Doom's new "Arcade Mode" is now live after latest update

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The fourth free Doom update that's now available on Steam means that the mysterious new Arcade Mode is finally live and playable. Arcade Mode unlocks all guns, suit upgrades, and runes, and challenges players to rack up points under a new multiplier-based scoring system "that rewards aggression and accuracy."

"Play every level with all guns, Runes and equipment upgrades fully unlocked. Customize your Doom Marine's gear, guns and Praetor suit before each run to see what combinations will give you an edge. Compete against friends and players worldwide for the highest score by attacking demons quickly, avoiding their attacks and grabbing multipliers along the way," Bethesda explained. "This is a perfect opportunity to replay one of the best single-player FPS experiences of 2016, and for the speed runners out there to make their mark."

The update also adds a pair of new multiplayer modes, the team-based Possession that pits Marines against Prowlers, and free-for-all Bloodrush that forces players to keep their "Bloodrush meter" filled in order to respawn. New SnapMap content includes Doom Classic Campaign modules, props, sounds, classic player deaths, and other resources, and there's also a new Community Curation system that "enables newly published maps to be reviewed and recommended by the community." Topping it all off are a handful of bug fixes, changes, and "additional Doom single player consistency."

The trailer embedded above also reveals that the second Doom multiplayer DLC, Hell Followed, will be out on October 27. A quick flash of what I assume is gameplay from that DLC, which appears to include a new, deftly-tongued Cacodemon-looking thing, can be seen near the end of the video.

Doom update 4 should download and install automatically, but if for some reason it does not, restarting Steam should do the trick. A full breakdown of the changes is up at bethesda.net.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.