If you fancy some epic Deathmatches and single-player campaigns against the perilous Strogg, then you’ll need the best Quake games of all time in your arsenal!
I realise that Quake games are the only titles you can play if you want to fight the Strogg, but that’s a small detail that we don’t need to think about right now…
Yes, today we’re taking a step into Quake’s realm to discover which titles in the series made the biggest impact on the gaming world.
And to be honest, the answer is pretty much all of them!
You’ll discover multiplayer-only titles that definitely paved the way for titles like Fortnite and PUBG, as well as add-ons that showed other companies how to catch their fans hook, line, and sinker in order to keep them coming back for more.
So, without further ado, let’s lock and load and prepare to let bullets fly as we dive into the first title in our list!
Table of Contents
1. Quake 2 Remastered (2023)
Put down our weapons; the war is won, and Quake II Remastered takes the prize as the best Quake game of all time!
Well, we all knew it was coming, but maybe not quite in as new a form.
That’s right; you can send your retro consoles on an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid trip to the Costa Del Attic for a few months and throw a remastered version of Quake II onto the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
There is a digital edition of Quake 2 Remastered available to download as we speak, but nothing beats having the physical edition to hold in your hands, am I right?
The new Quake II brings some slick remastered visuals that don’t make your eyes go super square when playing on your widescreen TV, and there’s also a whole bunch of performance upgrades to that make the game run silky smooth too, just like we imagined the old one did until we remember it was made in 1997!
Quake II in 4K with local multiplayer as well as online play – what’s not to love?
And, if you were wondering where all the juicy add-ons were, then you’ll be happy to know that it comes with two Quake II DLCs and a new DLC that we’ve never played before!
2. Quake III Team Arena (2000)
Quake III Team Arena is up next, and yes, it’s an add-on to Quake III: Arena.
It wouldn’t be right not to stick another add-on in here before we get to the top spot, right?
Team Arena takes a higher spot over the base game in my opinion purely because of all the extra elements it provides.
If you like Team Play battles, then modes like Harvester and One Flag will be right up your street, and the new levels with enhanced graphics will really make you smile.
Until you get blown to smithereens, that is!
Team Arena definitely has the upper hand when it comes to weapons too, adding in items like the Chain Gun and proximity mines to cause even more chaos.
I’m a huge fan of the invulnerability shield in this game too, allowing you to mow down everyone around you as though you were some bullet-wielding god!
3. Quake (1996)
The game that started it all, Quake, takes the bronze medal in our list of the best Quake games!
As I explained earlier when we were checking out the epic add-on ‘Dissolution of Eternity’, players leave Earth through a teleporter and fight Quake’s minions on their own turf.
The jump from Doom to Quake was massive. The new Quake engine just brought so many of id Software’s ideas to life, and you could tell that a lot of what they wished they could have done with Doom up to this point was coming out in their new title.
It looks a little bit like a more brutal version of Jet Force Gemini, doesn’t it?
Like Doom, players basically just need to find an exit to the next stage and kill everything that doesn’t look human… which is pretty much everything you’ll come into contact with.
One thing that is incredibly characteristic about Quake and Quake II is the colour palate used by the designers. It’s all very earthy and moody, which ties into the use of castles and Quake’s dismal world.
There are some weird old enemies too, with ogres and zombies taking up arms alongside knights ghosts, and some human fighters.
Can you imagine what it was like having a game that you could play co-op over the internet with back in 1996 too? Quake was a pioneer alright!
4. Quake III: Arena (1999)
Quake III: Arena was the first game to do away with the single-player mode while just offering multiplayer-goodness to fans of the series.
If you’ve ever played Unreal Tournament, then you’ll know exactly how this game works. It’s an all-out kill-fest that you can play either offline or online.
Some of the levels have a Doom-esque quality about them, but that’s no surprise considering that it’s made by the same people. The graphics were a step-up from Quake II as well, and everything felt a little easier to see!
Which is helpful when death lies around every corner!
The double jump disappeared in this game, but the inclusion of the BFG (the ‘f’ doesn’t stand for flipping’) from Doom is a really nice touch.
Like the other multiplayer titles included above in this list, Arena is best played online. Sure, the single player mode is fine, but it’s much more satisfying when you’re taking down real human players than you are AI.
And no, this isn’t the last of Quake III: Arena you’ll be seeing in this list!
5. Quake 4 (2005)
Quake 4 is actually the follow-up title to Quake II, which I’ll agree doesn’t make sense
The age-old battle between the human race and the Strogg continues in Quake 4, and the Strogg are continuing their tirade through the universe in order to build up their forces.
