Quake fans have a great way to celebrate the iconic game’s 30th anniversary with a new free expansion made by MachineGames and id Software. It was announced yesterday that a new episode titled Quake: Dawn of the Machine is now available as part of a free update, and this is no petty add-on either. Featuring 19 new maps, a new soundtrack, and Deathmatch, plus other secrets, there’s plenty for players to delve into. With all the doom and gloom happening across the game industry regarding mass layoffs, and not to mention the ridiculous happenings in the hardware industry, this new free content couldn’t arrive at a better time.
“Can you believe 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Quake™’s release? To celebrate three decades of genre-defining FPS excellence, the award-winning team at MachineGames, in collaboration with id Software, is back with a brand-new Quake episode!”
– Parker Wilhem, Slayersclub
Players will navigate a labyrinthine dimension where time seems to fold back onto itself, whereby structures loop and reshape. The ranger can collect runes to unseal paths and discover new routes, secrets, and supplies for survival. New and old foes will be encountered, giving players the chance to see familiar combat but then new challenges, while also having the opportunity to discover new weapons.
“As players attempt to break the cycle, they will face deadly new twists on familiar foes, including the Rocket Ogre, Demo Dog, Blood Shambler and more. Meet the challenge head-on with new weapon variants like the lightning-charged Super Axe or the Laser Cannon, capable of ricocheting projectiles to perforate enemies from every angle.”
– Parker Wilhelm, Slayersclub
So, no time like the present to travel into the past and battle the future with Quake: Dawn of the Machine, where “The nightmare is an illusion” and “The machine is real”. The update is available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 + 5, Nintendo Switch 2 (via backwards compatibility), and Nintendo Switch. More details for Quake: Dawn of the Machine can be found here.
Discussion (1 reply)
Join Discussion →I actually just finished the base game for the first time earlier this year. I used the Nightdive remaster. I started going through the first Quake 1 expansion The Scourge of Armagon but I had to stop cuz I was too Quake'd out at that point. No telling when I'll get to the 2nd expansion Dissolution of Eternity, let alone the new ones added for the remaster, Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine. And now there is this new one Dawn of the Machine. Yeah, it's gonna be a while... But mad props to MachineGames for pumping out yet more new Quake 1 content, especially with all the layoff sh1t going on in the Bethesda/Microsoft camp.
I still need to check this out:
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Related article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/quakes-30th-anniversary-dawn-of-the-machine-episode-is-an-ambitious-celebration-of-the-games-history