One of the most beloved and influential franchises in gaming history, the Quake series helped to define the FPS genre and gaming as a whole. Known for being at the forefront of gaming in the early to mid-90s, Quake has become a largely forgotten name in the modern gaming landscape.

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The series has changed a lot over its lifespan, from its groundbreaking single-player beginnings to becoming a leader in the growing world of Esports. Over the years, Quake struggled to find its long-term identity, and subsequent releases would never reach the critical acclaim of its early life. With the release of remastered versions of the original games, modern interest in Quake has risen, and fans are eagerly hoping a new addition to the long-running series will be announced that will return the series to its former glory.

9 Quake 3: Revolution

Metascore: 84

This entry into the franchise would be a simple footnote in Quake history if it weren’t for the emergence of the current console giant, PlayStation. Quake 3: Revolution combines all the game modes from Quake 3 Arena into a single package for the PlayStation 2.

At the time, this was a solid console port, pushing the technology of the PS2 to its limit. As an original game, Revolutions falls flat, but for console players of the day wanting to get in on some multiplayer action, it was a welcome release.

8 Quake 3: Team Arena

Metascore: 69

With the massive success of Quake 3 a year earlier and the growing interest in competitive gaming, the expansion Quake 3Team Arena was released. This new addition to the Quake landscape brought new maps, new weapons, and most important of all, new multiplayer team action.

The game was generally well-received and helped maintain the player base of Arena, but didn’t add too much to the original game. Team Arena helped to keep Quake at its peak multiplayer era and remains a notable addition to the history of the franchise.

7 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Metascore: 84

This 2007 spin-off to the Quake series is set within the same universe as Quake 2 and Quake 4 and acts as a prequel to those games. Unlike those previous games, Quake Wars owes more to the series' arena multiplayer games than the single-player entries.

With the gameplay focusing more on objectives and teams becoming class-based, Enemy Territory is a fun online game that received generally positive reviews. The game may not live up to the groundbreaking titles it takes its name from, but it is a worthy addition for fans of online play.

6 Quake Champions

Metascore: TBD

One of the more recent additions to the long-running franchise, Quake Champions was initially released in 2017 and became a free-to-play game, with the full game released in 2022. Champions is a return to the arena-style shooter and brought in additional perks and abilities for players to learn.

The game was generally well-received and initially had a decent player base, but unfortunately, the game lacked originality and players soon started to leave when newer games were emerging. The game was still a solid entry and helped remind people how great the Quake series had once been.

5 Quake 4

Metascore 81

To capitalize on the re-emergence of the Doom franchise, Quake 4 was released in 2005, bringing the series back to its single-player roots. Quake 4 continued where Quake 2's narrative left off, with critics praising the game for its graphics and action but also noting it suffered from a simplistic and repetitive gameplay loop. Quake 4 was a fun, action-packed shooter that held up well with other games of the day, but lacked the groundbreaking nature of its predecessors.

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Quake 4 is a worthwhile attempt at recreating the series’ heyday, but unfortunately fell flat in finding a modern audience, who had been treated to more sophisticated shooters. For fans of the series, Quake 4 is a fun addition and works well as a solid single-player FPS experience.

4 Quake Live

Metascore: TBD

Released in 2010 initially as a free-to-play game, Quake Live was essentially an updated version of Quake 3: Arena. Giving players all the online multiplayer action the original title was known for. Re-launched in 2014, the game was no longer free-to-play, but continued to have a strong player base.

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Quake Live continues to bring the Quake franchise to Esports tournaments around the world today, but with waning popularity, the long-running shooter could do with a refresh to stay relevant in competitive play.

3 Quake 3: Arena

Metascore: 93

Quake 3: Arena was a big change for the Quake series. In the previous two installments, Quake had been primarily a single-player experience, although both games had multiplayer modes. With the release of Arena, the series became solely focused on the multiplayer experience, with no single-player campaign at all.

The setting was based around a gladiatorial arena, where the greatest warriors fought for the amusement of an Alien race. The game was a huge success, with its influence still being seen today. Games like Call of Duty: Warzone,Valorant, and Apex: Legends all owe their current status to the early success of Quake 3. The game kick-started the Esports craze and helped push the genre forward to what we see today.

2 Quake 2: Enhanced Edition

Metascore: 90

The second installment in the Quake series kept the fast-paced single-player action of the first game, replacing the dark fantasy style with a dark sci-fi one instead. Narratively separate from the first game, Quake 2 introduced the brutal cybernetic alien race, The Strogg, as the main antagonist to the series and added more verticality to the game world. On top of this, enemies could duck out of the way of incoming fire, a groundbreaking addition at the time.

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Quake 2 is one of the most beloved games in the Quake series and is highly influential on modern gaming, with many fans preferring Quake 2 to the first game. A remastered version was released in 2023, bringing all the expansions and game modes with it.

1 Quake: Remastered

Metascore: 81

For many, the original will always be the definitive Quake game. A groundbreaking release in its day, Quake took the demon-shooting gameplay of Doom, placed it in a bleak medieval-style setting, and injected it with a heavy dose of Lovecraftian inspiration. The stunning industrial soundtrack, created by Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails, takes the already classic FPS to a whole new iconic level.

With the release of Quake Remastered in 2021, a whole new audience discovered the FPS classic. It included all the later expansions for the game, creating the ultimate Quake package that fits in perfectly with the plethora of more modern “boomer shooter” style games released over the last few years.

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