Play Quake

Play Quake online with the NIN Community!

Quick connect

Launch ezQuake

Press the ~ key to open the console then type these two lines:

setinfo password gotthenails30 connect quake.nin.fan:28502
Server Address Notes
Standard Free For All quake.nin.fan:28501 Map rotation with bots
Peel It Back quake.nin.fan:28502 One map, no bots
Standard CTF quake.nin.fan:28503 Map rotation, no bots
Team Deathmatch quake.nin.fan:28504 Map rotation with bots

FAQ

How do I play?
Buy Quake, install the free ezQuake client, and connect. The installation guide below walks you through all of it.
What is Quake?
An FPS game released in 1996 by id Software, also known for Doom and Wolfenstein. Quake helped popularize multiplayer deathmatch gaming in the 90s. It also takes heavy inspiration from gothic fiction, particularly the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
What does Quake have to do with Nine Inch Nails?
Quake's music and sound design were done by Trent Reznor, using ambient soundscapes and synthesized drones to create atmospheric tracks. Quake includes an homage to Trent, in the form of the in-game ammo boxes for the Nailgun and Super Nailgun weapons decorated with the NIN logo.
Can I connect with Quake Enhanced, the 2021 remaster?
No. It has its own multiplayer technology that is not compatible with QuakeWorld servers. You need to use the free ezQuake client.
What is QuakeWorld, exactly?
Quake's network play, rebuilt. It is an enhanced client/server architecture made for real multiplayer over real connections, and it is still actively maintained thirty years on. That is why the client is separate, and why it is worth the detour.
Can I play on a PS5, Xbox or Switch?
No. Connecting means running the ezQuake binary, and consoles will not let you install one.
What about the Steam Deck?
It should work, but you are treating the Deck as a portable Linux desktop rather than using game mode, so expect extra steps. We have not tested it ourselves, and how the controls end up mapped is an open question. If you get it working, tell us what you did.

Installation

  1. Get Quake
  2. Install ezQuake
  3. Set yourself up

1 Get Quake

Easiest options to get Quake today:

Both stores list Quake as Windows-only, but don't worry, you won't be connecting to our servers with this version of the game. We just need a couple game files and the free ezQuake client.

Whichever store you use, the two files ezQuake actually needs are pak0.pak and pak1.pak, which live in a folder called id1. Here's how you get them:

Windows

  1. Use the store's standard installation procedure

macOS / Linux

You have two options here:

  1. If you have access to a Windows PC, install Quake on it and then copy the id1 directory over using a flash drive or similar
  2. If you do not, you can use special tools to get the installers to run anyway:

If you bought on Steam

Valve makes SteamCMD, a download-only version of Steam that runs on macOS and Linux. Install it following Valve's instructions for your system, then ask it for Quake while telling it to pretend it is a Windows machine.

Run the following from the command line e.g. Terminal on macOS:

./steamcmd.sh +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +login YOUR_STEAM_NAME +app_update 2310 validate +quit

Replace YOUR_STEAM_NAME with your own Steam login. It will ask for your password and your Steam Guard code, exactly like the normal Steam app does. When it finishes, the game is in a steamapps/common folder beside SteamCMD, with the id1 directory inside.

If you bought on GOG

From your GOG library, download the offline installer rather than using GOG Galaxy. This will be a single Windows .exe file. Then get the innoextract tool, which can open that installer as though it were a zip archive. On macOS, tinstalling innoextract requires the homebrew package manager. Once you have homebrew installed, run the following from the Terminal:

brew install innoextract innoextract setup_quake_*.exe

Match that second line to whatever the downloaded file is actually called. It leaves an app folder next to the installer with the game inside it, id1 directory and all. On Linux, install innoextract from your distribution's package manager.

2 Install ezQuake

ezQuake is free and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Windows

  1. Download the Windows release and extract ezquake.exe from the zip archive.
  2. Copy ezquake.exe into the Quake game folder so it's in the same folder that the id1 folder.
  3. Double-click ezquake.exe

macOS

  1. Download the macOS release and extract ezQuake from the zip archive.
  2. Copy ezQuake into the same folder you managed to get the id1 folder with the pak files.
  3. Double-click ezQuake

If macOS refuses to open it and warns that it cannot check the app for malicious software, there is nothing wrong with your download. Apple shows that warning for any app whose developer has not paid for its certificate, and ezQuake is free. Open System Settings, choose Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, and click Open Anyway next to the blocked app. You only have to do this once.

Linux

Easiest route is the Flatpak — grab it from your distribution's repository or from Flathub. Otherwise, download the Linux release and run ezQuake from a directory containing id1, or point it at one.

If you went the Flatpak route, it is sandboxed, so it does not look where you would expect. Your .pak files go in a hidden folder under your home directory:

~/.var/app/io.github.ezQuake/.ezquake/id1/

3 Set yourself up

Do this on your first run. There are many settings in ezQuake, but these are the four worth your attention before you connect:

  • Change your name. It is the first item under Player setup. Everyone on the server sees it.
  • Pick your colors. Shirt and pants, in the same screen. This is how people tell you apart.
  • Set the mouse wheel to change weapons. Out of the box, rolling the wheel does nothing at all. In the Controls set, Weaponor sections, you can bind the mouse wheel up and down to previous and next weapon.
  • Save your configuration. This saves what you just changed so the next time you open ezQuake you won't have to re-apply these choices.

That is the whole setup. The two lines you need are back up under quick connect.