Quake
Developed by the award-winning id Software, Quake® is the ground-breaking, original dark fantasy first-person shooter that inspires today’s retro-style FPS games. With Quake (Enhanced), experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original.
- Released
- 1996
- Developer
- Nightdive Studios
- Platforms
- 8 systems
- Critics
- 94
- Steam Deck
- verified
- Download
- Not stated
What is Quake?
Developed by the award-winning id Software, Quake® is the ground-breaking, original dark fantasy first-person shooter that inspires today’s retro-style FPS games. With Quake (Enhanced), experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original.
Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.
The record
| First released | 22 June 1996 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nightdive Studios |
| Publisher | Macmillan Inc., ClickBoom, MacSoft Games |
| Platforms | Nintendo 64, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck |
| Genres | First-Person Shooter |
| Languages | 6 supported |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q217423, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.
How was Quake received?
Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Metacritic page. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.
Accessibility
Seeing
None declared
Hearing
None declared
Input
- Full controller support
Difficulty
None declared
Method. Features the publisher declared on its own store page. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
What does it support?
| Capability | Support |
|---|---|
| Controller | full support |
| Cloud saves | Yes |
| Cross-platform play | Yes |
| Mod support | No official workshop |
| Online play | Yes |
| In-game purchases | No |
| Steam Deck | verified |
| Download size | Not stated |
| Add-on content | None listed |
| Age gate | 17+ |
Content descriptors
- Frequent violence or gore
- General mature content
Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.
What does it cost?
Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.
Problems players report
We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of Quake on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.
- Performance and stutter18 of 300 (6%)
The remaster is awfully unoptimized to a point you need a gaming rig to run it properly, which is laughable considering this is Quake and it should be able to run on any garbage.
Steam review, 2 September 2021 · 13 hours played · 13 readers marked it helpfulSome things I can understand for such an old FPS game, for example the repetitive gameplay, but the fact that this is such an annoying experience is not to blame on the age of the game.
Steam review, 3 November 2024 · 4 hours played · 3 readers marked it helpful - Crashes and freezes15 of 300 (5%)
[h1]Almost all major problems I have raised below have finally been fixed![/h1] Its absurd that these problems existed at launch, especially the cross-play match-making crash that I had forgot to mention in my original review.
Steam review, 20 August 2021 · 17 hours played · 11 readers marked it helpfulThis new 'remaster' is a tragedy, and I've only just booted it (multiple times because it crashes a lot, we'll get to that) First thing you'll notice is a bunch of new, infinitely loud splash screens.
Steam review, 20 August 2021 · 0 hours played · 5 readers marked it helpful - Will not launch or install11 of 300 (4%)
Bethesda gave me this dumb remaster version I didn't want, and now winquake, the version i DID want and was currently playing through for the first time, does not launch correctly on my machine.
Steam review, 20 August 2021 · 26 hours played · 12 readers marked it helpfulbut now my comupter cant run it.
Steam review, 6 August 2026 · 15 hours played · 8 readers marked it helpful
A further 6 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.
Games like Quake
24 games overlap with Quake on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are Quake II, Doom 64 and Unreal Gold.
Common questions about Quake
What platforms is Quake on?
Quake is available on Nintendo 64, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck. It first released in 1996.
How much does Quake cost?
$9.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.
Do players recommend Quake?
96% of 16,302 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Overwhelmingly Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.
What is the Metacritic score for Quake?
94 out of 100 for the PC version, as published on the game's own Steam store page. Steam can lag Metacritic by a few points.
Does Quake work on Steam Deck?
Valve rates Quake as verified on the Steam Deck, from its own testing. That means it works out of the box with no configuration.
Who made Quake?
Quake was developed by Nightdive Studios and published by Macmillan Inc., ClickBoom, MacSoft Games.