DOOM 3 on Steam: Horror FPS, BFG Edition, and the Original 2004 Build

DOOM 3 is a horror action first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The official store description frames the game around a demonic invasion that has overwhelmed the Union Aerospace Corporation's Mars research facility, leaving the player as one of only a few survivors who must fight through the aftermath and, in the words of the listing, "fight your way to hell and back against a horde of demons." It is described by the publisher as an award-winning horror/action FPS and a reimagining of the original DOOM.

This article is based on the official Steam listing for the game. The listing identifies the title as DOOM 3, the developer as id Software, the publisher as Bethesda Softworks, the genre as Action, and the supported platform as Windows. Those catalog fields are specific to this Steam entry and should be read as such rather than as a complete history of every release of the game.

Premise and Setting

The scenario begins at the Union Aerospace Corporation's Mars Research Facility, which the official description says has been overwhelmed by a demonic invasion. The player character is presented as one of very few survivors. The advertised arc is not a rescue or an investigation in the ordinary sense; it is a fighting retreat forward, from the ruined facility outward and downward to hell and back through a large population of demons. The listing also calls the game an award-winning horror/action FPS and a reimagining of the original DOOM, which establishes the intended tone and lineage the publisher wants attached to this version.

Two Base Versions, Expansions, and Extras

The Steam entry is unusual because it bundles more than one base experience. The listing states that owners receive the original DOOM 3 and the Resurrection of Evil expansion, plus the remastered DOOM 3: BFG Edition. In other words, the package does not ask the buyer to choose between a 2004-era build and a 2012 remaster; it presents both and lets the player move between them.

The original version is described as the "original, unaltered gameplay experience from 2004." The BFG Edition is described as a remastered version released in 2012 and includes the Resurrection of Evil expansion, The Lost Mission expansion, an embedded version of DOOM (1993), an embedded version of DOOM II, and stereoscopic 3D on supported devices.

The Resurrection of Evil expansion is described in the listing as taking place two years after an unexplained disaster on Mars, with the UAC returning to the abandoned facility to investigate a mysterious beacon buried in the ruins of an ancient civilization. That same expansion is credited with adding six new demons including the Hunters, new weapons including the double-barreled shotgun, demonic powers, the ability to control time to fight or evade traps, and the ability to harness gravity to manipulate the environment.

The Lost Mission expansion appears alongside Resurrection of Evil in the BFG Edition feature list, but the supplied description does not detail its content, structure, or length. It is listed as included; nothing further is documented here.

Documented Gameplay Features

The most specific mechanical differences the listing attributes to the BFG Edition are an improved rendering and lighting pass, a checkpoint save system, controller support, and an armor-mounted flashlight that "allows you to see and shoot at the same time." That last item addresses one of the best-known tensions in the original design: managing light as a resource while under threat. Relocating the flashlight to the armor changes the practical relationship between visibility and weapon readiness, though the listing does not describe how that is implemented in the original version for comparison.

The checkpoint save system and controller support are also framed as BFG Edition additions. Both are quality-of-life or input features rather than content: they change how a player interacts with a session, not what the scenario contains. The improved rendering and lighting are likewise described as presentation changes attached to the remaster, while the expansion mechanics such as time control and gravity manipulation are attributed to Resurrection of Evil rather than to the base campaign.

Taken together, the documented feature set suggests a two-lane recommendation shaped by the package itself: players who want the unaltered 2004 presentation can launch the original version, while players who want the remastered lighting, checkpoint saves, controller input, the expansion content, and the embedded classics can use the BFG Edition. The listing does not state whether progress carries between the two versions or how the editions are separated in the interface.

What the Steam Entry Actually Gives You

• Original DOOM 3 (described as the unaltered 2004 experience); Resurrection of Evil expansion; DOOM 3: BFG Edition, the 2012 remaster; The Lost Mission expansion within the BFG Edition; embedded DOOM (1993); embedded DOOM II; stereoscopic 3D on supported devices.

The embedded DOOM (1993) and DOOM II are notable inclusions because they turn the package into a small survey of the lineage the DOOM 3 reimagining is responding to. The listing does not describe how those embedded versions are presented or whether they include the same options as standalone releases; it only states that they are embedded.

A Note on the Release Year

The catalog record for this Steam listing lists 2012 as the release year and identifies the platform as Windows. That year corresponds to the BFG Edition remaster referenced in the store description, not to the original 2004 release, which the listing itself mentions separately when describing the unaltered version. Because the package contains multiple builds, the year attached to the catalog entry should be read as the year tied to this Steam product listing rather than as a single release date for everything included.

Why This Package Still Reads as Distinctive

What separates this entry from many single-version rereleases is the explicit side-by-side preservation: the publisher chose to include the original build next to the remaster rather than replacing it. Combined with the embedded DOOM (1993) and DOOM II, the package functions partly as a playable archive of the series' direction over time. The store description leans into horror framing rather than pure action framing, describing the setting as leaving "only chaos and horror in its wake" and calling the game a horror/action FPS, which matches the emphasis on darkness, light management, and the armor-mounted flashlight change in the remaster.

At a Glance

See the companion table for the catalog-level facts confirmed by the official listing.

• DOOM 3 on Steam ↗

First published Oct 10, 2026.