I already own Quake II. How do I access the new release?
Previous owners of Quake II on the Microsoft Store, Steam and Good Old Games (GOG) will automatically receive the new version via a free update. It may have already updated by the time you read this!
How do I access the original versions of the game?
Users on the below PC platforms will be able to access the original version of Quake II as follows:
- Steam users can use the launch options to launch the original versions of the games and the original files are still on disk in the same place
How do I play with friends on other platforms?
The easiest way to join a crossplay match with friends is using the room code system. The room code is a four-letter sequence that can be seen inside the pre-game lobby. Send this to your friends over text message, Discord or yelling very loudly and they'll be able to join through the multiplayer menu without having to search through the match browser or enter passwords. Note that on some platforms, crossplay may be disabled at the system level by default. Check if the feature is enabled if you have problems joining crossplay matches.
What input devices are supported?
Controller, keyboard and mouse peripherals are supported on all platforms, including consoles. Split-screen is available with mixed mouse/keyboard and controller support.
Is the Steam Controller supported?
Quake II does not support the Steam Controller.
Do I need an always-online connection to play the game?
Quake II only requires an online connection to play online multiplayer modes. Single-player campaigns and multiplayer via split-screen, LAN or ad-hoc multiplayer on Nintendo Switch can be enjoyed offline.
Are existing mods supported on PC?
Custom maps designed for the PC versions of the original Quake II should still work with the enhanced release of the game. We recommend installing custom maps into your Saved Games profile in your
%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Nightdive Studios\Quake II\baseq2\maps
folder.
You will need to create the maps folder yourself after launching the game for the first time. We have also updated the bot navigation editor to allow custom maps to make full use of our updated AI, including automatically laying down navigation nodes simply by running around the map.
The PC versions of the enhanced Quake II support mods. However, due to the move from 32-bit to 64-bit, existing mods are not compatible. Along with this release, we have made the source code for the game DLL available, allowing mods to be updated and new mods to be created supporting all the enhancements in our updated engine.
This unified codebase also contains all the additions from the two expansion packs and Capture the Flag, making it an excellent base for creating new mods based on expanded content. The updated source, with more detailed instructions for programmers, can be grabbed
here.