Quake Engines
Quake's source code has been open since 1999, and the community has grown it into a family of engines. Some stay true to the 1996 original, some add modern renderers, some are built for modders or competitive play. Here are the ones in active use, with Zircon up front: a DarkPlaces-based engine developed by Baker, which powers several projects on this site.
Featured
Zircon
DarkPlaces "Mark V": a mouse-driven, mapper-friendly DarkPlaces fork with 100+ enhancements.
DP
on Quake (id Tech 2)
DarkPlaces
LadyHavoc's feature-rich engine: real-time lighting, bloom, normal mapping, huge QuakeC extension set.
FTE
on QuakeWorld
FTEQW
Multi-game engine for Quake, QuakeWorld, Quake II/III and Hexen II. Powers the browser games on this site.
QS
on FitzQuake
QuakeSpasm
Maintained FitzQuake descendant that sticks close to vanilla behaviour while lifting the old limits.
QSS
on QuakeSpasm
QSS (Quakespasm-Spiked)
QuakeSpasm plus Spike's extensions: more protocol features, fewer limits, high frame rates without breaking physics.
IW
on QuakeSpasm
Ironwail
Performance-focused QuakeSpasm fork on a modern GPU-driven renderer. Plays the 2021 Remaster content.
VK
on QSS
vkQuake
Vulkan port of QSS with most of its features, plus a drag-resizable window and custom HUD/particle support.
At a glanceSame engines, side by side
| Engine | Based on | Renderer | Best for | Platforms | Licence | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zircon | DarkPlaces | OpenGL (SDL) | Mapping and mod development with a friendly UI, fully DarkPlaces-compatible mods | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android | Open source (GPL) | Active (beta) |
| DarkPlaces | Quake (id Tech 2) | OpenGL | Graphics-heavy mods, total conversions and games like Xonotic | Windows, Linux, macOS | GPL-2.0 | Active |
| FTEQW | QuakeWorld | Vulkan, OpenGL, Direct3D 9/11 | Multiplayer, QuakeC development, multi-game setups and running Quake in a browser | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Web | GPL-2.0 | Active |
| QuakeSpasm | FitzQuake | OpenGL | Vanilla-accurate single player; the usual reference for new single-player maps | Windows, Linux, macOS | GPL-2.0 | Active |
| QSS (Quakespasm-Spiked) | QuakeSpasm | OpenGL | Mods that need extended limits and protocol features, with a QuakeSpasm feel | Windows, Linux | GPL-2.0 | Maintained |
| Ironwail | QuakeSpasm | OpenGL 4 | Fast, polished single player with big maps and modern hardware | Windows, Linux | GPL-2.0 | Active |
| vkQuake | QSS | Vulkan | Single player and mods on a modern Vulkan renderer | Windows, Linux, macOS | GPL-2.0 | Active |
| ezQuake | QuakeWorld | OpenGL | Competitive QuakeWorld deathmatch and team play | Windows, Linux, macOS | GPL-2.0 | Active |
| JoeQuake | GLQuake | OpenGL | Speedrunning and demo-based competition | Windows, Linux, macOS | GPL | Active |
Which one should I use?
- Just playing single-player maps: QuakeSpasm for vanilla-accurate behaviour; Ironwail or vkQuake if you want a faster modern renderer and the 2021 Remaster content.
- Mods with extended limits or protocol features: QSS or FTEQW.
- Graphics-heavy mods and total conversions: DarkPlaces, or Zircon if you want the same mod compatibility with a mouse-driven menu and extra mapper tools.
- Multiplayer: ezQuake for QuakeWorld; FTEQW as a flexible all-rounder.
- Speedrunning: JoeQuake.
- No install at all: play Quake in your browser on a WebAssembly build of FTEQW.
Details are a snapshot from October 2026 and engines move fast, so check each project's own page for the current release.