Quake

Quake arrived in 1996 and redrew the boundaries of what PC games could be. id Software had already changed the industry with Doom, but Quake pushed further into territory nobody had mapped. It was one of the first shooters built entirely in true 3D, with environments and enemies rendered as polygons rather than sprites. It pioneered online deathmatch as a mainstream feature. It shipped with a programming language that let modders rebuild the game from scratch. The impact was so broad and so deep that nearly every aspect of modern PC gaming traces some lineage back to what id Software released that summer.

Community recognition has only grown over the decades. In 2025, Quake was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, cementing its status as one of the most important games ever made. The 2021 enhanced rerelease by Nightdive Studios brought the game to modern platforms with crossplay multiplayer, improved visuals, and preserved the modding infrastructure that kept the community alive for nearly thirty years.

Speed, Atmosphere, and the Rocket Launcher

Quake’s single-player campaign is built on speed and hostility. Levels are dark, labyrinthine, and filled with enemies that punish hesitation. The gothic-Lovecraftian art direction, a blend of medieval architecture and eldritch horror, gives the game a distinct visual identity that no other shooter has replicated. Where Doom leaned into sci-fi horror and heavy metal energy, Quake went somewhere stranger and more oppressive. The Trent Reznor-composed ambient soundtrack reinforced this mood with industrial soundscapes that made every corridor feel like a descent into something wrong.

The weapon arsenal is tight and purposeful. The rocket launcher became one of the most iconic weapons in FPS history, with its projectile speed and splash damage creating a skill-based tool that rewarded prediction and positioning. The Super Nailgun, the Lightning Gun, and the Grenade Launcher each fill distinct combat roles, and the game’s movement speed means switching between them mid-fight is essential rather than optional. Every encounter is a split-second decision about distance, weapon choice, and escape route.

Level design deserves special recognition. Sandy Petersen, American McGee, Tim Willits, and John Romero each contributed levels with distinct design philosophies, creating a campaign that shifts tone and challenge between episodes. Secret areas are hidden throughout, rewarding exploration with powerful items and satisfying the curiosity of players willing to look behind every wall. The nonlinear structure within individual levels gives players multiple paths through encounters, a design approach that modern shooters have largely abandoned in favor of corridors.

The modding community built an ecosystem around Quake that influenced the entire industry. QuakeC, the scripting language id Software included, gave modders unprecedented control over game behavior. Team Fortress started as a Quake mod. Capture the Flag originated in the Quake community. Custom maps, total conversions, and engine modifications poured out for years, and the 2021 rerelease includes a built-in mod browser that makes decades of community content accessible to new players.

Quake’s Age Shows in Specific Ways

The campaign, while excellent in level design, lacks the narrative context that even minimalist shooters now provide. There’s no story beyond the manual’s brief setup, no characters to interact with, and no motivation beyond survival. Players who need a reason to push forward beyond “there’s more to explore and kill” may find the campaign feels hollow by modern expectations.

Enemy variety thins out in the later episodes. The early game introduces memorable threats like the Shambler and the Fiend, but later levels recycle these encounters without introducing enough new enemy types to keep the combat feeling fresh throughout. The Lovecraftian aesthetic remains consistent, but the tactical challenges start to repeat.

The visual presentation, even with the 2021 remaster’s improvements, is firmly rooted in 1996 aesthetics. The enhanced lighting and smoothed models help, but Quake’s color palette is overwhelmingly brown and gray. Players accustomed to modern visual fidelity will find the game looks dated, and the dark environments can make navigation difficult in some levels. The art direction is effective for atmosphere but demanding on modern sensibilities.

Multiplayer, while historically groundbreaking, faces the challenge of a small but dedicated player base. The 2021 rerelease added crossplay and dedicated servers, which helped, but finding matches outside of peak hours or organized community events can be difficult. The competitive Quake experience at its best remains unmatched in speed and skill expression, but accessing it consistently requires community engagement.

The Game That Built Online Multiplayer

Quake’s legacy extends far beyond its own content. It proved that online multiplayer could be a primary feature rather than an afterthought. It demonstrated that player-created content could extend a game’s life indefinitely. It showed that a game engine could become a platform, with the Quake engine licensing model influencing how studios like Valve and Epic Games built their businesses. Every time you play an online shooter, join a modding community, or watch an esports tournament, you’re standing in Quake’s shadow.

Should You Play Quake?

If you care about FPS history, Quake is essential. The 2021 enhanced version makes it accessible on modern hardware with controller support and crossplay, removing the technical barriers that once made revisiting the game difficult. Players who enjoy fast, skill-based combat with excellent level design will find a game that moves at a pace modern shooters rarely match.

Skip it if you need narrative motivation or modern visual standards to stay engaged. Quake is a product of its era in ways that the remaster doesn’t fully smooth over, and the campaign’s lack of story or characters will feel like a gap to players raised on narrative shooters. If brown corridors and abstract environments sound more tedious than atmospheric, this won’t change your mind.

The Verdict on Quake

Quake changed everything. It pioneered true 3D first-person shooting, helped launch online multiplayer gaming, created the speedrunning community, and built a modding ecosystem that influenced game development for decades. The 2021 enhanced rerelease brought the game to modern hardware with crossplay multiplayer, quality-of-life improvements, and preserved mod support, making it the best way to experience a genuine landmark. The campaign’s level design holds up beautifully, the atmosphere remains oppressive and distinct, and the multiplayer still moves at a speed that makes modern shooters feel sluggish. Quake earned its place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and playing it today makes it obvious why.