Quake still holds up. The 2021 Enhanced re-release runs on modern hardware, includes the two Machine Games expansions, and quietly turned into the reference build for people who want to try id Tech 2 without patching drivers by hand. What it does not do is add new content, and the recent id Software layoffs make another expansion feel less likely than it did last year. That is the moment to look sideways.
We tested seven Quake alternatives that keep the movement-heavy, shotgun-first, single-player-first shooter alive on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The picks span faithful pastiche, weirder art directions, and one entry that is basically Quake with better physics. Prices below reflect current Steam listings.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free plan | Price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dusk | Faithful throwback | No | $19.99 | Weight and jump physics tuned to Quake feel |
| Amid Evil | Fantasy Quake | Demo | $19.99 | Seven distinct worlds, no reused assets |
| Prodeus | Modern retro FPS | Demo | $24.99 | Built-in level editor plus curated community maps |
| Wrath: Aeon of Ruin | Quake sequel by proxy | No | $24.99 | Runs on a modernised idTech 2 engine (DarkPlaces) |
| Ion Fury | Build engine renaissance | Demo | $19.99 | Uses the same Build engine as Duke 3D, feels sharper |
| Ultrakill | Quake meets Devil May Cry | Demo | $24.99 | Combo scoring changes the priority order every fight |
| Selaco | Doom successor with Quake mobility | Demo | $29.99 | Custom GZDoom fork, densely scripted AI |
Why people are looking
The Enhanced release covered the “playable on Windows 11” problem. It did not add new episodes. Ranger’s moveset and the “chunky, satisfying” shotgun are still on ice while id staff pivot elsewhere. Long-time players want three things Quake does not provide right now.
New single-player episodes at Quake’s cadence. Community mappers on Quaddicted keep shipping, but new commercial content stopped after Dimension of the Machine.
An engine that renders 240 Hz cleanly without cvars or config tweaks. The Enhanced port fixed a lot, but people who care about frame pacing still end up on vkQuake.
A hub that surfaces good mods without spelunking through fan wikis. Discovery on Quake is still, essentially, Quaddicted plus word of mouth.
The alternatives
Dusk, Best for people who want Quake with a haircut
Dusk is the closest thing to an unofficial Quake 1.5. New Blood built the movement system by studying Ranger’s air control frame by frame, then tuned the weapon set toward Doom-style shotgunning. Levels run on a heavily modified GZDoom fork, which means it loads instantly, benchmarks on almost any hardware, and supports mouse-and-keyboard mods that swap the enemy roster.
Where it falls short: the horror episode drags, and the boss fights lean on arena patterns rather than the mid-level ambushes Quake did well.
Pricing: $19.99 on Steam and GOG. No subscription.
Migrating from Quake: identical control conventions, similar quicksave discipline, WASD + mouse presets ship correctly. If you finished Quake on Nightmare, Dusk’s “Intruder” difficulty maps to Hard-Plus.
Bottom line: the default pick for anyone whose Quake muscle memory is still intact.
Amid Evil, Best for people who want fantasy Quake
Amid Evil replaces the shotgun with a mace. It replaces the medieval textures with seven completely distinct worlds and a soundtrack from Andrew Hulshult that owes more to Trent Reznor than to any of Reznor’s imitators. The core loop is Quake’s, weapon swap included.
Where it falls short: the seventh world overstays its welcome, and the DLC “Black Labyrinth” is combat-only in a way that will feel thin if you played it for the traversal.
Pricing: $19.99 on Steam. DLC is $9.99 separate.
Migrating from Quake: movement is slightly floatier. Retune mouse sensitivity down by about 10% or the melee weapon feels imprecise.
Bottom line: pick this if the medieval-industrial mash of Quake felt half-finished and you wanted a game that committed to fantasy.
Prodeus, Best for people who want Quake with a level editor
Prodeus ships with an editor that runs inside the game. Anyone can publish maps and anyone can subscribe to them, which turns Prodeus into the closest thing modern retro FPS has to Steam Workshop. The campaign itself is competent rather than special. The community output is where the value sits.
Where it falls short: enemy variety is thin compared to Dusk, and the community browser surfaces novelty maps ahead of longer campaigns.
Pricing: $24.99 on Steam and GOG.
Migrating from Quake: swap the strafe-jump muscle memory for wall-slide traversal. The dash cooldown replaces the Quake bunny hop.
