MachineGames has released a free 30th anniversary mission pack for the Quake remaster, adding new maps, time-looping mechanics, and persistent upgrades for the classic shooter.
<p>This year is the 30th anniversary of the launch of the original <em>Quake</em> by id Software, if you could believe it. To commemorate that, publisher Bethesda has <a href="https://slayersclub.bethesda.net/en-US/news/quake-dawn-of-the-machine-available-now">released</a> a new campaign chapter for the game, titled "Dawn of the Machine."</p>
<p>This is part of a series of new campaign chapters, all developed by MachineGames "in collaboration with id Software." MachineGames is best known for making the games in the relatively recent Wolfenstein reboot series, as well as <em>Indiana Jones and the Great Circle</em>. The <em>Quake</em> maps are made by a team dubbed "Quake Club," which includes several MachineGames employees who work on <em>Quake</em> maps in their spare time.</p>
<p>The ambition and scope of some of these maps is beyond what was typical for Quake maps back in the late '90s, thanks in part to the team's use of <a href="https://trenchbroom.github.io/">Trenchbloom</a>, a newer map editor that works well on modern systems and is easier to work with and more capable than what folks were using in those days.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/08/new-official-30th-anniversary-quake-mission-pack-adds-new-maps-and-mechanics/">Read full article</a></p>
<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/08/new-official-30th-anniversary-quake-mission-pack-adds-new-maps-and-mechanics/#comments">Comments</a></p>
# New official 30th anniversary Quake mission pack adds new maps and mechanics
Source: [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/08/new-official-30th-anniversary-quake-mission-pack-adds-new-maps-and-mechanics/](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/08/new-official-30th-anniversary-quake-mission-pack-adds-new-maps-and-mechanics/)
This is the premise of the new campaign, as written on the blog post announcing the update:
> As the battle\-hardened Ranger, players survive a labyrinthine dimension where time folds back onto itself, creating a unique looping structure where each visit in the present reshapes the future\. Collect runes to unlock previously sealed paths brimming with new routes, encounters and secrets, plus persistent health and ammunition upgrades throughout add a new layer of progression to Quake’s classic gameplay\.
The new maps have been added to the campaign list in the remastered version of*Quake*, and like that remaster, they’re available free to anyone who already owns*Quake*on Steam, as well as*Quake*on current and last\-gen PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles\.
It has recently been reported that a significant number of people at original*Quake*developer id Software were[laid off](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/bethesda-id-software-reportedly-hit-hard-by-microsoft-layoffs/)amid Microsoft’s major[Xbox reorganization](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-incredible-shrinking-xbox-five-studios-3200-employees-let-go/); however, most of that studio has been more focused on the recent Doom reboot series\. MachineGames has been the primary force generating new*Quake*content, and that studio does not appear to have been as deeply affected by layoffs just yet—though more are expected throughout the Xbox organization in the coming months\.
The grim context aside, it’s good to see some classic PC games still getting new maps all these years later\. Like*Age of Empires II*,*Quake*has seen something of a resurgence thanks to its remaster and more official content over the past few years\.
The trailer for Dawn of the Machine\.
Quake celebrates its 30th anniversary with a free update featuring a new MachineGames-developed episode, Dawn of the Machine, adding 19 maps, new enemies, weapon variants, and more.
The author documents the process of building a vintage PC from 1997-1998 to play all versions of Quake, covering hardware choices like the Pentium MMX, 3dfx Voodoo2, and Socket 7 motherboards.
A detailed guide on recreating the process of compiling Quake's win32 binaries using vintage tools like Windows NT 4 and Visual C++ 6, as done in 1997.