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Quake hasn’t seen a new release in over a decade but the series has remained popular over the years for plenty of reasons. This year’s QuakeCon has included some announcements that should be exciting for fans of the series. The iconic first-person shooter series is turning twenty-five years this year and id Software isn’t letting the milestone pass without a celebration.
The original Quake has been re-released on Xbox, PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. It isn’t just a simple re-release either. It’s an enhanced remaster with upgraded visuals, enhanced models, dynamic lighting, anti-aliasing, widescreen resolutions, 4K support, and plenty more!
60 Frames Per Second
It’s also only $9.99, which is pretty chill for a remaster of this quality. It would also be a pretty fair price for just a standard release of the game, since it wasn’t really available on consoles. The previous versions on PC have aged some too, especially for anyone that attempts to approach the series for the first time. This remaster makes an absolutely iconic game more widely available with enhancements and new content. And if you’re a subscriber to Xbox Game Pass, it’s available at no additional cost.
The release also includes the original Quake expansion packs, and two new expansions developed by Machine Games. The remaster also online support for its four-player campaign mode and local co-op. The Quake Remaster also has full cross-play support, which should give the game plenty of life for years to come. Here’s a full list of all the new features and improvements from Bethesda’s press release:
- Cross-play support
- Dedicated server support for online Deathmatch (matchmaking only)
- Local split-screen support for Deathmatch and co-op
- AI opponents in Deathmatch mode
- Includes the original Quake campaign plus mission packs, Scourge of Armagon, Dissolution of Eternity, Dimension of the Past and the brand-new Dimension of the Machine expansion pack from MachineGames
- Free Optional Add-ons will be available for download in-game, starting with the original Quake 64
- Graphical improvements:
- Motion blur
- Antialiasing
- Ambient Occlusion
- Model interpolation
- High resolution and colored lightmaps
- Enhanced models
- Dynamic Shadows
Platforms
- PC:
- Steam
- Bethesda Launcher
- Microsoft Windows Store
- Console:
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X/S (playable in backwards compatibility mode only at launch, free native upgrade coming soon)
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5 (playable in backwards compatibility mode only at launch, free native upgrade coming soon)
- Nintendo Switch
The original soundtrack from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is also included on all versions of the game too. This also includes the soundtracks for expansion packs Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternit.
Quake (2021) will also receive free optional add-ons in the future, similar to the re-releases for Doom and Doom II. The first add-on is Quake 64.
Every version of the game should play well according to the release notes but there are some notable differences that could make a particular version more appealing.
Here are the framerate and resolutions supported for each platform:
- PC: Maximum supported by video card/display
- Nintendo Switch: 720p at 60FPS in handheld mode, 1080p at 60fps docked
- PlayStation 4: 1080p at 60FPS
- PlayStation 4 Pro: Native 4k at 60FPS
- Xbox One: 1080p at 60FPS
The PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game all support Motion Aiming. If that’s important to you then the PlayStation version should check every box for performance and features, though a remastered version of Quake on the go is pretty tempting too. It’s only ten bucks too so even if you purchased every version, it would still be less than the cost of five Macanudo cigars. (Retroware does not endorse cigars or putting rocks in your pockets just to get a “Tammy Craps” doll. That can be very dangerous. Almost as dangerous as having five hand-rolled Macanudo cigars.)
Quake II and Quake III: Arena are also both available on PC in their original form through Xbox Game Pass for PC. These two games are not remastered or changed but it’s good they’re available for people to see and experience. Microsoft has not said anything regarding Quake II or Quake III: Arena coming
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