The Hell Shooter Doom Eternal finally received a next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on June 29. This brings some technical and visual improvements. However, the PS5 version lacks a feature, which has frustrated many players.
What is this upgrade? The new upgrade brings various improvements and new features for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. This includes ray tracing, which is now also available for PC.
Here is a brief overview of the biggest new features of the upgrade:
- Ray tracing for Xbox Series X and PS5 (excluding Xbox Series S)
- Various graphic modes for performance, up to 120 FPS are now possible
- 4k/60FPS is now possible on PS5 and Xbox Series X
- Cross-gen with older consoles in battle mode (PS5 to PS4 and Xbox Series X|S to Xbox One)
Here is a trailer for the upgrade:
However, there are some problems on the PS5 that annoy many fans. What is going on?
If you switch from PS4 to PS5, you must start over
This is the problem: While some data can be transferred through your Bethesda account, your save game for the campaign and multiplayer of Doom Eternal is not transferable for PS5 players.
Consequently, if you change versions, you have to start a new run and replay your progress in both the story and multiplayer. This is unusual for next-gen ports.
Previously, it was possible to carry over your progress in most games like Marvel’s Avengers and other titles without issues. Strangely, in the case of Doom Eternal, only the PS5 version is affected; on Xbox Series X|S, importing the save game is possible without problems. Consequently, there are some players who are not satisfied with the upgrade.
- RipandTear says: “What an absolute joke, we have to play the entire game again before we can start the new content […], I don’t mind playing the game again, but having to play the whole thing again to access new content is extremely frustrating.” (via reddit.com)
- bruhbaby1 says: “I just downloaded the PS5 version of the update and I love the ray tracing so far, but the thing is, I lost all my progress in the main story, DLCs, and my level. I was level 178 and I was proud of that, but now I’m back at 0. I love this update, but it feels a bit like they’ve accidentally kicked me in the balls. I’m not mad, but it does hurt a bit.” (via reddit.com)
- cooperma30 writes: “Honestly, that’s unfortunate. It will prevent me from playing the PS5 version. Real crap, but I also partially blame Sony for their poor strategy regarding backward compatibility.” (via reddit.com)
In addition, some PS5 players seem to have issues with downloading the upgrade. Apparently, it cannot be installed properly for some.
For many players, Doom Eternal seems to be blocked in the PlayStation Store. Bethesda has already commented on this in a tweet. They are working on the issue and hope to resolve it quickly.
Next-Gen Upgrade for Doom Eternal – Installation and Features
Depending on which platform you play on, the upgrade can be installed differently.
Here’s how it works on PlayStation: If you own the disc version of PS4, you need to insert it into your PS5 console and select the game hub. There, you should select Doom Eternal: Standard Edition. Now the PS5 version should be downloaded.
For owners of the digital version, there may be issues. Here, Bethesda provides two options on the website to install the upgrade.
Option 1:
- Select the Doom Eternal game hub in the menu
- Select “DOOM Eternal PS5 Upgrade” there
Method 2:
- Go to the PlayStation Store
- Search for Doom Eternal and select the game
- It should now be shown as “Purchased”
- Select “Download” to install the upgrade.
Here’s how it works on Xbox: Xbox Series X and Series S use the Smart Delivery system. This applies to both the physical and digital versions of DOOM Eternal.
If you own the disc version on Xbox One, the disc must be inserted into the Xbox Series X to receive the upgrade and will still be required for playing.
Features for Xbox Series X
- Three new graphic modes
- Ray tracing mode with 1800p/60 FPS
- Performance mode with 1800p/120 FPS
- Balanced mode with 4K/60 FPS
- HDR 10 in every graphic mode
- Ultra quality graphic settings
- Cross-gen BATTLEMODE support with Xbox One
- Variable refresh rate
- Variable shading rate
Features for Xbox Series S
- Two new graphic modes
- Performance mode with 1080p/120 FPS
- Balanced mode with 1440p/60 FPS
- HDR 10 in every graphic mode
- Cross-gen BATTLEMODE support with Xbox One
- Variable refresh rate
- Variable shading rate
- NOTE: The ray tracing mode is not available on Xbox Series S
Features for PlayStation 5
- Three new graphic modes
- Ray tracing mode with 1800p/60 FPS
- Performance mode with 1584p/120 FPS
- Balanced mode with 4K/60 FPS
- HDR 10 in every graphic mode
- Ultra quality style graphic settings
- Cross-gen BATTLEMODE support with PlayStation 4
- Adaptive trigger support for the DualSense controller
What about the PC? There is no extensive update here, only the ray tracing feature has been optimized again.
Does the upgrade cost anything? No, it is freely available to every owner of Doom Eternal. There is also no set timeframe in which the upgrade is available.
Doom Eternal is not the only game from Bethesda to receive a next-gen upgrade recently. The Elder Scrolls Online has also received new graphic features on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
However, that also had some issues on PS5: ESO is currently having major issues with the shiny PS5 upgrade – Here’s how to solve them
