Rocket Launchers

A powerful heavy weapon in the Doom franchise that fires explosive rockets, dealing high direct and splash damage.

Action

Games

1994–1996

Years

Platforms

About

The Rocket Launcher is a signature heavy weapon appearing in id Software's Doom (1993/1994) and Final Doom (1996). It fires high-velocity explosive projectiles that deal significant damage to targets but can also harm the player via splash damage if fired too close. It is highly effective against large groups of enemies and tougher monsters throughout the series.

In the original Doom (1994), the weapon's sprite was created by digitizing a photograph of a modified toy gun. This visual design persisted through Doom (1995) and Final Doom (1996), maintaining a consistent aesthetic across the classic engine releases.

Players often utilize the weapon's recoil and explosive force for advanced movement techniques. In these early titles, while true vertical rocket jumping was restricted by the engine's lack of free aiming, players discovered they could use the blast momentum to propel themselves backward across large gaps, a technique that became a staple in speedrunning communities.

The weapon also shares a direct connection with the Cyberdemon, one of the franchise's most formidable bosses, who utilizes an arm-mounted variation that fires the same high-damage projectiles. The strategic balance of managing high damage output against the risk of self-injury established a design template for heavy ordnance in the first-person shooter genre, directly influencing id Software's later titles such as Quake.