Quake: Dawn of the Machine, a brand-new campaign for the 1996 shooter, is available now as a free update on every modern version of the game, announced via Bethesda’s Slayers Club.
MachineGames built it with id Software — the studio behind this year’s Doom: The Dark Ages — for Quake’s 30th anniversary: 19 new levels, hidden secrets, a new soundtrack and a fresh Deathmatch map. It is the studio’s third Quake campaign, after Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine in the 2021 remaster.
“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,” the announcement reads. “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.”
Quake: Dawn of the Machine adds 19 levels, new weapons and a Deathmatch map
The campaign sends Ranger against new takes on familiar foes — Rocket Ogre, Demo Dog, Blood Shambler — with new hardware including a lightning-charged Super Axe and a Laser Cannon whose shots ricochet. The end of the line is the Nightmare Machine, the boss behind the dimension’s looping madness.
The episode was unveiled at QuakeCon 2026. It arrives weeks after id Software cut 136 staff in Microsoft’s July restructuring, per VGC — a blow former devs say leaves the Doom studio support-team sized. The new episode itself is credited to MachineGames, which already handled Quake’s 2021 Dimension campaigns.
How to get the free Quake 30th anniversary update
Dawn of the Machine is free for owners of Quake on Steam, the Microsoft Store, Xbox One and Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Switch — including Switch 2 through backwards compatibility. Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscribers already have the base game, so the update costs nothing there either.
If you don’t own Quake, the remaster is 60% off on Steam right now, at AED 16 rather than AED 40.
Is Quake: Dawn of the Machine free?
Yes. It is a free update for owners of Quake on Steam, the Microsoft Store, Xbox One, Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Switch. Game Pass and PC Game Pass members already have the base game, so there is nothing to pay there either.
Who made Quake: Dawn of the Machine?
MachineGames, the studio behind Wolfenstein, developed it with id Software. It is their third Quake campaign — they also made Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine for the 2021 remaster.
Do I need to buy Quake to play Dawn of the Machine?
Yes — you need the base game. If you don’t own it, Quake is 60% off on Steam right now, at AED 16 instead of AED 40.
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