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Doom: The Dark Ages - HDR Optimized Settings
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 12:45:39 +0000 UTC
The game is NOT using/applying Xbox, Playstation or PC HDR Calibration app settings.
On paper the game has a good HDR implementation as it offers many different in-game HDR controls (in nits value) as Peak HDR Luminance (up to 10.000 nits), Paper White, Saturation and more...but in reality the HDR presentation is pretty washed out with very raised black levels and muted contrast...
Luckily the game offers so many other options that you can much improve it with a workaround.
UPDATE - 2025/06/05
Today first major "Update 1" added a new in-game HDR Contrast slider aimed to fix the default black level raise without messing with Display Accessibility options (and ruining UI/HUDs elements while doing so)
So, if you previously enabled Display Accessibility options as a workaround, disable them before updating the following settings.
UPDATE - 2025/06/13
With today "Update 1 - Hotfix" patch HDR rendition changed again.
Now for some reason the HDR Peak Luminance slider is not accurate anymore and you need to increase it by around +33% compared your actual peak luminance in order to match it :/
I've updated the settings for you below.
If you have an LG OLED and:
> you're using Dynamic Tone Mapping or Dynamic Contrast:
Set HDR Max Nits slider to: 5.300 (nits)
Set HDR Paper White Nits slider to: 200 (nits)
> you're using HGIG:
Set HDR Max Nits slider to: 1.100 (nits) or 1.300 (for G2/C4) or 2.000 (for G3/G4/C5) or 3.100 (for G5)
Set HDR Paper White Nits slider to: 200 (nits) or 275 (for G3/G4/C5/G5)
If you don't have an LG OLED and:
> you don't have an HGIG option:
Set HDR Max Nits slider to: 1.300 (nits)
Set HDR Paper White Nits slider to: 200 (nits)
> you're using HGIG:
Set Maximum Luminance slider to the corresponding real Peak HDR Luminance of your TV in "nits"
Set HDR Paper White Nits slider to: 200 (nits)
In all cases leave HDR Mid Point, HDR Brightness and HDR Saturation sliders to their defaults as they already represent a balanced PQ.
Then set the new HDR Contrast slider to 85 to fix the default black level raise without introducing noticeable black crush.
BONUS:
Disable Film Grain and Chromatic Aberration: to improve picture clarity on all platforms
Set in-game Sharpness to 2.00: as I've found the default value 1.50 a bit too blurry
On PC only: if you use Frame Generation, I recommend lowering Motion Blur from High to Medium
Enjoy! :)
-P
Comments
P40L0
UPDATE 2025/06/20 Added the recommendation to set in-game Sharpness to 2.00 (as default 1.50 is a bit too blurry)
P40L0
UPDATE - 2025/06/13 With today "Update 1 - Hotfix" patch HDR rendition changed again. Now for some reason the HDR Peak Luminance slider is not accurate anymore and you need to increase it by around +33% compared your actual peak luminance in order to match it :/ I've updated the settings for you in the article itself. Devs still not doing HDR correctly in 2025 is BAFFLING
P40L0
"They" who? Start with defaults and then adjust as recommended in this updated post
BA3YDADDY π©π°
The default HDR Brightness slider on Xbox is 2.50 ? Is this to much? They even say they recommend 1.0 but if you reset settings it jumps to 2.50.
P40L0
I will look into it
Joachim Avoja
The new patch has apparently added something to the HDR settings called "HDR Contrast" that's supposedly should help with the washed out image. Any advice on to what we should set it at?
Ferdi
my man this looks so good!
Bartleby
Wow. I canβt believe this works so well
P40L0
Enjoy ;)
Travis Walls
Man⦠I was skeptical about using accessibility settings to fix HDR, but it was night and day. Well done!
P40L0
UPDATE 2025/05/20: Changed Contrast (in Video Accessibility settings) from 80% to 76% to fix a slight black crush, while still waiting for a proper/official HDR fix...
Mason
MY MAN!!
P40L0
Nope
BA3YDADDY π©π°
Any day one patch today that fixed HDR and added film grain off button for consoles?
P40L0
It would degrade performance a bit and not look better than the workaround
Jon
Would rtx hdr work better?
Vlad760
Hell Yeahhh letβs go!! Thanks for coming in so clutch EDIT: The game HDR seemed so bad when I first started playing.. unfortunate. Maybe PathTracing and a 4K resolution pack like Space marines will help. Also HDR patches
