Images From Canceled Doom 4 Revealed

New images and work-in-progress animations from the canceled Doom 4 have appeared online, but this is not a mystery leak without a source. The latest batch was shared on X by Doom archivists Crispies, who posts as @Runhob, and @WadOverdose, both of whom have previously surfaced unreleased material from id Software’s abandoned shooter.

The material includes concept art, enemy models, weapon shots, urban environments and animation tests from the version of Doom 4 that was later scrapped before id Software rebuilt the project into Doom 2016. Video Games Chronicle first highlighted the new posts, while other outlets and Doom fan communities have since been comparing the material with older Doom 4 footage and recent Doom: The Dark Ages content.

The canceled Doom 4 was built around a Hell-on-Earth setup. Instead of the fast arena combat that defined Doom 2016, the old version leaned closer to a military shooter, with ruined city streets, soldiers, scripted sequences and resistance-style imagery.

That direction is why the project was often called “Call of Doom” by fans. The nickname was not only about the game’s weapons or urban setting. It reflected concern that Doom 4 was following the shape of other shooters from that period instead of finding its own identity.

The new images support that reading. The environments look grounded and war-torn, while the enemies appear more infected and grotesque than the cleaner, readable demons used in Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal.

The latest material is more than still images. Work-in-progress videos posted and circulated by Doom archivists show animation tests for possessed soldiers, imps, allied characters, enemy movement, voice lines and several demon concepts.

This shows Doom 4 was not only an idea on a mood board. id Software had already built characters, combat animation, enemy behavior tests and pieces of its world before the project was reset. Earlier preservation efforts had already shown parts of this abandoned version. Noclip’s Doom documentary included footage from the canceled game, and more clips have appeared over the years through fan archives, YouTube uploads and Doom community posts.

id Software eventually moved away from this version of Doom 4 and rebuilt the game into Doom 2016. That reset gave the series a faster identity built around aggression, movement, glory kills and constant forward pressure.

Looking at the canceled material now makes the change easier to understand. The old version had strong art and a darker mood, but it also looked closer to a familiar military shooter. Doom 2016 worked because it stopped trying to look like other shooters and focused on what made Doom feel different.

Some ideas from the canceled project may still have survived in changed form. Close-range violence, enemy impact and hellish Earth imagery all became part of modern Doom in different ways, but the final reboot used them to support speed rather than slow the player down.

The new Doom 4 material has surfaced during a difficult period for id Software. Microsoft’s latest Xbox cuts have hit multiple studios, and id Software has reportedly lost a large number of staff after the release of Doom: The Dark Ages and its Revelations expansion.

That timing has made the canceled Doom 4 posts feel heavier than a normal archive discovery. For fans, the images are not only a look at an abandoned game. They are also a reminder of how much id Software’s direction has changed across different eras of Doom.

The current status is simple. Doom 4 remains canceled, Doom 2016 remains the reboot that replaced it, and the newly surfaced material gives players a clearer, better-sourced look at the darker shooter id Software chose not to finish.