Bottom line: the closest thing to a Quake community hub that ships as one package.
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, Best for people who want a literal Quake follow-up
Wrath runs on DarkPlaces, the same open-source engine that Quake mappers already know. Level format, entity syntax, and physics all sit close enough to Quake that veteran mappers can port work back and forth in an afternoon. It is the most on-brand entry on this list because it was built by 3D Realms with ex-id developers on the credits.
Where it falls short: the release schedule slipped for three years, and the launch build had spotty save behaviour that a June 2026 patch mostly cleaned up.
Pricing: $24.99 on Steam and GOG.
Migrating from Quake: the smoothest transition. Console commands map one-to-one, and existing quake.rc bindings load without edits.
Bottom line: the literalist pick. It is Quake in every way that matters except the id logo.
Ion Fury, Best for people who want Build engine sharpness
Ion Fury uses the same engine as Duke Nukem 3D. That engine is 30 years old, and the studio (Voidpoint) has patched it into something that runs cleanly on modern GPUs while keeping the pixel-art readability that Quake’s texture work never quite matched. Shelly Harrison’s revolver is the best-feeling handgun in any retro FPS revival.
Where it falls short: it is not Quake in movement terms. There is no bunny hop and no rocket jump. If those matter, skip.
Pricing: $19.99 on Steam and GOG. Aftershock expansion is $19.99 standalone.
Migrating from Quake: treat it as a different genre. Level design is 2.5D and rewards exploration over speed.
Bottom line: the pick if you liked Quake for the level design and did not care about the physics.
Ultrakill, Best for people who want Quake plus combos
Ultrakill treats Quake’s kit as the floor and stacks a scoring system on top. Rank chases replace collectibles, styles-of-play get named, and every level ends in a P-rank grind that turns single-player into a rhythm exercise. Movement is faster than Quake by a factor Devil May Cry fans will recognise.
Where it falls short: difficulty ramp assumes you learn the parry, the coin, and the rocket-ride within the first two acts. New players bounce.
Pricing: $24.99 on Steam. Still Early Access, act 3 in development.
Migrating from Quake: you keep the aim discipline. Everything else is new. Budget for a two-hour learning tax.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if Quake’s fights felt over too quickly and you wanted an FPS with a skill ceiling to grind.
Selaco, Best for people who want Quake with cinematic AI
Selaco runs on a custom GZDoom fork tuned for scripted set-pieces. Enemies flank, use cover, and call reinforcements in ways that raise the moment-to-moment complexity of every gunfight. The story is straightforward, the environmental storytelling is not, and the sound design (recorded on real 1990s hardware) is the best on this list.
Where it falls short: long. First chapter is 12 to 15 hours, and Chapter 2 is still in development at time of writing.
Pricing: $29.99 on Steam and GOG.
Migrating from Quake: keep the Quake sensitivity, drop the strafe-jump. Selaco expects you to break line-of-sight, not out-run enemies.
Bottom line: the pick for players who wished Quake’s monsters could think.
How to choose
Pick Dusk if you want to play tonight and cannot stomach a learning curve.
Pick Wrath: Aeon of Ruin if you were a Quake mapper. Everything you know still applies.
Pick Ultrakill if Quake felt short.
Pick Selaco if you want the biggest single-player campaign on this list and can wait for Chapter 2.
Stay on Quake Enhanced if the reason you like Quake is Quake specifically. The community-mapping scene on Quaddicted is still active, and a curated fan campaign will get you further than any of these commercial pastiches.
FAQ
Is Quake still worth playing in 2026? Yes. The Enhanced re-release plays well on modern hardware, and the community-mapping scene keeps adding single-player content. The base campaigns and expansions still stand up.
What is the closest game to Quake? Dusk. Movement, weapon balance, and pacing were all tuned by studying Quake’s build directly.
Are there free Quake alternatives? The commercial picks above are paid. On the free side, the DarkPlaces engine, Quakespasm, and vkQuake are all free open-source ports of Quake itself. Combine any of them with community campaigns from Quaddicted for a full free experience.
Do any of these run on Mac and Linux? Dusk, Amid Evil, Prodeus, Ion Fury, Ultrakill, and Selaco all have native or well-supported Proton builds. Wrath ships Windows binaries only but runs cleanly on Proton.