However, instead of fighting the Strogg in space, you’re heading back to Stroggos to take the fight to their home planet!
Remember how back in the original Quake it was just you against a whole host of enemies, the same idea as Doom Guy heading out on his own and just ploughing through demons one after the other?
Well, Quake 4 has more of an ‘army going to battle’ feel about it. We’re not talking anything as large scale as games like CoD or Halo, but you’ll have a few soldiers fighting alongside you this time as well as vehicles and machinery to watch over.
The multiplayer isn’t that amazing in Quake 4, however, but with our next title in this best Doom games article in your collection, that won’t really matter!
6. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (2007)
Remember Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory? Well, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars follows on from that epic title, this time bringing objective based antics to the world of Quake.
Remember the incident on Stroggos we touched on back in Quake II: Ground Zero? Well, the Strogg have left their home planet and decided just to try and take over as much of the known universe as possible.
Of course, if you’ve played Quake II, then this pre-cursor to that epic tale won’t be much of a surprise. Still, Earth won’t give up without a fight until then, and you’ve got to give your all to protect your home planet.
So, what exactly do I mean by objective-based antics?
Well, remember in Rogue Squadron where you had to attack generators while the computer protected them etc? Well, the same gameplay style applies here.
Players use teams made up of different classes of fighters, and certain criteria must be met by specific classes. You’ll need to pull from the entire skill pool of your team if you have any hope of meeting the objective too.
So, a game where you need to think as well as blasting enemies and riding around on quad bikes – yes, this game has it all!
7. Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution Of Eternity (1997)
Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution Of Eternity brings 16 new episodes in two levels to the very fist quake game.
Oh yeah, Quake loved its add-ons alright!
You’re tasked with tracking down enemy codename Quake, blasting apart any foul demons that stand in your way in the process.
And if you think that this kind of sounds a little bit like Doom, then you’re right. Quake is kind of the spiritual successor to the Doom, with the Quake Engine providing much more advanced gameplay and 3D rendering.
Obviously, Doom has caught up and overtaken Quake over the years – just check out our article on the greatest Doom games if you don’t believe me!
Still, this Quake add-on brought so much excitement to the table that we were hardly thinking about the future of Doom back in 1997. Fighting new enemies, taking on Quake through time and space, firing Lava Nails at your foes… it didn’t get much better than this!
8. Quake Live (2010)
Quake Live follows up from Quake III: Arena, the title that mixed it all up and gave us a whole new way to experience Quake.
In essence, this is an updated version of the original Quake III: Arena game. For a long time it was free to play, but those days are over.
You can, however, buy a copy to play on Steam, so the fun doesn’t have to stop here!
So what’s the premise?
Well, like Quake Champions and many modern titles like Overwatch, you just have to make sure that you rack up more kills than you opponent does.
There’s a skill-based matchmaking system to make sure that you don’t go up against players that are 1,000 times better than you, and the modes available to play are so addictive.
We’re talking Deathmatches, Free for All, Capture the Flag, Race, and so much more!
9. Quake II: Ground Zero (1998)
Quake II: Ground Zero acts as an add-on for the ever-popular Quake II, a title you’ll be hearing a lot about as we make our way through this list.
This must have been good for an add-on to make it into this list, right?
How about adding in monsters, levels, and some new weapons to the original game?
Yeah, that’ll do it!
You’ve gone to attack Stroggos, but you’re stuck in orbit. In order to leave, you have to head down to the planet and destroy the gravity well.
Sounds like a piece of cake, right?
So what new weaponry are we talking about here; let’s get down to business!
Players can wield a chainsaw for close-combat against the Stroggs, proximity mines, a plasma beam, and the epic ETF rifle (that’s explosive tipped flechette rifle for anyone new to Quake).
The enemies attack with more skill, and the whole add-on just adds an extra level of awesomeness to an already fantastic game!
10. Quake Champions (2017)
If you’re a Quake fan, then you’ll know all about the series of titles that focus solely on multiplayer action. When Quake III: Arena first dropped, there was no story mode whatsoever, with players just heading into all out war.
Quake: Champions follows on from entries in this list and sees players taking different characters with different skill sets into battle in a bid to see who has what it takes to become a champion.
16 Champions take to the field in this game, and you can work to unlock all of them as you play. As well as a massive arsenal of weapons for players to pick from including old favourites, classic Quake moves from yesteryear have made a comeback.
There’s a new team mode, but the Deathmatches and Duel Mode have also rejoined the party too.
To cut a long story short, Quake Champions is great, but it’s nothing inherently new. If you loved the other multiplayer games in the series, then you’ll enjoy this, but it’s more nostalgic than groundbreaking.
