‘Doom’ Free Update 3 Brings Multiplayer Deathmatch Mayhem, Private Matches; Arcade Mode Coming In Future

"Doom" publisher Bethesda Softworks announced, as reported by CNET, that the game will be receiving its third major content update this month, dubbed Free Update 3. The patch will bring the first two, Deathmatch and Private Matches, of the planned three, with Arcade Mode, new additions to "Doom's" multiplayer, all of which will be showcased in the livestream.

Free Update 3's new Deathmatch game mode is set to bring some very messy hell to other game's multiplayer. When "Doom" released back in May of this year, the game already featured a Deathmatch mode although it was restricted to team vs team play. With Free Update 3's Deathmatch, however, players can now gun each other down with impunity and no alliances getting in the way.

Private Matches sound just like the name imply, with the new feature allowing players to essentially design their own game modes outside of the publicly available ones. Players can set and apply their own preferred restrictions and gimmicks to a match, like time and score limits, and play them with friends. Presumably, the modifications could also include setting a Deathmatch mode for a very creative free-for-all game mode.

Arcade Mode is another multiplayer content update for the game, although it will not be included in September's Free Update 3 with Deathmatch and Private Matches and will instead come at a later date. Bethesda says that the mode will bring a competitive aspect to the "Doom" story campaign. If the update follows in the vein of the traditional Arcade Mode, then it will presumably now allow players to compare their progress and performance in the "Doom" campaign with others.

Free Update 3's Deathmatch, Private Matches, and the future Arcade Mode will be joining a number of modes already available in the game. Aside from Team Deathmatch, IGN notes that other built-in game modes were Freeze Tag, a mode that had players get frozen instead of dying which added another layer to the respawn system since allies had to thaw frozen teammates first before they could respawn; Soul Harvest, which has players drop souls upon death that can be collected for points; and Warpath, a modified King of the Hill with a moving hill.

Catch a sneak peek of Free Update 3's Deathmatch and Private Matches, alongside Arcade Mode, on id Software's livestream on the Xbox channel on Twitch, which will begin on Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. PT.