Xbox-published shooter Doom: The Dark Ages has had its Denuvo DRM protection bypassed by anti-DRM pirates. Reddit user voices38 announced the crack on March 13, marking it as the first 2025 game to have its DRM illicitly circumvented.
Doom: The Dark Ages, developed by id Software, became the first game released in 2025 to have its Denuvo digital rights management software cracked. The announcement came from Reddit user voices38 on March 13, as reported via TheGamer. This development highlights ongoing tensions around Denuvo, which has proven effective at delaying piracy but is widely unpopular due to its impact on PC performance and perceived restrictions on legitimate owners. Many PC players avoid games with Denuvo, and some have used cracks to improve CPU performance on legally purchased copies. The game itself received praise as a strong shooter, though its DRM drew criticism at launch. Voices38 hinted at future efforts in their post, stating that 'the next one will surprise you,' suggesting potential cracks for more recent releases. In broader context, some publishers remove Denuvo later in a game's lifecycle, while others like Capcom have replaced it with alternative protections on titles such as the Resident Evil 4 remake, leading to further performance complaints. Last year's releases had shown greater resilience to cracking attempts.
