance + Frame Generation 3x	58	67	193	+153.9%
Ultra Nightmare w/ DLSS 4 Performance + Frame Generation 4x	62	64	234	+207.9%

System hardware: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + RTX 5080 + 32 GB DDR5-600, Resolution: 3840 x 2160

With all bells and whistles cranked up at 4K, you can still manage a consistent 60+ FPS experience. While gamers with premium GPUs often look for 100+ FPS, which undoubtedly improves the experience in a fast-paced first-person game like DOOM: The Dark Ages, native 4K is undeniably visually impressive.

The best setting we figured out was native 4K with DLAA and Frame Generation set to 2x. This keeps the picture quality pristine while making the game smooth enough to feel enjoyable.

Nvidia has included smart tech to reduce input latency with DLSS 4, which improves click-to-shoot times, but something still feels off with higher presets like 3x and 4x turned on. Since the game shoots up to 100+ FPS with the 2x setting, we recommend nothing more.

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Overall, DOOM: The Dark Ages isn't the most forgiving game on PC in 2025. It even brings an RTX 5080 to its knees at native resolution. If you're playing on a weaker GPU, relying on DLSS and frame generation becomes a mandate, which can feel a bit limiting. On older cards, Transformer-based upscaling takes a heavy native framerate toll, reducing the smoothness and overall fidelity.

That said, those on an RTX 5080 can enjoy the game at its highest visual glory with AI-generated frames turned on.